Reading My Way Around the World

Showing posts with label zozimus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zozimus. Show all posts

Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Zozimus says Zing went Ziggy's Zombies sung by Zap Mama!!


This is the last day of the 2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge 


I had great fun trying to find music connections for Z so I thought I'd do another list for this one ... I've done lists of songs for days of the week here and for months here and here but never for a letter before and there are some corkers.


In the Irish language, there is no Z in the alphabet so none of the songs begin with it .... but there was a balladeer ... popularly known as Zozimus.   Born Michael Moran (1794 - 3 April 1846), he was  born in Dublin and lived there all his life. At two weeks old he was blinded by illness. He made his living reciting verses which he had composed in his own lively if semi-literate manner.

Some of them still survive, such as

"Saint Patrick was a Gentleman"
Saint Patrick was a gintleman, he came of decent people,
In Dublin town he built a Church, and on it put a steeple;
His father was a Callaghan, his mother was a Brady,
His aunt was an O'Shaughnessy, and his uncle was a Grady.
Then success to bold St. Patrick's fist, He was a saint so clever,
He gave the snakes and toads a twist,
And banished them for ever.





One of my favourite female vocal groups is Zap Mama from French speaking part of Belgium ...  Have listen.








Some great Z songs (in my opinion anyway) ...

Zing Went the Strings of My Heart from Judy Garland (there are many other versions of this, but Judy has a special place in my heart)


Zombie - the Cranberries 
Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie