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the Hounds of Cuchulain - The Hot Asphalt

from Rebels, Rogues, & Roustabouts by The Hounds of Cuchulain

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THE HOT ASPHALT was written by Ewan MacColl and his father in the 1950s, taking the tune from a late 1800s Cadedonian march. It is often classified as an industrial ballad, although many feel it as a rebel song against the use of the Irish to build the English highway system. There are many versions of this song but, again, we use the one that Luke Kelly sang with the Dubliners. The narrator, an Irish road worker who has left his farm to become the "gaffer" or boss of a road crew, tells a chilling story: one night a policeman asked to light his pipe on the boiler fire; but after being told he should probably return to his beat, the policeman insults the narrator, accusing him of being from the "Tipperary ranks" - a member of the Irish Volunteer Army. The narrator hits him, accidentally knocking the policeman into the boiler. The crew drags him out and attempts to save him but, being too far gone, they decide to just throw him in and finish the job.

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from Rebels, Rogues, & Roustabouts, released July 27, 2022

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The Hounds of Cuchulain Victoria, British Columbia

We play wide selection of Irish, Scottish, English, and Maritime Folk Music.

Fans of the Dubliners, Pogues, Wolfe Tones, Planxty, and the Corries will find all their favourite tunes in our repertoire

Meet our members:

Wolf: lead vocals, guitar, tenor banjo
Briana: fiddle, vocals
Devo: 5-string banjo
Madeleine: whistle, harp, vocals ... more

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