This song, which is also known as Cockles and Mussels, is the unofficial anthem of Dublin City. It was first published during the 1880s.
In Dublin's fair city
Where the girls are so pretty
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone
As she wheeled her wheelbarrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying, 'Cockles and mussels, alive alive oh!'
Chorus
Alive-a-live-oh!Alive-a-live-oh!
Crying, 'Cockles and mussels, alive alive oh!'
She was a fishmonger
And sure 'twas no wonder
For so were her mother and father before
And they each wheeled their wheelbarrows
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying, 'Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh!'
Chorus
She died of a fever
And no one could save her
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone
Now her ghost wheels her barrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying, 'Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh!'
Chorus
I learnt this song at the Irish Songs and Singing class at the Hammersmith Irish Centre in London. Here's a recording of J. Owen, who leads the singing class, singing it.
This song can be heard on the following album:
Video of the Dubliners singing this song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdxLxnhGnvo
Different versions of this song
http://celtichorizon.tripod.com/id56.html
http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiGLNSFEN;ttGLNSFEN.html
Information about this song
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Malone
http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/irhismys/molly.htm
Copyright 1998- Simon Ager