There are three different tunes called "The Humors of Whiskey": a double jig, a slip jig and this one, a song. The Gaelic title is "Sugra na Uisge-Beata". It is also known as "Paddy's Panacea". Cratur, cray'tur, pep, poteen (also spelled poitin and pronounced paw-CHEEN) are all words for illegal whiskey. The Irish words uisce beatha (pronounced ish-ka bah-ha) means "water of life" and this is thought to be the origin of the word "whiskey," which is spelled either whiskey or whisky. Legal whiskey in Ireland was sometimes called "Parliament Whiskey" because the taxes paid on it went to the British parliament. This song probably dates no earlier than 1825 because that's when construction began on the "Thames Tunnel" by Marc Brunel who is mentioned in the 5th verse. The "Thames Tunnel" was only called the Thames Tunnel until the second one was built, then it became known as the Rotherhithe Tunnel. Folklorist Tom Munnelly collected songs from Tom Lenihan over many years. Lenihan learned the song from an American songbook 617 Irish Songs and Ballads sent to him by his sister in America. He fitted the jig tune "Larry O'Gaff" to it and its this version everyone sings. The earliest version Munnelly could find was in "The Emerald Isle Songbook", published in 1899 in Dublin. The words are credited to one Joseph Lunn (no dates) and a tune called "Ireland so Frisky" is recommended.