The Wild Rover

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The Wild Rover (Roud 1173) is a popular folk song whose origins are contested.

According to Professor T.M. Devine in his book "The Scottish Nation 1700 - 2000" (Penguin, 2001) the song was written as a temperance song. [1] This would place it no earlier than 1829. [2]. The song is found printed in a book "The American Songster", printed in the USA by W.A. Leary in 1845, and spread from Scotland to America from the Temperance movement. There is another USA printed version in the "Forget-Me-Not Songster" (c 1850), published by Locke. An alternative history of the song is suggested by the fact that a collection of ballads, dated between 1813 and 1838 is held in the Bodleian Library. The printer, Catnach, was based in "7 Dials", London. The Bodleian bundle contains "The Wild Rover" [3]. The Greig-Duncan collection contains no less that 6 versions of the song. It was compiled by Gavin Greig 1848 - 1917.

It is often considered to be a drinking song rather than a Temperance song. It has become very popular in Scotland and England. In Britain, the song is especially popular with sport fans and has been adopted as the basis for many football chants. The song is a staple for artists performing live music in Irish pubs.

Lyrics
I've been a wild rover for many's the year,
and I spent all me money on whiskey and beer.
And now I'm returning with gold in great store,
and I never will play the wild rover no more.

(Chorus):
And it's no, nay, never! No, nay, never, no more,
will I play the wild rover. No (nay) never no more!

I went to an alehouse I used to frequent,
and I told the landlady me money was spent.
I asked her for credit, she answered me "nay,
such a custom as yours I could have any day".

(Chorus)

I took from me pocket ten sovereigns bright,
and the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight.
She said "I have whiskeys and wines of the best,
and the words that I told you were only in jest".

(Chorus)

I'll have none of your whiskeys nor fine Spanish wines,
For your words show you clearly as no friend of mine.
There's others most willing to open a door,
To a man coming home from a far distant shore.

(Chorus)

I'll go home to me parents, confess what I've done,
and I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son.
And when they've caressed me as oft times before
then I never will play the wild rover no more.

(Chorus)

Contents

[edit] Performing

When performed live in a pub setting, or for an audience, it is a custom for the participants to bang on the table or clap their hands in cadence four times during the break in the chorus, thus: And it's no, nay, never (clap - clap - clap - clap) no, nay, never, no more... Also during the break some scream "lift up your kilts" (or skirts) in cadence to the clap. In Ireland this is replaced by "rise up your pints!" and all assembled raise their glasses and toast the chant.

[edit] Recordings

Countless popular singers and bands have covered the song, amongst others

[edit] Variations

The landlady's line "and the words that I/you told you/me were only in jest" is frequently replaced with either "and I'll take you upstairs and I'll show you the rest" or "and the whores on the floor'll take care of the rest." or "then she opened her blouse, and she showed me her chest". Others sing the last line as "I'll go out and I'll play the wild rover once more!"

[edit] Trivia

In 1982, the German comedians Klaus & Klaus covered the song with new German lyrics, so the melody is more often referred to "An der Nordseeküste" (At the coast of the North Sea) in Germany than to "Wild Rover".

Preceding the referendum concerning membership in the EU in 1994, Norwegian youths opposing membership used a slight alteration of the refrain: "We say no to EU, no, no never at all, shall we join up with EU, no never at all!" (translated).

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