I hope everyone’s first day of classes went well. To help everyone get back in the swing of things, we’re going to analyze a song together very quickly. This is a very old Irish song (originally in Gaelic) called The Brown and the Yellow Ale. Here are the lyrics; unfortunately, my favorite recording of this song (by The Voice Squad) is not available in the U.S. on youtube or spotify, though it is on itunes. We’ll just have to settle for this version instead. So, just reading through the lyrics, you can probably pick up on some things very quickly.

The singer’s wife goes off with a strange man and cheats with said strange man, causing the singer to die of sadness. Already, we are supposed to be be on the singer’s side, as he’s done nothing wrong. Looking a bit more closely might change our sympathies. As part of the dowry system that prevailed throughout Ireland for centuries, women often ended up marrying much older men, as younger sons set out from home to try to find any kind of future or fortune (generally finding none). If we think of this song instead as a young woman forced to marry a very old man (who is clearly a misogynist, judging from the last verse), we might feel less pity for the singer. Of course, that is just one interpretation of the song; it’s possible the song was actually originally called The Brown and the Yellow Earl, not Ale, and that it instead depicts prima nocta, the supposed right of the first night.

With lyrical analysis of a folk song like this, there are always many interpretations possible. If you’re interested in learning more about folk music, in particular Celtic music, I cannot recommend enough Professor Mick Moloney’s Introduction to Celtic Music, a course here at NYU. Professor Moloney is probably the best professor I’ve ever had; he was in the heart of the Celtic music revival, having played alongside all the most famous players of Celtic Music the world over. If you have the chance, take a course with him. (Note: Mick Moloney passed away in July 2022. It was a genuine pleasure getting to know Mick, learning from him, and becoming friends. As far as I am concerned, there is no one his equal in the world of Irish folk; he will be dearly missed.)

See you at practice tomorrow,

Lev Bernstein

Secretary, Quiz Bowl at NYU, 2020-2021