Metallica Whiskey
There is a song ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ performed by the ‘metal/heavy rock’ group ‘Metallica’. It is a very popular song and has been performed by many different music groups in the past. This is ‘Metallica’s’ rendition of the song.
The precise origins of the song are not known, but it is largely attributed to Irish ballads and may have first been sung in the seventeenth century. In those days, bandits, known as highwaymen used to rob the rich landed class if they met them on the highways. The highwaymen were considered patriots and regarded as heroes. The hero here is a Robin Hood like figure who steals from the rich.
The song tells of how the hero robs an official on the highway and takes the plundered wealth to his ladylove/wife, who ultimately betrays him. He is imprisoned later on. Reference is made to a Captain Farrell and the lady as Molly. She is sometimes referred to as Ginny/Jenny elsewhere.
The song mentions ‘whiskey in the jar’ and that could possibly stand for the ‘good life’ that the hero hopes for after his escape. Whiskey, here is synonymous with the good life.
It is one of the most widely performed Irish songs.
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 4:08 am and is filed under Whiskey. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.