The Originals © by Arnold Rypens

Artist: Burl Ives
Author: traditional/Percy Jones
Label: Decca
Year: 1953

Basically an Irish nursery rhyme about a prodigal son. What was written as a temperance song, turned out one of the loudest sing-alongs imaginable. Popularity among Irish (and even far beyond) can be measured in parodies circulating galore. In 1952 Burl Ives was invited to tour Australia, which made him studying songs, resulting in album Australian Folk Songs released on Columbia in '58. Three titles were released on a 78 locally in '53, Wild Rover No More being one of them. According to A.L. Lloyd this song survived better overseas than in England and Ireland. In 1924 it was published in Banjo Paterson's songbook Old Bush Songs (see: Waltzing Matilda). That was long before Irish groups made it their own. According to Ian Lynch from Lankum (who covered The Wild Rover their own way), the song can be traced back to a ballad from Somerset by Thomas Lanfiere in 1678 (The Good-Fellows Resolution or The Bad Husband's Return From His Folly), stretching the dangers from alcohol abuse more than the delights, like in all these obnoxious drinking cover versions accentuated by handclaps under every No Nay Never.

Covers:

1956:: Paul Clayton [as The Wild Rover for Folkways]
1958:: A.L. Lloyd [idem]
1958:: Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger [idem]
1961:: Sam Larner [idem; seaman from Norfolk (°1878) who became a folk icon; from his album Now Is The Time For Fishing, recorded by Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger]
1962:: Cyril Tawney
1963:: Louis Killen [who passed it over to Luke Kelly; Louis was inspired by an example from Nova Scotia]
1963:: Dubliners [idem; B-side of first single Rocky Road To Dublin]
1963:: Seekers [idem]
1965:: Jimmy McBeath [as Wild Rover No More]
1966:: William Clauson [idem]
1967:: Dominic Behan [as The Wild Rover]
1974:: Usher Family [the so-called Drogheda Wild Rover, same words, different tune; Dónal Maguire recording (he's from Drogheda, County Louth) of Mary Ann Carolan and her father Pat Usher; finally released in '14 on Dónal's own label Rossendale Records]
1981:: Gebroeders Grimm [as Ammenooitneenooitniet]
1984:: Klaus Und Klaus [hit GER as An der Nordseeküste]
1985:: Pogues [as The Wild Rover]
1986:: John Faulkner [idem]
1991:: W.J. Bothacount III [also as Wild Rover No More (different lyrics, same attitude)]
1998:: Patrick Street [idem]
2001:: Dropkick Murphys [as The Wild Rover]
2004:: André Rieu [idem]
2012:: Sean Corcoran, Dónal Maguire & Gerry Cullen [on Louth Mouths From Drogheda, using the Drogheda Wild Rover tune Dónal collected with the Usher Family in '74]
2019:: Lankum [their Wild Rover sounds completely different until you recognize the words; fixing Irish folk with a shot of The Velvet Underground & Nico (see The Usher Family version and Dónal Maguire's for the tune they use); overall morality: alcohol is bad]

British folklorist Seamus Ennis collected many versions in the early fifties, ending up in archives.

WILD ROVER NO MORE

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