‘Take It On The Chin’ - Mick Flannery, 2005
Mick Flannery, to me, is one of the best up and coming musicians currently plying his trade in the Irish music scene. He first came to my attention a few years ago when he appeared live on Irish television performing another great song from his debut album Evening Train called ‘If I Got a Dollar’ which is a simply gorgeous song that he duets with another female musician who I don’t know. If you like bluesy folk then you will like Mick Flannery. Think a young, Irish Tom Waits and you’ll get the picture.
The song, like a lot of songs on the album revolve around relationships, love and gambling especially card playing which is the main theme of today’s song which is basically a conversation between three guys playing a card game and is sung in the same manner.I know Aaron Dillon, another Irish musician is a guest vocalist but I don’t know the other. What separates this from other songs that I have heard recently is the atmosphere that the song conjures up and the realistic conversation that friends and foes have when there is money involved in a card game. Below is the first verse of the song but I’m not really doing it justice that can only be achieved by listening to the song:
‘I put 55 dollars on this hand
Im In, Im out, not a chance
so only one of you dogs wanna dance
ah you better have some balls in those pants
give me two cards, one card, don’t look at that
trying to feel a flush up bite me in the ass
Jesus you must have lady luck up there hiding in your hat
don’t try and fuckin fool me boy we’ll see about that
It’s a hundred to play now we’ll see what you weight now
that pot is getting hotter boy we’ll see if you stay around’
The song continues in this vein as the size of the pot gets heavier and tension grows
’shut the fuck up what the fuck its got to do with you
I don’t see your money here so you don’t get to contribute
nothing to this little bet’
I got the chance to see him play in Whelan’s last year and it was a good gig even though the place was half empty. He made one funny quip as he was introducing a new song by say “This is a new song….not that you would know” - typical Cork humour. He’s playing in Whelan’s again tonight so get your asses to it. Here’s a youtube link to the song.
Last 5 posts by Des
- 'Fearless' - Pink Floyd, 1983 - December 30th, 2008
- 'Frankie Teardrop' - Suicide, 1977 - December 19th, 2008
- 'After Midnight' - J J Cale, 1971 - December 17th, 2008
- 'Acid Tongue'- Jenny Lewis, 2008 - December 12th, 2008
- 'Baltimore'- Randy Newman, 1977 - December 9th, 2008
