Intro:

Whiskey in the jar is a traditional Irish song, perhaps dating from as far back as 1650. It contains many popular themes found in traditional Irish songs, drinking, women, and killing Englishmen. It was also a popular rock song.

The scene:

It's 1972, eleven Israeli athletes are killed by Arab gunmen at the Munich Olympics. Bloody Sunday shows the escalation of tensions between the IRA and the British government with the loss of innocent lives. The Watergate Scandal comes to light in the US.

The Original:

The song Whiskey in the Jar was released by the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy by their record label Decca. It topped the Irish charts and reached no. 6. In the U.K. The band itself disliked the decision to release it, feeling that it didn't represent the band's sound.

Eric Bell's Guitar dominates this track, basically taking over the melodic duties that violins, tin whistles, and uilleann pipes would have on a more traditional version. Phil Lynott's characteristic husky voice delivers the lyrics with a passion that's lacking on the Metallica version, but then this song has an emotional feeling to it for the Irish band that is probably absent for the American singer. So let's take a look at the version...