Description

Part two of a three cd set

Whiskey In The Jar was released as a single from Garage Inc. The song’s exact origins are lost in the mists of history. Judging from the mention of a rapier it is likely that the lyrics date back to at least the late eighteenth century. Whiskey in the Jar is the tale of a highwayman who, after robbing a corrupt military or government official, is betrayed by a woman named Jenny or Ginny; whether she is his wife or sweetheart is not made clear. Various versions of the song take place in Kerry, Kilmagenny, Cork, Gilgarra Mountain, Sligo Town, and other locales throughout Ireland. The narrator of the song is not named. The only consistently named figures are the sweetheart who betrays the narrator, Jenny/Ginny, and the Anglo-Irish official, Captain Farrell, neither of which aids in the dating of the song. The song ends with the narrator dreaming of escape and fleeing the town of his imprisonment to pursue his love of ‘the good life.’ The Thin Lizzy and Metallica versions differ from the traditional one by dropping two verses and changing the lyrics of the second and third verse into a different interpretation of the story while sticking to the main idea slightly. They also change the name of the female lover from Jenny to Molly.

Track listing:
1. Whiskey In The Jar
2. The Small Hours-Holocaust cover-live
3. Killing Time-Sweet Savage cover-live