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“Whiskey in the Jar” has wandered through taverns, prisons, ballad sheets, and campfires for over 300 years — changing clothes, accents, and attitudes along the way, but never losing its core: temptation, love, betrayal, and the high cost of dreaming too big.
This recording is my latest take on that long journey, and it appears on my album "Frederick Chipkin — Kew Gardens Troubadour". https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m59dd0wi52PDk7c2EepVKxBxyRWoN9RCo&si=NsCHJMs9hFuc8XHT
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A Song with Deep Roots
The earliest versions of Whiskey in the Jar trace back to 17th-century Ireland, often linked to tales of real-life highwaymen — with some historians pointing to Patrick Fleming as a possible inspiration. Like most great folk songs, it survived because people kept telling the story.
In the 1960s, The Dubliners carried it around the world, making it one of the most recognizable Irish folk songs ever recorded. In the U.S., it found new life when The Highwaymen included it on their 1962 album Encore. From there, the song never stopped traveling.
📀 Album
Frederick Chipkin — Kew Gardens Troubadour
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© Copyright
“Whiskey in the Jar” — Derivative Arrangement & Lyrics © 2025 Frederick Chipkin
Traditional Irish Folk Song
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Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this song—or want to explore the full album—here are a couple of links where you can listen, sample, or purchase:
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0G3BFRWKW

Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/artist/frederick-chipkin/frederick-chipkin-kew-gardens-troubadour/ALZwvhp2pj7txPV

qobuz: https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/frederick-chipkin-kew-gardens-troubadour-frederick-chipkin/suc8cm9dxfy3q

YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m59dd0wi52PDk7c2EepVKxBxyRWoN9RCo

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Transcript
00:00As I was going over the Cog in Kerry mountains, I met with Captain Farrell and the money he
00:21was counting. I first produced my pistol and then produced my data, saying, stabber and deliver, for you are a whole deceiver.
00:36I dreamt of old and fortunate, but the devil came to stay. There's whiskey in the jar, my friend, and it took my life that day.
00:51I counted out his money, and it made a pretty penny. I put it in my pocket, and I took it home to Jenny.
01:04She sighed and swore she loved me, and never would deceive me. But the devil took that woman for, you know, she tricked me easy.
01:15There's whiskey in the jar, there's whiskey in the jar. I dreamt of gold and fortune, but it didn't take me far.
01:28Being drunk and weary, I went into my chamber. I dreamt of gold and fortune there, but surely was a wonder.
01:46But Jenny hid my pistol, and then she took my dagger. She sent for Captain Farrell. I was ready for the slaughter.
01:57There's whiskey in the jar. There's whiskey in the jar. There's whiskey in the jar. I dreamt of gold and fortune, but it didn't take me far.
02:10It was early in the morning before I rose to travel. I came a band of footmen and for likewise Captain Farrell.
02:26I first went for my pistol. I first went for my pistol. I first went for my pistol, and then went for my dagger.
02:32With no weapon at my desperate side, a prisoner I was taken.
02:40There's whiskey in the jar. There's whiskey in the jar. I dreamt of gold and fortune, but it didn't take me far.
02:51Now some men come to fish it, and some men come to fowl it, and some men like to hear the sounds of cannonballs roaring.
03:08But I'm stuck in chapels, but I'm stuck in chapels, with stories I can tell you, dreaming of the mountains from this dreary prison shelter.
03:20There's whiskey in the jar. There's whiskey in the jar. I dreamt of gold and fortune, but it didn't take me far.
03:34I dreamt of gold and fortune, but the devil came to stay.
03:40There's whiskey in the jar, my friend, and it took my life that day.
03:45There's whiskey in the jar. I dreamt of gold and fortune, but it didn't take me far.
04:15I dreamt of gold and fortune, but it took me far.
04:20I dreamt of gold and fortune, and I dreamt of gold and fortune.
04:36I dreamt of gold and Barro for gold, and gold and gold and gold.
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