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Philly’s historic Eastern State Penitentiary inspired this song. After taking a tour there, Marion learned about the Prison's only inmate to ever escape and not be recaptured - Leo Callahan.  Little is known about Callahan and nothing is known about him after his getaway over the 30 foot tall prison walls, so Marion's song imagines the 'real' story behind his life- she also hoped for an optimistic outcome.  The Gaelic phrase in the chorus means essentially 'God's blessing on your journey'.  Funny postlogue:  the archivist at the Penitentiary heard a recording of Marion's song (after the Molly Bloom's performed it on WXPN Folk Show) and wrote a blog about it- while the archivist liked the song, she indicated that most historians believe the 'real' story behind Callahan's not being recaptured was that he was murdered shortly after his getaway.  Go to this website for more information on ESP and their famous escapee - https://www.easternstate.org/notable-inmates

lyrics

By Marion Halliday 2014 - All rights reserved

V1: He came to this land ten years of age, by fourteen an orphan making his way On the dusty streets of Philadelph-y- i-a, that boy became a man He loved pretty Mary & she bore him a child, his life iseemed pretty good for a while Telling tales of  Ireland at night by the fire, they’d sing to their son

CHO:  Slan agus beannacht leat, Fly away Callahan, fly away home (2x)                   

V 2:  Spanish flu took Mary and their wee baby son, Then he lost his job on the docks as a long shoreman. By 1922 he’d hit rock bottom, times they were hard. He took to drinking whisky, playing cards, pickin’ fights, He finally picked the wrong one late one winter’s night,  Left a man dead on the street, no one to blame, but poor Callahan

V 3:    Callahan was sentenced to Eastern State Penn, A place where no man had escaped from within. In a prison bound by thirty feet of stone, a man could still dream. He built himself a ladder and climbed to the other side,  Ran into the dark of night and found a place to hide.  Coppers never caught him but swore they heard him cry, he’d find a way home  

BREAK:  When dreams are dashed and ground into dust,  The man that lives on will do what he must  Build a ladder, scale a wall, dream a new dream,  Fly a Way Home                                                            

V 4:  Not every traveler to this land came here to stay, Some would return to their homeland one day. The say in 1924 in the County Clare, a man named Callahan Returned to live among them, bought a farm & prospered well,  Raised a family of his own and to them he would tell, Tales of America and Eastern State Penn, and finding his way home 

credits

from Walking in Tall Grass, released November 7, 2017

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Marion Halliday Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Songwriter Marion Halliday is proud purveyor of her own special blend of bluegrass and bourbon-infused original women- powered, Americana. Marion, a Kentucky native, now living in Philly, writes on a range of contemporary as well as historical topics. Marion plays solo as well as with her band, Trickster Sister, comprised of Jane Halliday on fiddle and Donna Bostock on bass. ... more

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