I'll Tell Me Ma facts for kids

I'll Tell Me Ma is a very popular children's song. It's also known by other names like "The Wind" or "The Belle of Belfast City". People have been singing this song for a long time! It was first written down in England in the 1800s. In Ireland, the song often talks about Belfast city. But you might hear versions about other cities too, like Dublin or London. This song is so well-known that it has a special number in a folk song list: Roud Folk Song Index number 2649.

This fun song often goes along with a children's game. Imagine a group of kids holding hands in a circle. One person stands in the middle. When the song asks, "Please tell me who they be," the person in the middle says the name or initials of another boy or girl in the circle. Then, everyone in the circle sings the rest of the song. After that, the person who was named goes into the center, and the game continues!

Song Lyrics

Here are the words to the opening part of the song:

Popular Recordings of the Song

Quick facts for kids "I'll Tell Me Ma"
Single by Van Morrison and The Chieftains
from the album Irish Heartbeat
B-side	"Tá Mo Chleamhnas Déanta"
Released	1988
Recorded	December 1987–January 1988
Genre	Folk
Length	2:29
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	unknown
Producer(s)	Van Morrison, Paddy Moloney
Van Morrison and The Chieftains singles chronology
"Queen of the Slipstream" (1988) "I'll Tell Me Ma" (1988) "Have I Told You Lately" (1989)

Many different artists have recorded "I'll Tell Me Ma." Sometimes, they change the words to fit their own hometowns.

Famous Versions

One very well-known version was made by Van Morrison and The Chieftains. They recorded it for their album Irish Heartbeat in 1988. This album was very popular and reached number 18 on the UK music charts!

Another famous recording was by a band called Sham Rock. Their version of "Tell Me Ma" came out in 1998. It was a big hit, reaching number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. It stayed on the charts for 17 weeks and sold over 200,000 copies! This song has also appeared on many other music collections, selling millions of copies in total.

Other Notable Artists

Many other musicians have also recorded this song. Here are some of them:

• The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem sang it as "I'll Tell My Ma" in 1962.
• The Corries included it in their "Singing Games" in 1964.
• The Dubliners put "I'll Tell My Ma" on their first album in 1964.
• Lick the Tins released "The Belle of Belfast City" in 1986.
• The Rankin Family recorded "Tell My Ma" on their album Fare Thee Well Love in 1990.
• Four to the Bar performed it on their live album Craic on the Road in 1994.
• Orthodox Celts sang a version in 1997 that mentioned their hometown, Belgrade.
• The Wiggles made a fun version called "Nya, Nya, Nya" in 1997. They sang "I'll Tell Me Ma" again in 2014.
• Gaelic Storm included "Tell Me Ma" on their first album in 1998.
• Belfast Food recorded it in 1999.
• The Tossers combined it with another song in 2001, mentioning Dublin City.
• Sinéad O'Connor included it on her album Sean-Nós Nua in 2002.
• The Poxy Boggards sang "Tell Me Ma" in 2006.
• The Young Dubliners also sang a version mentioning Dublin City in 2007.
• Beatnik Turtle recorded "Tell Me Ma" in 2008.
• Christy Moore sang a part of "I'll Tell Me Ma" in his song "Lisdoonvarna" in 2002.
• The Irish Tenors included it on their album Ellis Island in 2001.
• Orla Fallon performed it live with The Dubliners in 2011.
• The Rumjacks recorded it in 2009.
• The punk band The Undertones used a line from this song in their own song "Top Twenty."
• Celtic Thunder included a short version in a medley of Irish folk tunes on their "Voyage" album.
• The song also appeared three times in a 1950 film called The Singing Street, which featured children singing in Edinburgh.