Rare Old Mountain Dew Lyrics

Foster & Allen

Music Video

Rare Old Mountain Dew

Hi di-diddly-idle-dum, diddly-doodle-diddly-dum
Diddly-doo-di-diddly-dum-deh
Hi di-diddly-idle-dum, diddly-doodle-diddly-dum
Diddly-doo-di-diddly-dum-deh

Let grasses grow and waters flow in a free and easy way
But give me enough of the fine old stuff that's made near Galway Bay
And policemen all from Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim too
We'll give them the slip and we'll take a sip
Of the rare old Mountain Dew

Hi di-diddly-idle-dum, diddly-doodle-diddly-dum
Diddly-doo-di-diddly-dum-deh
Hi di-diddly-idle-dum, diddly-doodle-diddly-dum
Diddly-doo-di-diddly-dum-deh

At the foot of the hill there's a neat little still
Where the smoke curls up to the sky
By the smoke and smell you can plainly tell
There's poitin brewin' close by

For it fills the air with a perfume rare
That betwixt both me and you
And home you stroll, we can take a bowl
Or a bucket of the Mountain Dew

Hi di-diddly-idle-dum, diddly-doodle-diddly-dum
Diddly-doo-di-diddly-dum-deh
Hi di-diddly-idle-dum, diddly-doodle-diddly-dum
Diddly-doo-di-diddly-dum-deh

[Instrumental]

Now learned men who use the pen
Have wrote your praises high
On a sweet potcheen from Ireland green
Distilled from wheat and rye

Throw away your pills, it'll cure all ills
Be ye Pagan, Christian or Jew
Take off your coat and grease your throat
With the rare old Mountain Dew

Hi di-diddly-idle-dum, diddly-doodle-diddly-dum
Diddly-doo-di-diddly-dum-deh
Hi di-diddly-idle-dum, diddly-doodle-diddly-dum
Diddly-doo-di-diddly-dum-deh

Song Details

🎶 Music & Lyrics: Traditional - the song is also known as The Real Old Mountain Dew popularised by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.

📅 Earliest Date: 1916 (OLochlainn)

📝 Song Brief:
“Rare Old Mountain Dew” is a classic Irish drinking song celebrating poitín — the traditional home‑distilled spirit long associated with rural craft and quiet rebellion. The lyrics paint a humorous picture of slipping past policemen, following the sweet smell of a hidden still, and enjoying a drop that’s said to cure all ills. The singer loves his illegal brew regardless of the law, and likens it to the smell of sweet perfume.

📖 Glossary:

Still — An apparatus used to distil alcohol. In Irish tradition, small hidden stills were often used to produce poitín in remote rural areas.
Poitin / Potcheen — A traditional Irish distilled spirit, often described as Irish moonshine whiskey. Historically made from malted barley or potatoes, it was commonly produced in small, illicit stills in rural communities.
betwixt — An old‑fashioned or poetic word meaning “between.”

🍀 Genre: Irish Drinking Song, Irish Folk Song

👥 Covers: The Dubliners, The Pogues, Orthodox Celts, Kick Up the Dust, The Fenians, The Led Farmers, Annmarie O'Riordan, The Shantys, Dublin Public, Kilkenny Band, Patsy Watchorn.

🎙️ Featured Artists: Foster & Allen

💿 Album: Songs We Love To Sing
Released: 1994
Country: UK
Format: CD
Label: Telstar

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