{"id":5134,"date":"2019-01-13T15:55:22","date_gmt":"2019-01-13T19:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/?page_id=5134"},"modified":"2019-01-13T15:55:59","modified_gmt":"2019-01-13T19:55:59","slug":"courtin-in-the-kitchen","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/?page_id=5134","title":{"rendered":"Courtin’ in the Kitchen"},"content":{"rendered":"

The origins to this song has been surprising elusive. The seemingly most reliable sources place it as an Irish broadside ballad dating to before the 1880s and likely to have been from Dublin\u2026 I have found an image that is said to be of this broadside but with no date; that said, it does conform to other known songs from the era in style and melody.<\/p>\n

The \u201cspeaker\u201d is a young man warning against falling in love and cites his example in which when seventeen he had met and began courting a young woman who worked in the kitchen of an upper class gentleman \u2013 Capt. Kelly. She invites our protagonist to a private assignation (here, the term \u201chooley or “hoolie” is used: an colloquial term for a party or a celebration, and usually a loud and boisterous one\u2026 The phrase \u201cBlowing a hoolie\u201d is to have quite the party!). However, the boss returns far too early and she, seemingly with a concern to save her own situation and face, turns on her suitor \u2013 our man \u2013 and his fate is sealed.<\/p>\n

Jos. Morneault<\/p>\n

\"\"

https:\/\/digital.nls.uk\/english-ballads\/archive\/74892718?mode=transcription<\/p><\/div>\n

.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Bb\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 F
\nCome single belle and beau, unto me pay attention
\n.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Bb\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Eb\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 F
\nDon\u2019t ever fall in love; it\u2019s the devil\u2019s own invention.
\n.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Bb\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 F\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Bb\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 F
\nFor once I fell in love with a maiden so bewitchin’
\n.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Eb\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0F
\nMiss Henrietta Bell, out of Captain Kelly’s kitchen<\/p>\n

chorus
\n.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Bb\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 F
\nWith me toora loora la! Me toora loora laddy
\n.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Bb\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Eb\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0F\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Bb
\nMe toora loora la! Me toora loora laddy.<\/p>\n

At the age of seventeen, I was ‘prenticed to a grocer
\nNot far from Stephen’s Green, where Miss Henry used to go, sir
\nHer manners were sublime and she set me heart a-twitchin’
\nShe invited me to a hooley in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Next Sunday bein’ the day we was to have the flare-up
\nI dressed myself quite gay, an’ I frizzed and oiled me hair up
\nThe Captain had no wife and he had gone a-fishin’,
\nSo we kicked up high life, down below-stair in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Just as the clock struck six we sat down to the table.
\nShe handed scone and cake and I ate while I was able.
\nI drank hot punch and tea till my side had got a stitchin\u2019,
\nAnd the hours fly quick away while you\u2019re courtin’ in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

With my arms around her waist, she slyly hinted marriage;
\nTo the door in dreadful haste came Captain Kelly’s carriage!
\nHer eyes then filled with hate and poison she was spittin\u2019
\nThat I should go to Hell, or somewhere far from the kitchen.<\/p>\n

She flew up off my knees, a full five feet or higher
\nAnd over heads and heels, threw me slap into the fire
\nMy new Repealers coat, that I’d bought from Mr. Mitchel
\nFor a twenty-shilling note went to blazes in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

I grieved to see my duds, all besmeared with smoke and ashes
\nWhen a tub of dirty suds, right in my face she dashes.
\nAs I lay on the floor and the water she kept pitchin’,
\nThe footman broke the door and walked straight into the kitchen.<\/p>\n

When the Captain came downstair, though he saw my situation,
\nIn spite of all my prayers I was marched off to the station
\nFor me they’d take no bail, tho’ to get home I was itchin’
\nAnd I had to tell the tale of how I got into the kitchen.<\/p>\n

I said she did invite me, but she gave a flat denial
\nFor assault she did indict me, and I was sent for trial.
\nShe swore I robbed the house, in spite of all her screechin’
\nAnd I got six months hard, for my courtin’ in the kitchen!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The origins to this song has been surprising elusive. The seemingly most reliable sources place it as an Irish broadside ballad dating to before the 1880s and likely to have been from Dublin\u2026 I have found an image that is said to be of this broadside but with no date; that said, it does conform […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":21,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5134","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5134"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5138,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5134\/revisions\/5138"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}