“The Smial or the Tree” lyrics Nancy Flynn, music Turlough O'Carolan parody of “The Orange and The Green” and “Rising of the Moon“
Performed by Marc Gunn
From CD: Sci Fi Drinking Songs
Oh, my father was a halfling, from Hobbiton was he
My mother was an elfmaid, and in Mirkwood dwelleth she
They met once, only briefly, under an old oak tree
It was a worthy venture. Nine months later there came me
Oh, I feel so strange and mixed up, I hardly know myself
For my father was a hobbit and my mother was an elf
Too tall to hide inside a log, too short to climb a tree
Dear Dad was only 3 foot 6 while Mom was 6 foot 3
I've bright blue eyes and long blond hair, so how do you suppose
I ended up with curly braids a growin' from my toes
Raised in Thranduil's castle, the forest was my home
But always over hill and dale I felt inclined to roam
Every evening Mum and I through the woods did stroll
Til one night just like Dad, I went a-rollin' down the hole
One day upon his doorstep I per-chanced to be
And when I rang the doorbell, he invited me to tea
We began to get aquainted as he showed me round the place
“So, how's your Mum?” he asked of me, a sly grin on his face
Now as the heir apparent to all their worldly goods,
I've half a hillside in the Shire and acreage in the woods.
They took a ship to Valinor and sailed across the sea,
And left me on my own to choose the Smial or the Tree.
Chords: Key C
[C]Oh, my father was a halfling, from [Dm]Hobbiton was he
My [F]mother was an elfmaid, and in [C]Mirkwood [G7]dwelleth [C]she
They met once, only briefly, un-[Dm]der an old oak tree
It [F]was a worthy venture. Nine months [C]later [G7]there came [C]me
Oh, I feel so strange and mixed up, I [Dm]hardly know myself
For my [F]father was a hobbit and my [C]mother [G7]was an [C]elf
Background
A fun parody of a parody. Turlough O'Carolan is credited with writing a brilliant melody that was used for the tune “Rising of the Moon”. That was later parodied in a song called “The Orange and The Green”, which was then turned into a hobbit song by my friend Nancy Flynn. A “smial” is a hobbit hole that was dug into hills and mounds for living.
