Brendan Behan
Recorded by Bob Dylan and The Band during The Basement Tapes sessions (1967)
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem

Em’ = xx5450

The recording is much more jingle-jangly than this tab can convey. To get that full effect, you’d need a full band of individualists who are not quite certain about the tune. That’s what Dylan had. If you’re less resourceful, you can approach that effect by inserting the D-A-G-D turn (or hints of it) here and there where there’s a long D.

D

  D      G  D                  G   D
A hungry feeling, came o'er me stealing
       G    A    D               Em'    G  A
As the mice were squealing in my prison cell
         D   A  G  D        D  A   G  D
And that old triangle, went jingle jangle
    G         D            A       D
All along the banks of the Royal Canal.

To begin the morning, with the water boiling
Get out of bed, clean up your cell
And the old triangle, went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal.

On a fine spring evening the lag lay dreamin'
The sea-gulls beamin' high above the wall
And that old triangle, goes jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal.

The screw was peepin' and the lag lay sleapin'
As he lay there weeping for his good gal Sal.
And the old triangle, went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal.

In the female prison there are seventy women
and it's with all of them where I'd like to dwell
And the old triangle, would go jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal.

Ah, the day was dying and the lag was sighing
As I lay cryin' in my prison cell
And that old triangle, went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal.