John Spillane: The Dunnes Stores Girl

My friend Eimear in Ireland has her own radio show. Every Wednesday from six to nine pm Irish time I tune in to listen to her play the best ol’ music green Ireland has to offer.

I’m always pleasantly surprised to find out how many of those songs I already know without even realising it. There must be something wrong with my brain.

But one of the artist I had not heard before is Cork’s very own John Spillane. I’ll have a look around our local record stores to see if I can find his album Hey Dreamer (2005), which has some great music on it.

One of the songs on that album is The Dunnes Stores Girl, about a girl who works at a local supermarket. Great story. This music makes me want to take up guitar lessons. Actually, why not give that a try?

Video

Finding a good video of this song was not as easy as it seemed at first. This one, of the Moon River sessions in 2006, is the best one I could discover online.

There are some more, like these ones from The Passion Fruit Theatre, Athlone in 2008, and this live recording at Tower Records, Dublin in 2009, but both of their voice audio is a bit off.

Lyrics

Hey check out the Dunnes Stores Girl
She’s the one who rules my world
I’m gonna walk down the aisle with the Dunnes Stores Girl
I’m gonna waltz down the aisle with the Dunnes Stores Girl
She rules my world
(Chorus 1)

I’m gonna walk down the aisle with the Dunnes Stores Girl
In your dreams says her brother, he’s a skinhead and he wants me dead
In my dreams is right I said
I’m gonna run down the aisle with the Dunnes Stores Girl
She rules my world

Na Na Na Na Na Na (× 2)
Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na
The Dunnes Stores Girl
(Chorus 2)

She knows we’re looking at her and she knows she’s looking fine
And she doesn’t have all day and you have to wait in line
I would wait in line till kingdom come
For salvation in her smile

And I’d love to stop that clock looking down on her all the time
Like a jumped up little manager in a suit that doesn’t rhyme
And you never patronise her only always idolize her
The Dunnes Stores Girl

(Chorus 2)

On a cold and rainy Friday night
Waiting for the world to close
When she comes up behind me
So brave and so warm
I know it’ll never rain again
I know it’ll never ever rain again
On the rebel streets of our dreams

And she doesn’t believe a word that I say
She laughs when I tell her she’s a Saturday in May
And you never underestimate, you never underestimate
The Dunnes Stores Girl

(Chorus 1)