"And a Bang on the Ear" is a song from Scottish-Irish folk rock band the Waterboys, released on 19 June 1989[1] as the second single from their fourth studio album, Fisherman's Blues.

[4] On its release as a single, Music & Media wrote, "Easy-going, traditional folk material with a strong melody line and good lyrics.

"[6] John Wilde of Melody Maker picked it as the "single of the week" and wrote, "This romp through Scott's old flames verges on the ridiculous, but I'm sure it's meant to.

"[7] Barbara Ellen of New Musical Express described the song as "charming" and wrote, "A gorgeously delivered fiddle-strewn folk love ballad, it only occasional sounds like a One-Man-Band falling over a pile of milk bottles.

[10] Ira Robbins, writing in The Trouser Press Record Guide, considered the song to be "rollicking" and one of the album's tracks to "make the most of Scott's adopted heritage".