Henry's Songbook

Thunder and lightning is no lark
When Dublin city is in the dark
So if you've any money go up to the park
And view the zoological gardens

We went up there to see the old zoo
We saw the lion and the kangaroo
There was he-males and she-males of every hue
Up in the zoological gardens

We went out there by Castleknock
Says she to me, Sure we'll court on the lock
Then I knew she was one of the rare old stock
From outside the zoological gardens

We went out there on our honeymoon
Says she to me, If you don't come soon
I'll have to get in with the hairy baboon
Up in the zoological gardens

Says she to me, It's seven o'clock
In time for me to be changing my frock
For I love to see the old - - - cockatoo
Up in the zoological gardens

Says she to me, My lovely Jack
Sure I'd love a ride on the elephant's back
If you don't get outa that I'll give you such a crack
Up in the zoological gardens

(as sung by The Dubliners)

Thunder and lightning is no lark
When Dublin city is in the dark
If you've got any money go up to the park
And view the zoological gardens

We went out there on our honeymoon
Says she to me, If you don't do it soon
I'll have to jump in with the hairy baboon
Up in the zoological gardens

We went up there by Castleknock
Said I to her, Jump out of your frock
And I knew she was one of the rare old stock
From outside the zoological gardens

Says she to me, My dear friend Jack
Sure I'd love a ride on the elephant's back
If you don't get outa that I'll give you such
Up between the zoological gardens

Says she to me, To give you your due
There's nothing that jumps as well as you
Not even the Australian kanglaroo
Up in the zoological gardens

We went up there to visit the zoo
We saw the lions and the kanglaroos
There were he-males and she-males of every hue
Up in the zoological gardens

(as sung by Noel Murphy)

 [1979:] Der Phönix-Park, am Stadtrand von Dublin, ist sicher nicht der schönste unter all den großartigen Parks des Landes, aber die Bevölkerung von Dublin liebt ihn über alles. Wenn man zum Zoologischen Garten will, der Teil des Phönix Parks ist, muß man durch The Hollow. Ein geeigneteres Fleckchen Erde, um zu schmusen, läßt sich - jedenfalls für die Dubliner - nur schwer vorstellen. Deshalb geht in der Stadt die Redensart um, viele Leute würden es erst fertigbringen, im Phönix-Park bis zum Zoo vorzudringen, wenn sie verheiratet seien und Kinder hätten. Kurzum, weil man als Bürger von Dublin sehr häufig in den Phönix-Park, aber selten in den Zoo kommt, hat jemand einen Spaziergang durch den Zoo eines Liedes für wert befunden, das in der Stadt und in ganz Irland zum echten Volkslied geworden ist. (ILB 106)

 [1989:] Phoenix Park[:] Even in my rusty Irish the name has nothing to do with the mythical bird. The English who have made it their imperial business to speak everything from Sanskrit to Esperanto would never pronounce the Irish words because they thought that we, in our stupidity, were trying to say 'Phoenix'. How conceited is the arrogance of the ignorant. [...] Finn's Town, Finn's City, like all human life everywhere it came from Finn Uisce, the Waters of Finn. (Dominic Behan, The Public World of Parable Jones 71)

 [1994:] In its best form, the Dublin ballad makes elegant use of all forms of vulgarity - bog Latin, Gaelic, the Queen's English - and sends up formal style with a solemn face. [E.g.,] up in the zoological gardens, they have 'hemales and shemales of every hue'. (Geraghty, Luke Kelly 35f)