We were driving home on a very cold night and this old ditty from college days popped into my head. Where are all these old words stored? Do they fill up one's brain?
Twas a cold winter evening
The guests were all leaving
O’Leary was closing the bar
When he turned and he said
To the Lady in Red
Get out you can’t stay here no more.
She wept a sad tear
In her bottle of beer
As she thought of the cold night ahead,
When a gentleman dapper
Stepped out of the crapper,
And these are the words that he said.
Her mother never told her
The things a young girl should know
About the ways of college men
And how they come and go (mostly go).
Now age has taken her beauty
And sin has left its sad scar.
So remember your mothers and sisters, boys,
Let Nellie sleep under the bar.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
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My Great Grandmother, who played piano in an Irish Pub I am told, taught it to me this way:
ReplyDeleteTwas a cold winter's evening
The guests were all leaving
O’Leary was closing the bar
When he turned and he said
To the Lady in Red
Get out you can’t stay where you are. (notice how this rhymes)
OOOOooooh, She wept a big tear
In her bucket of beer
As she thought of the cold night ahead,
When a gentleman dapper
Stepped out of the... (pause for dramatic effect) phoneboth, (no rhyme. kinda a gotcha line)
And these are the words that he said.
Her mother never told her
The things a young girl should know
About the ways of college lads
And how they come and go (mostly go).
Age has faded her beauty
Pain has left its scar.
So have a heart dear brother, And
Let her sleep under the bar.
(Under the baaaaar)
Anybody have the chords?
ReplyDeleteBob: this is posted over three years past your inquiry of the chords to "Let Nellie sleep..."
ReplyDeleteC 'Twas a cold
C The guests
C O'Leary F closing C bar
G7 When he C turned
C To the lady
Get G7 out F are C
C+7 Oooh she C wept
C In her bucket
C As she thought F cold night C a- head
G7 When a C gentleman
C Stepped
and G7 these are the words
C Her mother F never C7 her
The F things C know C7
C About the ways F lads
and D7(E) how C7 go
C Now age G7 faded C beauty C7
And F sin has left C sad scar
C7 So F Remember your F6 mother
and C sisters Faug boys
And D7(E) let her sleep B7 un - G7 der the C bar
this was a song that my dad sang when ever we were on a family trip. If I remember correctly, he first heard it at Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans way back in the day. Here is how I remember him singing it (added chords as well for those who like to play as well as sing like me): O’Leary’s Bar – Misc – Tavern Song
ReplyDeleteIntro
Slowly strum G7
'Twas a [C]cold winters evening
The [F]guests were all leaving
O'[C]Leary was [F]closing [G]bar
When he [C]turned and he said
To the [F]lady in red
Get [C]out you can’t [F]stay where you [C]are [G7]
Sheeee [C]shed a sad tear
In her [F]bucket of beer
As she [C]thought of the [F]cold night a[C]head [G7]
When a [C]gentleman handsome
Stepped [F]over the transom
and [C]these are the [F]words that he [C]said [G7]
Her [C]mother [F]never told [C]her
The [F]things a young girl should [C]know
A[C]bout the [F]ways bar[C]men
and [D7]how they come and [G]go mostly [G7]go
Now [C]age has [F]faded her [C]beauty
And [F]sin has left it’s sweet [E7]scar
Sooooo Re[F]member your mother
and [C]daughters [F]boys
And [D7]let ‘em sleep [G]under the [C]bar
This is the version my Father sang to me.
DeleteMy dad would always start singing this whenever he had had a few.
DeleteIt was late in the evening the guests were all leaving John Lavalley (his favorite bartender) was closing the bar, when a gentleman handsome stuck his head through the transom and these were the words he implored: , then My mom would shut him down immediately. Lol thought of it tonight, thank you for finally letting me know how the song ends. Took me almost 70 years to find out.
Thanks for the chords. The words seem to vary a bit, but not substantially. It's a fun song, and can be sung in mixed company.
ReplyDeleteMy army company was the 1783rd Engineers. This was our song which we sang in France until May, 1945; then in Okinawa till after the very end of WWll.Slott
ReplyDeleteWe used to sing this at the Little Creek Officers Club in Little Creek, Virginia in the early '70s. Almost didn't graduate from college because of the time I spent in that Officers Club! I still have the sing-along book from there!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteYea! I found the words. . . we sang this in the 50's in New England ivy League-type
fraternity parties . . . .now I play piano in retirement/nursing home venues - in Pacific
NW. I play by ear in the key of "F" - they love the "old ones" (40's-50's) lets see if
they know this one! I have discovered that WHERE we sang & partied - as well as what decade
we belong to -determines which music we sang. Nancy
I used this as a lullaby for my children until my three year old son sang it to his pre-kindergarten. I HEARD ABOUT THIS !!!
ReplyDeleteWhen my daughters had their children, I WAS FORBIDDEN from using it as a lullaby.
My father sang this to us as babies. ❤️
DeleteI would sing these ditties while at Penn State at the bar. To this day I still know all the words.
DeleteThis is so funny. I can just see the teacher's face. And the poor child wondering what he did wrong. Who would ever think the child would remember the lyric and sing them.
ReplyDeletePrecious story.
Rhobin,
ReplyDeleteI heard this song at Rice University back in the day. I always thought i was funny and a little sad. Was surprissed so many people knew it and the different versions.
Thanks for the comment.
My parents edited the lyrics “a gentleman handsome stepped over the transom” lol! This was about 1955! Song popped into my head last night…. Have not thought about it in YEARS but i remembered every bit of it 🥰
ReplyDeleteI need to start playing guitar again, and this song(which I learned while visiting in an Officers Club in 1968) is a great place to start. I doubt my new partner who was a 60's rock band groupie will understand.
ReplyDeleteWe used the words spiffy and biffy in place of dapper and crapper.
ReplyDelete