Whiskey in the Jar - wikipedia Whiskey in the Jar This article is about the song. For the Thin Lizzy album, see Whiskey in the Jar ( album ). `` Whiskey in the Jar '' Single by The Dubliners Released 1968 Genre Irish folk Length 6 : 02 Songwriter ( s ) Trad. `` Whiskey in the Jar '' is a well - known Irish traditional song, set in the southern mountains of Ireland, often with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry, as well as Fenit, a village in County Kerry. The song is about a rapparee ( highwayman ), who is betrayed by his wife or lover, and is one of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs. It has been recorded by numerous professional artists since the 1950s. The song 's origins come from the traditional folk song `` The Highwayman and the Captain '' sung in the outskirts of the town of Edinburgh. In 1967, the Irish folk band The Beasley Brothers rewrote the song as Whiskey in a Jar and incorporated their own twist to the lyrics and melody. The song first gained wide exposure when the Irish folk band The Dubliners performed it internationally as a signature song, and recorded it on three albums in the 1960s. In the U.S., the song was popularized by The Highwaymen, of `` Michael Row the Boat Ashore '' fame, who recorded it on their 1962 album Encore ( United Artists UAL 3225, mono and UAS 6225, stereo ). Building on their success, the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy hit the Irish and British pop charts with the song in 1973. In 1990 The Dubliners re-recorded the song with The Pogues with a faster rocky version charting at No. 4 in Ireland and No. 63 in the UK. The American metal band Metallica brought it to a wider rock audience in 1998 by playing a version very similar to that of Thin Lizzy 's, though with a heavier sound, winning a Grammy for the song in 2000 for Best Hard Rock Performance. Contents 1 Story 2 History 3 Chart performance ( The Dubliners / Pogues ) 4 Variations 5 Recordings 6 References 7 External links Story `` Whiskey in the Jar '' is the tale of a highwayman or footpad who, after robbing a military or government official, is betrayed by a woman ; whether she is his wife or sweetheart is not made clear. Various versions of the song take place in Kerry, Kilmoganny, Cork, Sligo Town, and other locales throughout Ireland. It is also sometimes placed in the American South, in various places among the Ozarks or Appalachians, possibly due to Irish settlement in these places. Names in the song change, and the official can be a Captain or a Colonel, called Farrell or Pepper among other names. The protagonist 's wife or lover is sometimes called Molly, Jenny, Emzy, or Ginny among various other names. The details of the betrayal are also different, being either betraying him to the person he robbed and replacing his ammunition with sand or water, or not, resulting in his killing the person. History The song 's exact origins are unknown. A number of its lines and the general plot resemble those of a contemporary broadside ballad `` Patrick Fleming '' ( also called `` Patrick Flemmen he was a Valiant Soldier '' ) about Irish highwayman Patrick Fleming, who was executed in 1650. In the book The Folk Songs of North America, folk music historian Alan Lomax suggests that the song originated in the 17th century, and ( based on plot similarities ) that John Gay 's 1728 The Beggar 's Opera was inspired by Gay hearing an Irish ballad - monger singing `` Whiskey in the Jar ''. In regard to the history of the song, Lomax states, `` The folk of seventeenth century Britain liked and admired their local highwaymen ; and in Ireland ( or Scotland ) where the gentlemen of the roads robbed English landlords, they were regarded as national patriots. Such feelings inspired this rollicking ballad. '' At some point, the song came to the United States and was a favourite in Colonial America because of its irreverent attitude toward British officials. The American versions are sometimes set in America and deal with American characters. One such version, from Massachusetts, is about Alan McCollister, an Irish - American soldier who is sentenced to death by hanging for robbing British officials. The song appeared in a form close to its modern version in a precursor called `` The Sporting Hero, or, Whiskey in the Bar '' in a mid-1850s broadsheet. The song collector Colm Ó Lochlainn, in his book Irish Street Ballads, described how his mother learnt `` Whiskey in the Jar '' in Limerick in 1870 from a man called Buckley who came from Cork. When O Lochlainn included the song in Irish Street Ballads, he wrote down the lyrics from memory as he had learnt them from his mother. He called the song `` There 's Whiskey in the Jar '', and the lyrics are virtually identical to the version that was used by Irish bands in the 1960s such as the Dubliners. The O Lochlainn version refers to the `` far fam 'd Kerry mountain '' rather than the Cork and Kerry mountains, as appears in some versions. The song also appears under the title `` There 's Whiskey in the Jar '' in the Joyce collection, but that only includes the melody line without any lyrics. Versions of the song were collected in the 1920s in Northern Ireland by song collector Sam Henry. Chart performance ( The Dubliners / Pogues ) Chart ( 1990 ) Peak position Ireland ( IRMA ) UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 63 Variations `` Whiskey in the Jar '' Single by Thin Lizzy B - side `` Black Boys on the Corner '' Released November 3, 1972 ( 1972 - 11 - 03 ) Format 7 '' Genre Celtic rock hard rock blues rock Length 5 : 47 Label Decca Songwriter ( s ) Trad. arr. Eric Bell, Brian Downey, Phil Lynott Producer ( s ) Nick Tauber Thin Lizzy singles chronology `` The Farmer '' ( 1970 ) `` Whiskey in the Jar '' ( 1972 ) `` Randolph 's Tango '' ( 1973 ) `` The Farmer '' ( 1970 ) `` Whiskey in the Jar '' ( 1972 ) `` Randolph 's Tango '' ( 1973 ) `` Whiskey in the Jar '' Song by Grateful Dead from the album So Many Roads ( 1965 -- 1995 ) Released 1999 Genre Roots rock folk rock Length 5 : 18 Label Arista Songwriter ( s ) Trad. arr. Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter `` Whiskey in the Jar '' Single by Metallica from the album Garage Inc. Released February 1, 1999 ( 1999 - 02 - 01 ) Format CD Recorded September -- October 1998 Genre Heavy metal Length 5 : 05 Label Vertigo Songwriter ( s ) Trad. arr. Eric Bell, Brian Downey, Phil Lynott Producer ( s ) Bob Rock James Hetfield Lars Ulrich Mark Whitaker Metallica singles chronology `` Turn the Page '' ( 1998 ) `` Whiskey in the Jar '' ( 1999 ) `` Die, Die My Darling '' ( 1999 ) `` Turn the Page '' ( 1998 ) `` Whiskey in the Jar '' ( 1999 ) `` Die, Die My Darling '' ( 1999 ) Music video `` Whiskey in the Jar '' on YouTube `` Whiskey in the Jar '' is sung with many variants on locations and names, including the Grateful Dead version, a version by The Dubliners ( which is often sung in Irish traditional music sessions around the world ) and a rock version sung by Thin Lizzy and Metallica. There is also a song about Irish troops in the American Civil War called `` We 'll Fight for Uncle Sam '', which is sung in the same tune of `` Whiskey in the Jar ''. Recordings A partial discography : Séamus Ennis -- World Library of Folk and Primitive Music, Vol. 2 : Ireland 1951 ( Alan Lomax field recording ) Burl Ives -- Songs of Ireland 1958, as `` Kilgary Mountain '' The Highwaymen -- Encore 1962 The Brothers Four -- In Person 1962, as `` Kilgary Mountain '' The Limeliters -- Sing Out ! 1962, as `` Kilgary Mountain '' Robert De Cormier -- Dance Gal - Gimme the Banjo 1964, as `` Kilgary Mountain '' The Seekers -- The Seekers 1964 Peter, Paul and Mary -- A Song Will Rise 1965, as `` Gilgarra Mountain '' Joe Dassin -- Mâche ta chique 1965 The Dubliners -- 1967 ( Album ), 1968 ( Single ), 1969 ( Album ) Thin Lizzy -- November 1972 ( Single ) Euskefeurat -- Mutta Herra Jumala 1982 The Pogues -- 1990, with The Dubliners Metallica -- Garage Inc. 1998 Smokie ( band ) -- Uncovered 2000 The Poxy Boggards -- Lager Than Life 2002 Johnny Logan -- The Irish Connection 2007 The High Kings -- Memory Lane 2010 Blaggards -- Live in Texas 2010 Celtic Thunder -- Heritage 2011 Nolwenn Leroy -- Bretonne 2011 ( only the deluxe edition ) Stompin ' Tom Connors -- Stompin ' Tom and The Road 's of Life 2012 Santiano - Bis Ans Ende der Welt 2012 Daniel Kobialka -- as `` Gift of Dreams '', a New Age version El Cuarteto de Nos -- Habla tu espejo 2014, as `` Whisky en Uruguay '' The song has also been recorded by singers and folk groups such as Roger Whittaker, The Irish Rovers, Seven Nations, Off Kilter, King Creosote, Brobdingnagian Bards, Charlie Zahm, and Christy Moore. Contrary to common belief, The Clancy Brothers never recorded the song. The confusion stems from the album Irish Drinking Songs, which is composed of separate tracks by The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers, with the former performing `` Whiskey in the Jar '' ; the same compilation includes the Clancy Brothers singing `` Whiskey, You 're The Devil '', in which the line `` There 's whiskey in the jar '' occurs several times. Liam Clancy did record it with his son and nephew on Clancy, O'Connell & Clancy in 1997, and Tommy Makem recorded it on The Song Tradition in 1998. The High Kings, featuring Bobby Clancy 's son Finbarr, released a version in February 2011. Thin Lizzy 's 1972 single ( bonus track on Vagabonds of the Western World ( 1991 edition ) ) stayed at the top of the Irish charts for 17 weeks, and the British release stayed in the top 30 for 12 weeks, peaking at No. 6, in 1973. This version has since been covered by U2, Pulp ( first released on 1996 Various Artists album Childline and later on deluxe edition of Different Class in 2006 ), Smokie, Metallica ( Garage Inc. 1998, which won a Grammy ), Belle and Sebastian ( The Blues Are Still Blue EP 2006 ), Gary Moore ( 2006 ), Nicky Moore ( Top Musicians Play Thin Lizzy 2008 ), Simple Minds ( Searching for the Lost Boys 2009 ), and Israeli musician Izhar Ashdot. The song is also on the Grateful Dead live compilation So Many Roads disc five. On the bluegrass scene, Jerry Garcia and David Grisman recorded a version for the album Shady Grove. It has also been performed by the Scarecrows bluegrass band and the Dutch band Blue Grass Boogiemen. Icelandic folk band Þrjú á palli recorded it in 1971 as `` Lífið Er Lotterí '' with lyrics by Jónas Árnason. Lillebjørn Nilsen adapted it to Norwegian, as `` Svikefulle Mari '', on his 1971 album Tilbake. Finnish band Eläkeläiset recorded a humppa version as the title track of their 1997 album Humppamaratooni. In 2007 the Lars Lilholt Band made a Danish version, `` Gi ' Mig Whiskey in the Jar '', for the album Smukkere Med Tiden. Estonian band Poisikõsõ recorded `` Hans'a Õuhkaga '' on the album Tii Päält Iist in 2007. In 1966, the Yarkon Bridge Trio, an Israeli singing group, recorded a song named `` Siman Sheata Tsair '' ( `` It Is a Sign That You Are Young '' ) set to the melody of `` Whiskey in the Jar '' ; the song became a big hit and was later covered by various artists, notably by Gidi Gov. References Jump up ^ `` The Highwaymen * - Encore ( Vinyl, LP, Album ) ''. Discogs.com. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 08. Jump up ^ Patrick Flemming, Folklore Home Page, California State University, Fresno ( retrieved 10 July 2008 ) Jump up ^ Patrick Flemming, The Complete Newgate Calendar Vol. I, Law in Popular Culture collection, Tarlton Law Library, University of Texas at Austin Archived 22 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine. ^ Jump up to : The Folk Songs of North America : In the English Language, Alan Lomax, Peggy Seeger, Mátyás Seiber, Don Banks, Doubleday, 1960 Google Books Retrieved 11 July 2008 Jump up ^ The sporting hero, Firth c. 17 ( 314 ), Bodleian Library Catalog of Ballads ( retrieved 10 July 2008 ) Jump up ^ Irish Street Ballads, Colm O Lochlainn, Pan 1978, pp220 Jump up ^ Joyce, Patrick Weston, Old Irish Folk Music and Songs : a Collection of 842 Irish Airs and Songs Hitherto Unpublished, Cooper Square Publishers, New York, 1965. Originally published in 1909. Jump up ^ Songs of the People edited by Gale Huntington, Lani Herrman with contributions from John Moulden. 1990 ( University of Georgia Press ) ISBN 0 - 8203 - 1258 - 4 Jump up ^ `` Chart Track : Week 00, 1990 ''. Irish Singles Chart. Jump up ^ `` Official Singles Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Jump up ^ Phil Lynott : The Rocker, Mark Putterford, Omnibus Press, 2002, ISBN 0 - 7119 - 9104 - 9 Google Books ( retrieved 11 July 2008 ) Jump up ^ Childline at Discogs Jump up ^ http://mp3stune.org/mp3/Blue%20Grass%20Boogiemen%20-%20Grassified Jump up ^ Tilbake, musikkonline.no Jump up ^ Track listing, Lars Lilholt Band official site ( retrieved 11 July 2008 ) Jump up ^ `` Special Broadcasting ''. Reshet Gimel. IBA / Google Translate. 28 April 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2013. Jump up ^ Gidi Gov -- Siman Sheata Tsa'ir on YouTube ( NMC 's official channel ). Wikisource has original text related to this article : Whiskey in the Jar External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Whiskey in the Jar Lyrics and chords on Irish Music Daily The Dubliners Ciarán Bourke Ronnie Drew Luke Kelly Barney McKenna John Sheahan Bobby Lynch Jim McCann Seán Cannon Eamonn Campbell Paddy Reilly Patsy Watchorn Studio albums A Drop of the Hard Stuff More of the Hard Stuff Drinkin ' and Courtin ' At It Again At Home with The Dubliners Revolution Double Dubliners Plain and Simple Now A Parcel of Rogues 15 Years On Together Again Prodigal Sons 25 Years Celebration The Dubliner 's Dublin 30 Years A-Greying Further Along 40 Years Live albums The Dubliners In Concert Finnegan Wakes Live at the Albert Hall Hometown ! Live Live at Montreux Live in Carré 21 Years On Alive Alive - O A Night Out with The Dubliners Live from the Gaiety Live At Vicar Street A Time to Remember An Evening with The Dublin Legends : Live in Vienna Compilation albums The Best of The Dubliners It 's The Dubliners A Drop of The Dubliners Spirit Of The Irish The Best of the Original Dubliners Too Late to Stop Now : The Very Best of the Dubliners Live At Vicar Street The Late Late Show Tribute The Very Best Of : The Dubliners Original Dubliners 50 Years 20 Greatest Hits Drinking and Wenching Irish chart singles `` Nelson 's Farewell '' `` The Black Velvet Band '' `` All For Me Grog '' `` Seven Drunken Nights '' `` Never Wed An Old Man '' `` Dirty Old Town '' `` Hand Me Down My Bible '' `` Free the People '' `` Raglan Road '' `` Do n't Get Married '' `` The Irish Rover '' `` Jack 's Heroes '' `` The Rose '' `` Red Roses for Me '' `` The Ballad of Ronnie Drew '' `` The Rocky Road to Poland '' `` The Auld Triangle '' Other singles `` The Wild Rover '' `` Whiskey in the Jar '' `` Four Green Fields '' DVDs Live from the Gaiety Live at Vicar Street Related articles The Dubliners discography Ronnie Drew discography Gerry O'Connor Category Thin Lizzy Scott Gorham Darren Wharton Ricky Warwick Damon Johnson Tom Hamilton Scott Travis Phil Lynott Brian Downey Eric Bell Eric Wrixon Gary Moore Brian Robertson Snowy White John Sykes Andy Gee John Cann Dave Flett Mark Nauseef Marco Mendoza Randy Gregg Francesco DiCosmo Tommy Aldridge Michael Lee Vivian Campbell Richard Fortus Midge Ure Studio albums Thin Lizzy Shades of a Blue Orphanage Vagabonds of the Western World Nightlife Fighting Jailbreak Johnny the Fox Bad Reputation Black Rose : A Rock Legend Chinatown Renegade Thunder and Lightning Live albums Live and Dangerous Life BBC Radio One Live in Concert The Peel Sessions The Boys Are Back in Town : Live in Australia One Night Only UK Tour ' 75 Still Dangerous Compilations Remembering -- Part 1 The Continuing Saga of the Ageing Orphans The Adventures of Thin Lizzy Dedication Wild One Whiskey in the Jar Vagabonds Kings Warriors Angels Greatest Hits The Definitive Collection Songs `` Whiskey in the Jar '' `` The Rocker '' `` Still in Love with You '' `` The Boys Are Back in Town '' `` Jailbreak '' `` Cowboy Song '' `` Waiting for an Alibi '' `` Do Anything You Want To '' `` Sarah '' `` Killer on the Loose '' `` Hollywood ( Down on Your Luck ) '' `` Angel of Death '' `` Cold Sweat '' `` The Sun Goes Down '' Videos and DVDs Live and Dangerous Thin Lizzy Live at Sydney Harbour ' 78 One Night in Dublin : A Tribute to Phil Lynott Other articles Thin Lizzy band members Discography Funky Junction Black Star Riders Philomena Lynott Metallica James Hetfield Lars Ulrich Kirk Hammett Robert Trujillo Jason Newsted Cliff Burton Dave Mustaine Ron McGovney Studio albums Kill ' Em All Ride the Lightning Master of Puppets... And Justice for All Metallica Load Reload St. Anger Death Magnetic Hardwired... to Self - Destruct Cover albums Garage Inc. Collaboration projects Lulu Extended plays The $5.98 E.P. : Garage Days Re-Revisited Beyond Magnetic Live albums S&M Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria : Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México Live at Grimey 's The Big Four : Live from Sofia, Bulgaria Through the Never Box sets The Good, the Bad & the Live Live Shit : Binge & Purge Limited - Edition Vinyl Box Set The Metallica Collection Singles `` Whiplash '' `` Jump in the Fire '' `` Creeping Death '' `` Master of Puppets '' `` Harvester of Sorrow '' `` Eye of the Beholder '' `` One '' `` Enter Sandman '' `` The Unforgiven '' `` Nothing Else Matters '' `` Wherever I May Roam '' `` Sad but True '' `` Until It Sleeps '' `` Hero of the Day '' `` Mama Said '' `` King Nothing '' `` The Memory Remains '' `` The Unforgiven II '' `` Fuel '' `` Turn the Page '' `` Whiskey in the Jar '' `` Die, Die My Darling '' `` Nothing Else Matters ' 99 '' `` No Leaf Clover '' `` I Disappear '' `` St. Anger '' `` Frantic '' `` The Unnamed Feeling '' `` Some Kind of Monster '' `` The Day That Never Comes '' `` All Nightmare Long '' `` Broken, Beat & Scarred '' `` The View '' `` Lords of Summer '' `` Hardwired '' `` Moth into Flame '' `` Atlas, Rise ! '' `` Now That We 're Dead '' `` Spit Out the Bone '' Promotional singles `` Fade to Black '' `` For Whom the Bell Tolls '' `` Do n't Tread on Me '' `` Ai n't My Bitch '' `` Bleeding Me '' `` Better than You '' `` My Apocalypse '' `` Cyanide '' `` The Judas Kiss '' Other songs `` Seek & Destroy '' `` Am I Evil ? '' `` Blitzkrieg '' `` Breadfan '' `` The God That Failed '' `` Astronomy '' `` Tuesday 's Gone '' `` Last Caress / Green Hell '' `` Stone Cold Crazy '' `` So What ? '' `` Overkill '' `` The Unforgiven III '' Video albums Cliff ' Em All 2 of One A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica Cunning Stunts S&M The Videos 1989 -- 2004 Français Pour une Nuit Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria : Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México The Big Four : Live from Sofia, Bulgaria Quebec Magnetic Metallica Through the Never Tours Kill ' Em All Tour Ride the Lightning Tour Damage, Inc. Tour Monsters of Rock Tour 1987 Monsters of Rock Tour 1988 Damaged Justice Tour Wherever We May Roam Tour Guns N ' Roses / Metallica Stadium Tour Nowhere Else to Roam Tour Shit Hits the Sheds Tour Poor Touring Me Poor Re-Touring Me Tour Garage Remains the Same Tour M2K Mini Tour Summer Sanitarium Tour Madly in Anger with the World Tour Escape from the Studio ' 06 Sick of the Studio ' 07 2008 European Vacation Tour World Magnetic Tour 2012 European Black Album Tour The Full Arsenal Tour By Request Tour Lords of Summer Tour WorldWired Tour Related articles Awards Discography Demos Songs recorded Apocalyptica Beatallica Big Mick Orion Music + More Echobrain Exodus Flotsam and Jetsam Megadeth Newsted Metallica v. Napster, Inc. A Tribute to the Four Horsemen The Blackest Album : An Industrial Tribute to Metallica Johnny Got His Gun The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Damage Incorporated Guitar Hero : Metallica Songs So What ! ( magazine ) Metallic Assault : A Tribute to Metallica Metallic Attack : The Ultimate Tribute Metal Militia -- A Tribute to Metallica Metallica : This Monster Lives Pianotarium Star Odyssey Hesher Book Category Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Whiskey_in_the_Jar&oldid=842611490 '' Categories : 1972 singles 1973 singles 1999 singles Decca Records singles Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance Irish folk songs Irish rock songs Metallica songs Songs about alcohol Peter, Paul and Mary songs The Dubliners songs Thin Lizzy songs Vertigo Records singles Year of song unknown Songwriter unknown Music videos directed by Jonas Åkerlund Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links EngvarB from October 2013 Use dmy dates from October 2013 Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Irish Singlechart called without artist Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for UK Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Euskara Français 한국어 Hrvatski Italiano ქართული Norsk Polski Português Русский Slovenčina Suomi Svenska 9 more Edit links This page was last edited on 23 May 2018, at 14 : 59. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who sang the original whiskey in a jar
Answer: the Irish folk band The Beasley Brothers