Drinking, and a General Lack of Trousers

Time for some general light-heartedness, and songs that are generally either about drinking or not having trousers on – two things which have a lot in common. And musicians named Andy Stewart seems to have crept in as a sub-theme, somehow.

Lily The Pink – The Irish Rovers

This is a very traditional drinking song, inspired by the drunkards heroine during Prohibition, Lydia Pinkham. Whether “Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound” was as good for “feminine complaints” and verious other things as claimed, it was, at least, 40 proof, and available during Prohibition.

She was a hero on other fronts as well; she, and later her daughter-in-law, gave frank and useful advice on womens health issues by mail during a time when it was hard to come by.

Regardless, this is a fun song about her, put to scenes from Harry Potter for some reason…

Donald, Where’s Your Troosers? – St. Andrews Breakaway Society

Another fun traditional song, this one written by Andy Stewart. And, yes, it’s “Troosers”. I’ve heard it sungs as “trousers”, and it doesn’t sound quite as authentic. Though the real question in this video should be “Donald, Where’s Your Sporran?”. Who wears a kilt without a sporran?

And somehow, I doubt his garb is authentic in one other area, given how readily he’s flashing around his kilt. At least, I hope not.

This appears to actually be sung by Andy Stewart, though it isn’t labeled as such. And, of course, there’s one song I should have posted by rights in this post as well that I’m not…

The Ramblin’ Rover – Andy M Stewart

Having played a song by Andy Stewart, how about a song by Andy M Stewart?

Well known both by himself, and for his time heading the group Silly Wizard [1], he has a decided talent for writing songs that sound like traditional folk songs that have been around for hundreds of years. He can easily be distinguished from the other Andy Stewart in that he’s the one who isn’t dead.

I don’t know what else to say about this song, other then that I love the lyrics, especially the chorus…

“Oh there’s sober men in plenty
and drunkards barely twenty
There are men of over ninety
who have never yet kissed a girl.
But give me a rambling rover
from Orkney down to Dover
We will roam the country over
and together we’ll face the world.”

[1] It was one of these super-group bands, where most or all the members are already famous in their own right. Sort of like the Traveling Wilburys, if all the members were traditional Scottish musicians.