St. Stephen's Day Murders

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I knew of two sisters whose name it was Christmas
And one was named Dawn of course, the other one was named Eve
I wonder if they grew up hating the season
Of the good will that lasts till the Feast of St. Stephen

For that is the time to eat, drink and be merry
'Til the beer is all spilled and the whiskey is flowed
And the whole family tree you neglected to bury
Are feeding their faces until they explode

There'll be laughter and tears over Tia Marias
Mixed up with that drink made from girders
And it's all we've got left as they draw their last breath
And it's nice for the kids as you finally get rid of them
In the St Stephen's Day Murders

Uncle is garglin' a heart-breaking air
While the babe in his arms pulls out all that remains of his hair
And we're not drunk enough yet to dare criticize
The great big kipper tie he's about to baptize

His gin-flavoured whispers and kisses of sherry
His best crimble shirt slung out over the shop
While the lights from the Christmas tree blow up the telly
His face closes in like an old cold pork chop

And the carcass of the beast left over from the feast
May still be found haunting the kitchen
And there's life in it yet we may live to regret
When the ones that we poisoned stop twitchin'

There'll be laughter and tears over Tia Marias
Mixed up with that drink made from girders
And it's all we've got left as they draw their last breath
And it's nice for the kids as you finally get rid of them (rid of them!)
In the St Stephen's Day Murders

St. Stephen's Day Murders
Written byPaddy Moloney & Elvis Costello
Performed byThe Chieftains with Elvis Costello
Produced byPaddy Moloney
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals
Derek Bell - harp, tiompán, harpsichord
Martin Fay - fiddle
Seán Keane - fiddle
Kevin Conneff - bodhrán, vocals
Matt Molloy - flute
Paddy Moloney - Uilleann pipes, tin whistle
RecordedMay 1991, Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin
ReleasedOctober 28, 1991
AlbumsThe Chieftains - The Chieftains: The Bells Of Dublin, 1991
Mighty Like A Rose (Rhino reissue), 2002
Various Artists collectionsCD Review's Holiday Music Sampler, 1995
Length3:21

First known performance:
June 30, 1995, London, England
Last known performance:
December 20, 2010, Chicago, IL
     (4 known performances)


The Bells Of DublinThe Chieftains The Bells Of Dublin album cover.jpg

Mighty Like A RoseMLAR album cover large.jpg

Covers

Thea Gilmore Strange Communion 2009 Amazon (MP3)Amazon.uk
Thea Gilmore performed live, 2009-12-15, King Tuts, Glasgow, Scotland 2009 info
Thea Gilmore performed live, 2009-12-17, The Sage, Gateshead, England 2009
Thea Gilmore performed live, 2009-12-21, Telford's Warehouse, Chester, England 2009
Thea Gilmore performed live, 2010-12-17, The Sage, Gateshead, England 2010
Thea Gilmore performed live, 2011-12-17, The Sage, Gateshead, England 2011
Erich Sellheim home studio production, sung in German 2020 YouTube

Chords

I transcribed this from a 1995 solo performance, as I do not have the original version. Sorry for any inaccuracies this may cause. -- If 10:14, 27 September 2006 (CDT)If
   Dm                          C             F
I once knew two sisters whose name it was Christmas
                   Dm                       C             F
And one was named Dawn of course, the other one was named Eve
   Dm                     C          F
I wonder if they grew up hating the season
        F
Of the good will that lasts ‘til the feast of St. Stephen

      F                        C            F
For that is the time to eat, drink, and be merry
          C            F               C           F
'Til the beer is all spilled and the whiskey has flowed
          F                       C         F
And the whole family tree you neglected to bury
     C             F       C           Dm
Are feeding their faces until they explode

Chorus:
             Dm           C          F      C
There'll be laughter and tears over tia marias
        F                              C 
Washed down with that drink made from girders
            Dm             C             Dm              C
‘Cause it's all we've got left as they draw their last breath
          Dm           C            Dm          F
And it's nice for the kids, as you finally get rid of them
Bb                        C   F
In the St. Stephen's Day murders

Uncle is garglin' a heart-breaking air
While the babe in his arms pulls out all that remains of his hair
And we're not drunk enough yet to dare criticize
The great big kipper tie he's about to baptize

His gin-flavoured whiskers and kisses of sherry
His best crimble shirt slung out over the shop
While the lights from the Christmas tree blow up the telly
His face closes in like an old cold pork chop

Chorus
         Dm             C         F              C
And the carcass of the beast left over from the feast
      F             C
May still be found haunting the kitchen
             Dm         C           Dm         C
And there's life in it yet, we may live to regret
         F                            C
When the ones that we poisoned stop twitchin'

Chorus

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External links