“Paddy Magee's Dream”
Description
An Englishman, Scotchman, and Irishman meet and pool their resources to buy a loaf. The loaf will go to the one who has the grandest dream. The Englishman and Scotchman have grand dreams but the Irishman dreamt he was hungry, woke and ate the loaf.
Supplemental text
Paddy Magee's Dream
Partial text(s)
*** A ***
Johnny Bull, Irishman, and Scotchman
From Helen Creighton, Folksongs from Southern New Brunswick,
#72, pp. 156-157. Collected from Angelo Dornan, Elgin, N. B.
Johnny Bull he was an Englishman and went to tramp one day
With threepence in his pocket for to take him a long way.
He travelled on for many a mile yet no one did he see,
Till he fell in with an Irishman whose name was Paddy McGee.
Said the Irishman, "I've been dreaming an awful big great dream,
I dreamt I was in a haystack by the side of a purling stream,
I dreamt that you and Scotty were there, as true as I'm am oaf,
By the powers I dreamt I was hungry so I got up and ate the loaf.
(Stanzas 1, 8 of 8)
Cross references
- cf. "John Bull Lives In England" (theme of national comparison)
Broadsides
- Bodleian, Harding B 11(2917), "Paddy Magee's Dream" , W.S. Fortey (London), 1858-1885; also Harding B 11(2918), "Paddy Magee" ("John Bull he was an Englishman, he went on the tramp one day") or "The Three Dreams"
References
- O'Conor, p. 99, "Paddy Magee's Dream" (1 text)
- Creighton-SNewBrunswick 72, "Johnny Bull, Irishman, and Scotchman" (1 text, 1 tune)
- ST OCon099 (Partial)
- Roud #3272
- BI, OCon099