Whiskey in the Jar
"Whiskey in the Jar" is an Irish ballad about a highwayman who robs an army officer and is betrayed by the woman he loves. It may date back to the 1600s, and it has been a hit for a folk group, a rock band and a metal band.
- Origin
- Ireland, possibly 17th century
- Roud number
- 533
- Also known as
- There's Whiskey in the Jar; versions set in the Cork, Kerry or Kilgary mountains
- Famous versions
- The Dubliners (1967), Thin Lizzy (1972–73), Metallica (1998)
The story
The narrator is a rapparee, an Irish highwayman, who holds up a military man (usually Captain Farrell) and takes his money. He brings it home to his sweetheart, often called Jenny or Molly, but she betrays him: in many versions she empties his pistols or swaps the powder for water, and he is captured. The chorus, with its nonsense syllables and the line about whiskey in the jar, turns the hard luck into a singalong.
Places, names and endings change from version to version. Some end with the narrator in jail dreaming of escape; others with a fight to get free.
History
The song's age is uncertain. Folk song collector Alan Lomax believed it originated in the 17th century and may have helped inspire John Gay's The Beggar's Opera of 1728. It resembles a broadside ballad about the highwayman Patrick Fleming, who was executed in 1650.
Recordings that made it famous
| Year | Artist | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | The Dubliners | Became one of their signature songs |
| 1972–73 | Thin Lizzy | Number one in Ireland and number six in the UK |
| 1998 | Metallica | On Garage Inc.; won a Grammy in 2000 |
We describe this song rather than print its words: the versions most people know come from later recordings and arrangements.
Chords in G
Verse: | G | G | Em | Em | | C | C | G | D | Chorus: | D | D | G | G | | C | C | G D | G |
Strum it briskly in 4/4. In a session, the chorus is where everyone joins in.
More Irish music: Celtic music · Solas · all folk songs