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Sing along

Posted by Bob on September 19, 2004

In Reply to: Light a penny candle?? posted by David FG on September 19, 2004

: : : Does anyone know what the old (presumably english) phrase 'to light a penny candle' means? My understanding is that it was not a favourable comment to make and that one would leave a penny for the person to light the aforementioned candle with. I've searched everywhere for an answer- hope you can help me!

: : I vaguely recall that in some Catholic churches it was possible to light a candle as a sort of prayer of sympathy for someone - perhaps even yourself. You'd put a coin in the box to pay for the candle. Perhaps the larger the candle the greater the cost. Maybe some of our contributors who grew up around that sort of thing could say.

: : I'm guessing a penny candle wouldn't have lasted very long so to say that one is lighting a penny candle for something or someone is to say that he isn't really very concerned at all.

: : Camel

: In Catholic churches it is indeed the practice to light a candle as a form of prayer for the souls of the dead in Purgatory. (There are some Protestant churches which do it too, I believe.) I am not aware that there has ever been any price-range on these; all those I have ever seen have beent the same size, and there is no set price - one can pay as much or as little as one likes.

: I would guess that the phrase derives from the days when such candles probably would have cost a penny to buy, and I am assuming (I hasten to add that I don't know) that it means to commemorate someone (something?)

: DFG

Ok, key of F, all sing:

Galway Bay

If you ever go across the sea to Ireland
than maybe at the closing of your day
you can sit and watch the moon rise over Claddah
or watch the sun go down on Galway Bay
Just to hear again the ripple of the trout stream
the women in the meadow makin' hay
or to sit beside a turf fire in a cabin
and watch the barefoot gossoms as they play
Oh the breezed blowing o're the sea from Ireland
are perfumed by the heather as they blow
and the women in the uplands diggin' praties
speak a language that the strangers do not know
Oh the strangers came and tried to teach us their ways
they blamed us just for bein' what we are
but they might as well go chasing after moonbeams
or light a penny candle from a star
And if there's going to be a life hereafter
and something tells me sure there's going to be
I will ask my God to let me make my Heaven
in the dear old land across the Irish Sea

Another pint of Guinness, mate, and back to the Phrase Finders Pub.

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