Monto (Take Her Up To Monto)
Encyclopedia
Monto is an Irish folk song, written by George Desmond Hodnett
, music critic of the Irish Times, and popularised by the Dubliners
.
Take her up to Ring-o
Where the waxies sing-o all the day;
If you've had your fill of porter
,
And you can't go any further
Give your man the order: "Back to the Quay!"
And take her up to Monto
, Monto, Monto
Take her up to Monto, lan-ge- roo,
To you!
Have you heard of Buckshot Forster
,
The dirty old impostor
Took a mot and lost her, up the Furry Glen.
He first put on his bowler
And buttoned up his trousers,
Then whistled for a growler
and he said, "My man!"
Take me up to Monto, Monto, Monto
Take me up to Monto, lan-ge- roo,
To you!
You've seen the Dublin Fusiliers,
The dirty old bamboozeleers,
De Wet
'll kill them chiselers, one, two, three.
Marching from the Linen Hall
There's one for every cannonball,
And Vicky
's going to send them all, o'er the sea.
But first go up to Monto, Monto, Monto
March them up to Monto, lan-ge- roo,
To you!
When Carey
told on Skin-the-goat,
O'Donnell
caught him on the boat
He wished he'd never been afloat, the dirty skite.
It wasn't very sensible
To tell on the Invincibles
They stand up for their principles, day and night.
And you'll find them all in Monto, Monto, Monto
Standing up in Monto, lan-ge- roo,
To you!
Now when the Tsar of Russia
And the King of Prussia
Landed in the Phoenix
in a big balloon,
They asked the police band
To play "The Wearin' of the Green
"
But the buggers from the depot didn't know the tune.
So they both went up to Monto, Monto, Monto
Scarpered up to Monto, lan-ge- roo,
To you!
The Queen
she came to call on us,
She wanted to see all of us
I'm glad she didn't fall on us, she's eighteen stone.
"Mister Me Lord Mayor," says she,
"Is this all you've got to show me?"
"Why, no ma'am there's some more to see, Póg mo thóin!"
And he took her up Monto, Monto, Monto
He set her up in Monto, lan-ge- roo,
For you!
George Desmond Hodnett
George Desmond "Hoddy" Hodnett was an Irish musician, song-writer and long-time jazz and popular music critic for the Irish Times.-Life:...
, music critic of the Irish Times, and popularised by the Dubliners
The Dubliners
The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...
.
Lyrics
Well, if you've got a wing-o,Take her up to Ring-o
Ringsend
Ringsend is a southside inner suburb of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Liffey, about two kilometres east of the city centre, and is the southern terminus of the East Link Toll Bridge....
Where the waxies sing-o all the day;
If you've had your fill of porter
Porter (beer)
Porter is a dark-coloured style of beer. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined. The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London. It is generally brewed with dark malts...
,
And you can't go any further
Give your man the order: "Back to the Quay!"
And take her up to Monto
Monto
Monto was the nickname for a one-time notorious red light district in Dublin, the capital of Ireland...
, Monto, Monto
Take her up to Monto, lan-ge- roo,
To you!
Have you heard of Buckshot Forster
William Edward Forster
William Edward Forster PC, FRS was an English industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal Party statesman.-Early life:...
,
The dirty old impostor
Took a mot and lost her, up the Furry Glen.
He first put on his bowler
Bowler hat
The bowler hat, also known as a coke hat, derby , billycock or bombin, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown originally created in 1849 for the English soldier and politician Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester...
And buttoned up his trousers,
Then whistled for a growler
Hansom cab
The hansom cab is a kind of horse-drawn cart designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York. The vehicle was developed and tested by Hansom in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England. Originally called the Hansom safety cab, it was designed to combine speed with safety, with a low...
and he said, "My man!"
Take me up to Monto, Monto, Monto
Take me up to Monto, lan-ge- roo,
To you!
You've seen the Dublin Fusiliers,
The dirty old bamboozeleers,
De Wet
Christiaan De Wet
Christiaan Rudolf de Wet was a Boer general, rebel leader and politician.He was born on the Leeuwkop farm, in the district of Smithfield in the Boer Republic of the Orange Free State...
'll kill them chiselers, one, two, three.
Marching from the Linen Hall
There's one for every cannonball,
And Vicky
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
's going to send them all, o'er the sea.
But first go up to Monto, Monto, Monto
March them up to Monto, lan-ge- roo,
To you!
When Carey
James Carey
James Carey was a Fenian and informer most notable for his involvement in the Phoenix Park murders.Carey was son of Francis Carey, a bricklayer, who came from Celbridge, in Kildare, to Dublin, where his son was born in James Street in 1845. He also was a bricklayer, and for 18 years continued in...
told on Skin-the-goat,
O'Donnell
Patrick O'Donnell (Invincible)
Pádraig "Mhícheál Airt" Ó Domhnaill or Patrick O'Donnell, was an Irish republican who was responsible for killing James Carey, leader of the group that carried out the Phoenix Park Murders in Dublin, Ireland.- The Phoenix Park murders and Carey's death :On 6 May 1882, the most senior Irish civil...
caught him on the boat
He wished he'd never been afloat, the dirty skite.
It wasn't very sensible
To tell on the Invincibles
Irish National Invincibles
The Irish National Invincibles, usually known as "The Invincibles" were a radical splinter group of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and leading representatives of the Land League movement, both of Ireland and Britain...
They stand up for their principles, day and night.
And you'll find them all in Monto, Monto, Monto
Standing up in Monto, lan-ge- roo,
To you!
Now when the Tsar of Russia
And the King of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
Landed in the Phoenix
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
in a big balloon,
They asked the police band
To play "The Wearin' of the Green
The Wearing of the Green
"The Wearing of the Green" is an anonymously-penned Irish street ballad dating to 1798. The context of the song is the repression around the time of the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Wearing a shamrock in the "caubeen" was a sign of rebellion and green was the colour of the Society of the United...
"
But the buggers from the depot didn't know the tune.
So they both went up to Monto, Monto, Monto
Scarpered up to Monto, lan-ge- roo,
To you!
The Queen
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
she came to call on us,
She wanted to see all of us
I'm glad she didn't fall on us, she's eighteen stone.
"Mister Me Lord Mayor," says she,
"Is this all you've got to show me?"
"Why, no ma'am there's some more to see, Póg mo thóin!"
And he took her up Monto, Monto, Monto
He set her up in Monto, lan-ge- roo,
For you!
External links
- http://supersearch.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=36178&messages=58&page=1
- YouTube videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wny_0pi4hR4, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cXvW2Al1Kg, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tluyA78NMU, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkNPeDsDBdE)
- Lyrics and chords of Monto with background information on the song