Annotation:I'd rather be married than left
X:1 T:I'd rather be married than left M:12/8 L:1/8 R:slide D:The Smoky Chimney, track 1(a) K:D ABA AFA d2 D D2 F|ABA AFA B2 E E2 F| ABA AFA B2 g f2 e|1 dcB ABc d2 D D2 F:|2 dcB ABc d2 D D2 e|| ~f3 def e2 A A2 e|fef def gfg e2 g|fef g3 fef a2 f| |1gfe ABc d2 D D2 e:|2gfe ABc d2 D D3||
I'D RATHER BE MARRIED THAN LEFT (B'Fhearr liom a bheith Pósta ná Tréigthe). AKA and see "Macks (The)." Irish, Slide (12/8 time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'BB'. The melody was recorded by Seamus Ennis in January, 1949, from the fiddle playing of Kerry musicians Pádraig O'Keeffe and Denis Murphy (O'Keeffe's pupil). The duo played the tune in a medley with "Chase Me Charlie" and "Kilcummin Slide (The)." Alice C. Bunten, in an article entitled "Irish Songs in the Beggar's Opera" (Journal of the Irish Folk Society, vol. 5, p. 19), identifies the tune as a derivative of the English song "Would you Court a Young Virgin of Sixteen Years" (Would You have a Young Virgin) in John Gay's 1728 work for the stage. She states: "In Charles II's reign [1660-1685] Tom D'Urfey wrote the words of 'Would you Court' &c. for his play Modern Prophets, and used this tune, which was an old one, for it." The melody has a long pedigree-see note for "Would You have a Young Virgin." See also "Native (La)" in the "Lancer's Quadrilles."
