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The Auld Triangle lyrics

The Dubliners

A hungry feeling, came o'er me stealing
All the mice were squealing in my prison cell

And the auld triangle, went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal

To begin the mornin', the screw was bawling
"Get up ya bowsie! and clean up your cell!"

And the auld triangle, went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal

The lags were sleeping, humpy Gussy was peeping
As I lay there weeping for my girl Sal

And the auld triangle, went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal

Up in the female prison, there are seventy five women
And among them, I wish I did dwell

And the auld triangle, went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal

All along the banks of the Royal Canal

Song Details

The Dubliners
The Dubliners

Songwriter: Unknown

First Performance: 1954 by Brendan Behan as part of the play The Quare Fellow. There was a rumour that the song may have been written by Brendan's brother Dominic Behan, but he never credited it to himself on any recordings made of the song. In the late 1960s, the song was made famous by The Dubliners (pictured).

Brief: The song is about general life in a prison. The triangle in the title refers to a large metal triangle that was beaten every morning to wake the inmates. The lyrics describe the sound of a triangle being played in Mountjoy Prison in Dublin, Ireland, and the sense of camaraderie that it brings to the inmates.

Glossary:
auld - old
screw - prison guard
bowsie - low-class person
Royal Canal - a canal from the River Liffey at Dublin to Longford in Ireland.
lags - convicts
humpy - angry or gloomy

Genre: Irish Folk Song

Covers: Onóir, Liam Clancy, The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, The Pogues, Dropkick Murphy's, The High Kings, The Mahones, Damien Dempsey, Glen Hansard, The Frames.

Featured Artists: The Dubliners

Album More Of The Hard Stuff
Released: 1967
Country: UK
Format: 12" Vinyl
Label: Major Minor

For Your Enjoyment

An excellent version of the song by Onóir - a modern Irish male folk group formed in 2020 in Donegal, Ireland. The group consists of Tom McHugh, Declan Gaughan, Deane Connaghan, and Diarmaid McGee, who specialize in harmony-focused songs and musical arrangements... enjoy!

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