Salonika Lyrics

Song Details

🎶 Music & Lyrics: Traditional

📝 Song Brief: A traditional Irish folk song that originated during World War I. It humorously captures the perspectives of Irish women whose husbands were away fighting in Salonika (Thessaloniki, Greece) as part of the British Army. The song contrasts the lives of these women, known as "separas" (receiving separation pay), with those of "slackers," men who avoided enlistment.  Through witty lyrics, it critiques war, societal norms, and the hardships faced by soldiers and their families.

The following is a synopsis of the song by Tim Delaney from a 'top comment' in a YouTube entry:

During the World War I, the Munster Fusiliers (an Irish regiment within the British Army) fought a long and bloody battle against Turkish forces in Salonika, Greece. The wives of these fusiliers got "separation" money from the British Army in addition to the soldiers pay. Men in Cork who "avoided" the war for political or other reasons became known as "slackers". This song is a "slagging match" or a ball hopping contest between a "slackers" wife and a "sepera", the wife of a Munster Fusilier.

• Salonika (Thessaloniki)
  The second‑largest city in Greece and the capital of Greek Macedonia. Its port was of major commercial and military importance during World War I and served as a supply base for Allied forces, including those fighting in the Gallipoli campaign.
• Hun
  A slang term used in the song to refer to the Turks. In various wartime contexts, “Hun” was used broadly as a nickname for enemy forces.
• Bobbies
  A colloquial term for English policemen, originally named after Sir Robert Peel, who established the Metropolitan Police in London.
• Blarney (little field)
  A town and townland in County Cork, Ireland. In the song, it refers to the local training grounds where recruits were drilled and exercised.
• a bob
  An old British slang term for a shilling.
• chiffonier
  A tall, narrow chest of drawers or small bureau, often fitted with a mirror.
• Sinn Fein
  An Irish political and cultural movement founded around 1905 to promote national self‑determination, economic independence, and the revival of Irish culture. It later became associated with the political wing of the Irish republican movement.An Irish political and cultural society founded about 1905 to promote political and economic independence from England, unification of Ireland, and a renewal of Irish culture. It now constitutes the political branch of the Irish Republican Army.
• Dickie Drew
  A colloquial nickname for a British Army soldier. In the context of the song, it is used humorously or dismissively by the singer when referring to enlisted men during World War I.

🍀 Genre: Irish folk song, Anti-recruiting song

• The Dublin City Ramblers (Beneath a Dublin Sky)
• Orthodox Celts (The Celts Strike Again)
• Hamish Imlach (Sonny's Dream)
• The Noel Mcloughlin (World Travel - Celtic)
• The Government Rams (Homebrew 2)
• Pladdohg (Hair Of The Dohg)
• Fiddler'S Green (Drive Me Mad!)

🎤 Featured Artists: The Dubliners

💿 Album: Celebration (25 Years)
Released: 1987
Country: Ireland
Format: 2xVinyl, LP, Album
Label: Harmac

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