I know that sounds cold, and I felt bad that she had such an awful woman as a mother, but her mom was beyond help and there was no possibility of her ever having any semblance a normal life because of this. They were Irish and Irene’s mother was Kathleen and she developed a real thirst for beer, even before her husband left her and then things just got worse. I met Irene one day when she was singin’ in the rain and wearing an alabaster pendant of Saint Christopher around her neck. I was able to recognize the Saint, as my parents had one on the dashboard of their car and I said, “Your necklace was demoted in 1969, you are wearing the saint that ain’t a saint no more.” Irene smiled at me and said, “I hear what you are saying, but he is not delible to me, as I feel that once you are a saint, you are always a saint.” There was a creative wisdom in her words, even though I knew that Saint Christopher would never regain his former temporal power.
I asked her why she was out in the rain and she pointed up at a cloud and told me that she enjoyed watching it blow around in the wind. She said that her mom was sleeping off a hangover and she usually gets angry when she wakes up, so it was best for her to be out of the house to let her simmer down and preserve the little peace that she had. Irene said that her mom was all over her case about a missing scarf and when she heard her fall asleep, she decided to tiptoe out of there to muffle the sound of her footsteps. The rain stopped and we could both smell the honeysuckle and I suggested that we take a ride in my car to go get some ice cream. Irene said, “I call shotgun!”, which made me laugh because there were only two of us and I was driving, so where else would she affix her butt.
Written for Sheryl’s Daily Word Prompt – Thirst, for Roger Shipp’s Daily Addictions prompt – Help, for the Daily Spur prompt – Cold, for FOWC with Fandango – Creative, for Christine’s Daily Writing Prompt – Singin in the rain, for Linda G. Hill’s ‘Life in progress’ JusJoJan prompt – Possibility, for Ragtag Community – Temporal, for Di’s Three Things Challenge prompt words – Shotgun Cloud Wind, for Word of the Day Challenge Prompt – Wisdom and for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Wordle #162, hosted by Yves where the prompts are Alabaster Honeysuckle Delible Hear Tiptoe Recognize Preserve Muffle Little Simmer Affix Scarf.
Thanks for the inclusion Jim.
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My story would not have had an ending without Irene calling shotgun, so I should be the one thanking you Di.
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🙂
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Funny story especially about St. Christopher. Did he really get demoted by the church? What was his crime? The youtube song was cool, as sung by the hippy Irishman and his gnomish backup band. Pass the jug!
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The church dug into his history and felt that he was more of a legend than an actual person. The lyrics to that song are hilarious. It is hard for me to understand the heavy Irish accent in this band, but I guess they do the best version of it.
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The name of this song is “The Seven Drunken Nights”
We’re only allowed to sing five of them, so here goes
Oh, as I went home on Monday night
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw a horse outside the door
Where my old horse should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her
“Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that horse outside the door
Where my old horse should be?”
Ay, you’re drunk, you’re drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
That’s a lovely sow that my mother sent to me
Well, it’s many a day I’ve traveled, a hundred miles or more
But a saddle on a sow, sure, I never saw before
And as I went home on Tuesday night
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw a coat behind the door
Where my old coat should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her
“Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that coat behind the door
Where my old coat should be?”
Ay, you’re drunk, you’re drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
That’s a woolen blanket that me mother sent to me
Well, it’s many a day I’ve traveled, a hundred miles or more
But buttons on a blanket, sure, I never saw before
And as I went home on Wednesday night
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw a pipe upon the chair
Where my old pipe should be
Well, I called my wife and I said to her
“Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that pipe upon the chair
Where my old pipe should be?”
Ay, you’re drunk, you’re drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
That’s a lovely tin-whistle, that me mother sent to me
Well, it’s many a day I’ve traveled, a hundred miles or more
But tobacco in a tin-whistle, sure, I never saw before
And I went home on Thursday night
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw two boots beneath the bed
Where my old boots should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her
“Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns them boots beneath the bed
Where my old boots should be?”
Ay, you’re drunk, you’re drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
They’re two lovely geranium pots me mother sent to me
Well, it’s many a day I’ve traveled, a hundred miles or more
But laces in geranium pots I never saw before
And as I came home on Friday night
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw a head upon the bed
Where my old head should be
Well, I called my wife and I said to her
“Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that head upon the bed
Where my old head should be?”
Ay, you’re drunk, you’re drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
That’s a baby boy that me mother sent to me
Well, it’s many a day I’ve traveled, a hundred miles or more
But a baby boy with his whiskers on, sure, I never saw before
Songwriters: Barney McKenna / Ciarán Bourke / John Sheehan / Luke Kelly / Ronnie Drew
The final two verses are often not sung, generally considered too raunchy,
Go to wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Drunken_Nights if you want to see some of the raunchy usually unsung verses.
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Thanks for taking your time to look this up Li. I told you that these lyrics were funny as the guy is so drunk that he thinks a pig is a horse. I wonder what is in those last two verses.
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I wanted to know what he was singing so I looked it up. Follow that link and it gives some of the verses that have been sung. It’s pretty danged funny.
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Yes real funny as I just read that the man said that he never saw a hammer with a condom on before to his cheating wife. Anyway, this is the best song I coud find to go with my post.
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Impressive the number of prompts you include in one.
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Thanks Jill and where there is a will, there is a way.
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I’m feeling under the weather…sinuses infection… I need to follow the advice of this song! Hmm…An Irish band doing a song about drinking! Fits pretty well. I may be slow to read posts Jim in the next few days…this is misery.
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No worries, the important thing is that you take care of yourself and get back to normal.
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Thanks Jim…I read this one last night and woke up at 3 this morning with the page open lol.
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