The Auld Triangle Lyrics
And the mice were squealing in my prison cell
To begin the morning the water boiling
Get up out of bed boy and clean up your cell
All along the banks of the Royal Canal
And the seagulls squealing hall above the walls
On the day was dying and the wind was sighing
As I lay there crying in my prison cell
All along the banks of the Royal Canal
As he lay there waiting for his poor gal
All along the banks of the Royal Canal
And I wish to god it was with them that I did dwell
All along the banks of the Royal Canal
Probably the best song on this album...
In the next to the last verse it says, "As he kay there weeping for his poor gal." It's a GREAT song!!
This is an old song... I'm not sure of its origins but I do know that The Pogues did a version of it on their first album Red Roses For Me that is very different than DKM's version but also very good.
This song was written by the same guy who did the Irish national anthem, Brendan Beehan.He wrote it about when he was in borstal when he was young according to my IRish teacher, this can be seen from all the words like the warder screaming etc
I heard this song on XM's punk station and that's what turned me on to DKM. Great song.
I believe this song is about being an inmate in Mountjoy Prison, which is beside the Royal Canal in Dublin. This is supported by the reference to the female prison. Sorry, Cian, but I doubt a kid in a borstal would want to live in a female prison!
Yeah you're right, he was indeed in Mountjoy which is what this song is about.My mistake, though he was in Borstal before that and borstals were meant for 16 to 21 year olds in Ireland so a woman's prison wouldn't be out of the question :D
Correction to statements above: This song is a poem originally written by famous Irish playwright Brendan Behan. Brendan Behan did not write the Irish national anthem (called The Soldier's Song for those of us not familiar), that was written by his uncle Peadar Kearney.
This song was I believe first performed by The Clancy Brothers. The Pogues did without a doubt the best version of it. I was happy to find that DKM did a cover of it, until I heard the cover... Sure enough, they butchered what was once a very pretty song.
Correction my statement above: Song was first performed by the Dubliners, not the Clancy Brothers. Bob Dylan also did a cover on The Basement Tapes... It's not bad.
I prefer The High Kings version of this song. the harmony is fantastic.
@duncannon I just listened to this on YouTube, Wow!!
@duncannon I just listened to this on YouTube, Wow!!