The Auld Triangle Lyrics
The DublinersMusic Video
The Auld Triangle
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
🎶 Music & Lyrics: Traditional
🌟 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).
📝 Song Brief: The song paints a vivid picture of life inside Mountjoy Prison in Dublin. 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, and the sense of camaraderie that it brings to the inmates.
📖 Glossary:- auld — An Irish/Scots word meaning old.
- screw — A slang term for a prison guard, commonly used in Irish and British prisons.
- bowsie — A colloquial Irish word for a good‑for‑nothing or low‑class person, often used humorously or dismissively.
- Royal Canal — A waterway running from the River Liffey in Dublin to Longford, passing alongside Mountjoy Prison.
- lags — A slang term for convicts or long‑term prisoners.
- humpy — Irish slang meaning angry, sulky, 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
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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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