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nightgown, though the man notices that this nightgown has fingers. In yet another version, the wife remarks that he has seen a hammer in her bed, and his response is that a hammer with a condom on is something he has never seen before. This latter version usually ends day seven with the singer's target of choice in bed, and the husband replies that he's never seen so-and-so with a hard on before. Another version involves a carrot, on which a foreskin (or two onions) had never been seen before. Live versions of Sunday night include the following verse.
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465:, filled with tobacco), two boots (flower pots, with laces), and finally, this being the last verse often sung, a head peering out from beneath the covers. Again his wife tells him it is a baby boy, leading to the retort "a baby boy with his whiskers on sure I never saw before." Each new item appearing in the house is said to be a gift from
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version reuses the tin whistle excuse, upon which the narrator remarks "...hair on a tin whistle sure I never saw before." Other versions claim the "thing" involved is a candle (in which case she does not recycle an excuse from an earlier night). The narrator this time remarks that he had never before seen a pair of balls on a candle.
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Probably the most common version of the seventh verse involves the man seeing a "thing" in her "thing", or in "the bed", where his "thing" should be. Again his wife is ready with an answer. It is a rolling pin. The narrator then remarks, "A rolling pin made out of skin, I never saw before." Another
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One version of the final verse, noted in 1965, runs "I came home on
Saturday, carrying my twelve-bore; I never saw two buggers run so fast before." If sung, the stress on the syllables of "twelve-bore" is reversed to fit the rhythm of the tune, and the obscenity, or otherwise, of the two-syllable
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sent. (or the king of
England ) The narrator, now wise to what is going on, remarks: "Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more, but an Englishman who can last till three, I've never seen before." While this departs noticeably from the standard cycle, the twist is slightly more
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In the version known as "Seven Nights Drunk", each night is a verse, followed by a chorus, in which the narrator comes home in a drunken state to find evidence of another man having been with his wife, which she explains away, not entirely convincingly. The song also became part of
American folk
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The final two verses are often not sung, and are generally considered too raunchy; different versions are cited below. Verse six sometimes keeps the same story line, in which two hands appear on the wife's breasts. The wife, giving the least likely explanation yet, tells him that it is merely a
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Variations such as "Uncle Mike" are common in oral, local cultures. Note how in
America the pig became a milk cow, and the distance travelled by the drunkard expands considerably. "Four Nights Drunk" and "Five Nights Drunk" are just two of the many versions of this song (Cray 1999).
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of the 1760s entitled "The Merry
Cuckold and the Kind Wife". The broadside was translated into German, and spread into Hungary and Scandinavia. Unusually for such a popular and widespread song, it appears in only a few nineteenth century broadsides.
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clever, and takes a jab at the
English (a popular ploy in some Irish songs). As this sort of wraps up the story, it is usually sung as the last verse, be it the sixth or seventh.
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114). It tells the story of a gullible drunkard returning night after night to see new evidence of his wife's lover, only to be taken in by increasingly implausible explanations.
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Another version exists with a slight twist. The man sees a man coming out the door at a little after 3:00, this time the wife saying it was an
English tax collector that
653:"Why do the Dubliners only sing about 5 of the seven drunken nights.What happens on the other 2 and why is this such a closely guarded secret | Notes and Queries"
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to a global mass market with The
Dubliners recording of "Seven Drunken Nights". The record reached number 7 in the UK charts in 1967 and appeared on
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The drunkard's reply to his wife is more similar to the "official" version recorded by The
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There are also vernacular versions of the song among Irish-Americans, with at least one version referred to as "Uncle Mike."
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Different versions of the lyrics exist right from the start of the song though variation increases for the last two nights.
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The next four nights involve a coat (actually a blanket according to the wife, upon which he notices buttons), a pipe (a
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266:. Although it was banned from the Irish national broadcasting station, the song also charted at No.1 in Ireland.
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In each verse the narrator notices a flaw in each explanation, but seems content to let the matter rest:
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On the first night (generally Monday), the narrator sees a strange horse outside the door:
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Smyth, G (1994). "Ireland unplugged: the roots of Irish folk/trad. (Con)Fusion."
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A music video for the song was shot in late 1967 in the
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culture, both through Irish-Americans and through the blues tradition.
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adjective describing the culprits's speed varies according to taste.
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Well, I called me wife and I said to her: "Will you kindly tell to me
361:. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.
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Who owns that horse outside the door where my old horse should be?"
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In that version, the wife's reply to the drunkard (Uncle Mike) is:
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Well, there's many times I've travelled, a hundred miles or more,
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The Erotic Muse: AMERICAN BAWDY SONGS (Music in American Life).
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Civic discourse: intercultural, international, and global media
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His wife tells him it is merely a sow, a gift from her mother:
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Then, the song wraps up with a part from "Never on a Sunday."
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Studio recording of an updated version of "Four Nights Drunk"
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Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more,
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Oh you darn fool, you damn fool, you son-of-a-bitch said she,
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I saw a horse outside the door where my old horse should be.
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As I went home on Sunday night as drunk as drunk could be.
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As I went home on Monday night as drunk as drunk could be,
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The Irish Charts – Search Results – Seven Drunken Nights"
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Seven Drunken Nights - Sin e Ri Ra - Nine Fine Irishmen
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216:. It is a variation of the English/Scottish folk song "
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I saw me wife inside the bed and this she said to me:
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Too Late to Stop Now: The Very Best of the Dubliners
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in the 1770s. Another version was found in a London
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But a saddle on a cow, sure; I've never see before.
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1233:An Evening with The Dublin Legends: Live in Vienna
809:University of Illinois Press. pp. 11–21, 330.
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864:The Dubliners version of "Seven Drunken Nights"
446:That's a lovely sow that me mother sent to me."
457:But a saddle on a sow sure I never saw before.
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610:These two have different lyrics for example.
844:Folk Music – An Index to Recorded Resources
400:It only is a milk cow my mother sent to me.
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778:Seven Drunken Nites (Joan Morrissey) video
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377:Learn how and when to remove this message
1273:Spirit of the Irish: Ultimate Collection
539:The English and Scottish Popular Ballads
558:, Michael H. Prosser and K. S. Sitaram.
516:Roud, Steve & Julia Bishop (2012).
509:
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1648:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
757:from the original on 13 December 2021
725:from the original on 13 December 2021
693:from the original on 13 December 2021
586:"The Dubliners: Artist Chart History"
7:
1563:Dubliners 50 Years Anniversary Tour
1280:The Best of the Original Dubliners
629:. 30 December 2006. Archived from
518:The New Penguin Book of Folk Songs
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851:at Digital Library of Appalachia
827:Seven Drunken Nights Sheet Music
608:Seven Drunken Nights Traditional
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1322:The Very Best Of: The Dubliners
1294:A Night Out with The Dubliners
1:
262:, thanks to its diffusion on
18:1967 single by The Dubliners
1653:Major Minor Records singles
605:Lyrics Seven Drunken Nights
357:the claims made and adding
212:most famously performed by
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1315:The Late Late Show Tribute
1041:At Home with The Dubliners
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1475:The Ballad of Ronnie Drew
1252:The Best of The Dubliners
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832:The Child Ballads Project
165:
28:
1482:The Rocky Road to Poland
1013:A Drop of the Hard Stuff
888:with lyrics, tabs, video
55:A Drop of the Hard Stuff
1584:Ronnie Drew discography
1266:A Drop of The Dubliners
1164:Live at the Albert Hall
590:Official Charts Company
35:Side A of the UK single
1020:More of the Hard Stuff
208:" is a humorous Irish
24:"Seven Drunken Nights"
1419:Hand Me Down My Bible
1384:The Black Velvet Band
1350:Drinking and Wenching
1111:The Dubliner's Dublin
1027:Drinkin' and Courtin'
537:Francis James Child,
323:Lyrics and variations
252:The song passed from
238:collected in Scotland
1658:Year of song unknown
1546:Live at Vicar Street
1539:Live from the Gaiety
1405:Never Wed An Old Man
1398:Seven Drunken Nights
1308:Live at Vicar Street
1220:Live at Vicar Street
1213:Live from the Gaiety
1104:25 Years Celebration
886:Seven Drunken Nights
876:by Wendy M. Grossman
837:2 April 2017 at the
814:Irish Studies Review
746:Seven Drunken Nights
721:. 23 November 2010.
714:7 drunken nights.flv
622:Seven Drunken Nights
206:Seven Drunken Nights
181:Seven Drunken Nights
71:Paddy on the Railway
1638:The Dubliners songs
1633:Songs about alcohol
574:Irish Singles Chart
1663:Songwriter unknown
1514:Whiskey in the Jar
1329:Original Dubliners
1259:It's The Dubliners
1227:A Time to Remember
1118:30 Years A-Greying
1076:A Parcel of Rogues
869:Uncle Mike version
689:. 28 August 2008.
342:possibly contains
236:"Our Goodman" was
161:singles chronology
1615:
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1521:Four Green Fields
1489:The Auld Triangle
1440:Don't Get Married
1377:Nelson's Farewell
880:274A: Our Goodman
805:Cray, Ed (1999).
526:978-0-141-19461-5
467:the wife's mother
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172:Nelson's Farewell
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1572:Related articles
1468:Red Roses for Me
1357:Home, Boys, Home
1343:20 Greatest Hits
1185:Live at Montreux
1062:Plain and Simple
1055:Double Dubliners
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753:. 2 April 2008.
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367:February 2013
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340:This section
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284:Chart (1967)
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214:The Dubliners
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159:The Dubliners
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136:Songwriter(s)
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81:30 March 1967
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46:The Dubliners
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1643:1967 singles
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991:Paddy Reilly
963:John Sheahan
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800:Bibliography
786:. Retrieved
783:Wtv-zone.com
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1579:Discography
1433:Raglan Road
1367:Irish chart
1242:Compilation
1199:21 Years On
1135:Live albums
1083:15 Years On
1034:At It Again
981:Seán Cannon
971:Bobby Lynch
942:Ronnie Drew
520:. Penguin.
463:tin whistle
218:Our Goodman
153:Tommy Scott
148:Producer(s)
141:Traditional
128:Major Minor
1622:Categories
1150:In Concert
1048:Revolution
976:Jim McCann
949:Luke Kelly
882:The lyrics
859:WhoSampled
505:References
473:Nights 6–7
418:Nights 1–5
351:improve it
307:UK Singles
1171:Hometown!
788:1 October
761:1 October
729:1 October
697:1 October
662:1 October
637:1 October
490:the Queen
355:verifying
294:Ireland (
289:position
242:broadside
210:folk song
1607:Category
1461:The Rose
1336:50 Years
1287:40 Years
835:Archived
755:Archived
723:Archived
691:Archived
78:Released
1369:singles
751:YouTube
719:YouTube
687:YouTube
627:YouTube
528:. p.451
349:Please
232:History
194:(1967)
185:(1967)
176:(1966)
1244:albums
855:Covers
849:Covers
524:
277:Charts
106:Length
64:B-side
42:Single
1556:Tours
224:274,
222:Child
123:Label
96:Irish
87:Genre
1531:DVDs
1178:Live
790:2016
763:2016
731:2016
699:2016
664:2016
639:2016
522:ISBN
296:IRMA
287:Peak
226:Roud
92:Folk
1069:Now
857:at
592:.
576:.
353:by
311:OCC
220:" (
100:pop
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