For almost all recorded human history, whenever people have gathered to drink together, they have also shared songs to celebrate that communal experience. Drinking songs take a wide range of forms. They cover every topic imaginable, from folk tales to riddles, from prayers to ballads, and from fighting songs to dirty jokes. They survive as everything from ancient Greek “skolion,” or banquet songs, to 17th-century English ballads, to colonial America, to the tune that Francis Scott Key used for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and beyond.
If you’re feeling moved by the muse the next time you quaff a cup with a friend, here are some of the most important and best traditional drinking songs of all time that you might try out.
An Ancient Sumerian Ode to Beer
Perhaps the oldest drinking song was penned (or, rather, carved into clay) around 1800 BCE by an anonymous poet of ancient Sumeria—an early Bronze Age civilization in southern Mesopotamia. “May Ninkasi live together with you!” is a poem supposedly sung by Inanna, goddess of love, sensuality, and procreation, in praise of Ninkasi, “The Lady Who Fills the Mouth,” who was the goddess of brewing. Unfortunately, nobody knows the tune, and, frankly, the lyrics are just a bit dated for use in a modern pub.
A 13th Century Parody of a Hymn
Around 1210, one daring Norman French minstrel, whose name is lost to history, penned a brilliant parody of St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s Laetabundus hymn to the Virgin Mary, making the Latin religious song into a cleverly re-worded ode to beer. Because the original hymn was sung in churches all over Europe, the minstrel’s parody would have been an easy tune for anyone to pick up when they popped into the tavern for a cold one after services.
In some places, the minstrel kept the original words but changed their meaning slightly. For example, the phrase “semper clara,” or “always clear,” which in the original hymn refers to the Virgin Mary’s soul, in the parody refers to the beer being drawn from the cask. In other places, a slight change to the wording was necessary, so, for example, “valle nostra” (“our valley”) becomes “valla nostra” (“our health”). The beer blog Zythophile has an English translation of the lyrics. The group Strada recorded it for their 1998 album “Grant Joie: Music of the Trouvères.”
Drinking and Singing in Ireland
When it comes to transforming a night at the pub into a party, few people can match the Irish. Ireland is not only the home of Guinness, Murphy’s, Smithwick’s, Harp, and many other popular beers; it has given us some of the most classic drinking songs. Among the most beloved and popular of traditional Irish drinking songs are:
- “Whiskey in the Jar.” Coming from the regions of Cork and Kerry, this song tells the tale of a highway robber who was betrayed by his lover. The Dubliners made it famous in the 1960s, it’s been recorded by groups such as The Pogues (1990) and Metallica (1998), who won a 2000 Grammy with it.
- “I Tell Me Ma.” Originally a 19th-century children’s song, this catchy tune has become standard fare in Irish pubs and has been recorded by artists from Sinéad O’Connor to Van Morrison.
- “All for Me Grog.” This song, about a sailor who sells everything he owns for drinking money to buy rum, was popular with Irish and English mariners in the 1800s. Today, it’s one of the most frequently requested drinking songs in pubs and taverns across Ireland.
- “The Wild Rover.” Ironically, this classic song about a young man who gives up “roving” (that is, piracy) and returns to his hometown to settle down was evidently first written as a temperance ballad in the early 19th century. Though the tale originated in late 16th-century Scotland, the song gained popularity in the mid-1800s across Great Britain, Ireland, and America.
Obviously, we advocate drinking responsibly. If you find yourself singing one too many of these songs, know that you can get help without checking in to a padded cell. Outpatient treatment for addicts has become a lot less stigmatized in recent years.
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