Thistle Song Book

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H next to a song title is a link to more information on the song and it's writer.

The band believe the audience are as much a part of the evening as the performers and shouldcome away from a
Thistle gig feeling  part of the event.  It helps to know the words to the songs.  
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Thistle sometimes sing different lyrics to those here. 
If you notice any, let me know and I will change the words in this song book. (email thistle@f2s.com )

SONG INDEX

THE DAYS OF PEARLY SPENCER

A tenement, a dirty street
Walked and worn by shoeless feet
Inside it's long and so complete
Watch by shivering sun
Old eyes in a small child's face
Watching as the shadows race
Through walls and cracks and leave no trace
And daylight's brightness shuns

The days of Pearly Spencer 
The race is almost run

Nose pressed hard on frosted glass
Gazing as the swollen mass
On concrete fields where grows no grass
Stumbles blindly on
Iron trees smother the air
But withering they stand and stare
Through eyes that neither know nor care
Where the grass is gone

The days of Pearly Spencer
The race is almost run

Pearly where's your milk white skin ?
What that stubble on your kin ?
It's buried in the rot gut gin
You played and lost not won
You played a house that can't be beat
Now look your head's bowed in defeat
You walked too far along the street
Where only rats can run

The days of Pearly Spencer
The race is almost run

A tenement , a dirty street
Remember worn and shoeless feet
Remember how you stood to beat
The way your life has gone
So Pearly don't you shed more tears
Those tenements are memories
Of where you've risen from

The days of Pearly Spencer
The race is almost run

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DONEGAL DANNY   



I remember the night that he came in
From the wintery cold and damp
A giant of a man in an oilskin coat
And a bundle that showed he was a tramp
He stood at the bar and called a pint
Then turned and gazed at the fire
On a night like this to be safe and dry
Is my one and only desire

   Chorus:

   So here's to those that are dead and gone
   The friends that I loved dear
   And here's to you then I'll bid you adieu
   Saying Donegal Danny's been here me boys, 
   Donegal Danny's been here


Then in a voice that was hushed and low
He said listen I'll tell you a tale
How a man of the sea became a man of the road
And never more will set sail
I've fished out of Howth and Killybegs,
Ardglass and Baltimore
But the cruel sea has beaten me
And I'll end me days on the shore


One fateful night in the wind and the rain
We set sail from Killybegs town,
There were five of us from sweet Donegal
And one from County Down,
We were fishermen who worked the sea
And never counted the cost
But I never thought 'ere that night was done
That my fine friends would all be lost


Then the storm it broke and drove the boat
To the rocks about ten miles from shore,
As we fought the tide we hoped inside
to see our homes once more
Than we struck a rock and holed the bow
And all of us knew that she'd go down
So we jumped right into the icy sea
And prayed to God we wouldn't drown


But the raging sea was rising still
As we struck out for the land
And she fought with all her cruelty
To claim that gallant men
By St John's point in the early dawn
I dragged myself on the shore
And I cursed the sea for what she'd done
And vowed to sail her nevermore


Ever since that night I've been on the road
Travelling and trying to forget
That awful night I lost all my friends
I see their faces yet
And often at night when the sea is high
And the the rain is tearing at my skin
I hear the cries of drowning men
Floating over on the wind

FIELDS OF ATHENRY          H

(Pete St. John)


By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young girl calling,
Michael they have taken you away,
For you stole Trevelyn's corn,
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.


	Low lie the Fields of Athenry
	Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
	Our love was on the wing,
	We had dreams and songs to sing,
	It's so lonely round the Fields of Athenry.


By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling,
Nothing matters Mary when you're free,
Against the Famine and the Crown,
I rebelled they cut me down.
Now you must raise our child with dignity.


	Low lie the Fields of Athenry ..........


By a lonely harbour wall
She watched the last star falling,
As the prison ship sailed out against the sky,
For she'll live in hope and pray
For her love in Botany Bay.
It's so lonely round the Fields of Athenry.


	Low lie the Fields of Athenry ..........

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LIVERPOOL LOU


    Chorus:

    Oh Liverpool Lou, lovely Liverpool Lou,
    Why dont you behave just like other girls do,
    Why must my poor heart keep following you,
    Oh stay home and love me my Liverpool Lou.

When I go out walking, I hear people talking,
School children playing, I know what they're saying,
They're saying you'll grieve me, that you will deceive me,
Some morning you'll leave me all packed up and gone.

Chorus

The sounds from the river keep telling me ever,
That I should forget you, like I'd never met you,
Oh tell me their song love was never rnore wrong love,
Say I belong love to my Liverpool Lou.

Chorus

Oh Liverpool Lou, lovely Liverpool Lou,
Why don't you behave just like other girls do,
Why must my poor heart keep following you,
Oh stay home and love me my Liverpool Lou,
Oh stay home and love me my Liverpool Lou.

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STAR OF THE COUNTY DOWN

Near to Banbridge Town, in the County Down
One morning last July,
Down a boreen green came a sweet colleen,
And she smiled as she passed me by,
She looked so sweet from her two bare feet
To the sheen of her nut-brown hair,
Such a coaxing elf, sure I shook meself
For to see I was really there

     CHORUS:

     From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay,
     And from Galway to Dublin town,
     No maid I've seen like the fair colleen
     That I met in the County Down.

As she onward sped I shook my head
And I gazed with a feeling quare,
And I said, says I, to a passer-by,
"Who's the maid with the nut-brown hair?"
Oh, he smiled at me, and with pride says he,
"That's the gem of Ireland's crown,
She's young Rosie McCann from the banks of the Bann,
She's the Star of the County Down."

I've travelled a bit, but never was hit
Since my roving career began;
But fair and square I surrendered there
To the charms of young Rose McCann.
I'd a heart to let and no tenant yet
Did I meet with in shawl or gown,
But in she went and I asked no rent
From the Star of the County Down.

At the crossroads fair I'll be surely there
And I'll dress in my Sunday clothes
And I'll try sheep's eyes, and deludhering lies
On the heart of the nut-brown Rose.
No pipe I'll smoke, no horse I'll yoke
Though with rust my plow turns brown,
Till a smiling bride by my own fireside
Sits the Star of the County Down.

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THE LEAVING OF LIVERPOOL

Farewell to Prince's landing stage
River Mersey, fare thee well
I am bound for California
A place I know right well

   Chorus:

   So fare thee well, my own true love
   When I return united we will be
   It's not the leaving of Liverpool that grieves me
   But my darling when I think of thee

I am bound for California
By the way of stormy Cape Horn
I will write to thee a letter, love
When I am homeward bound

I have shippedd on a Yankee clipper ship
Davy Crockett is her name
Dan Burgess is the Captain of her
And they say that she's a floating Hell

I have sailed with Burgess once before
I think I know him well
If a man's a sailor, he will get along
If not, then he's sure in Hell

Farewell to lower Frederick Street
Ensign Terrace and Park Lane
I am bound away for to leave you
And I'll never see you again

Return to Index

WILL YE GO LASSIE GO (Wild Mountain Thyme)

The summertime is coming
And the trees are sweetly blooming
And the wild mountain thyme
Grows around the blooming heather
Will ye go, Lassie go?

    Chorus:

    And we'll all go together
    To pull wild mountain thyme
    All around the blooming heather
    Will ye go, Lassie go?

I will build my love a tower
By yon' pure crystal fountain
And on it I will build
All the flowers of the mountain
Will ye go, Lassie go?

If my true love she were gone
I would surely find another
To pull wild mountain thyme
All around the blooming heather
Will ye go, Lassie go? 

Return to Index

AMERICAN PIE          H
Don Mclean

A long long time ago,
I can still remember how,
That music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance,
And maybe they'd be happy for a while.
But February made me shiver,
With every paper I'd deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn't take one more step.
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

So . . .

Chorus:

Bye, bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing "This'll be the day that I die,
This'll be the day that I die."

Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above?
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock and roll;
Can music save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
I know that you're in love with him;
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes;
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck.
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.
I started singing . . .

Chorus

Now for ten years we've been on our own,
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone.
But that's not how it used to be,
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean,
And a voice that came from you and me.
And while the king was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown.
The courtroom was adjourned,
No verdict was returned.
And while Lenin read a book on Marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark,
The day the music died.
We were singing . . .

Chorus

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter;
The birds flew off to a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast.
Landed flat on the grass.
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast.
The halftime air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
But we never got a chance.
When the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed,
The day the music died?
We started singing . . .

Chorus

And there we were, all in one place,
A generation lost in space,
With no time left to start again.
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick.
Jack flash sat on a candlestick,
Cause fire is the devil's only friend.
And as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell
Could break that Satan spell.
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw Satan laughing in delight,
The day the music died.
He was singing . . .

Chorus

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before.
But the man there said the music wouldn't play.
And in the streets the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken.
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most --
The father, son, and the holy ghost --
They caught the last train for the coast,
The day the music died.
They were singing . . .

Chorus

Return to Index

BROWN EYED GIRL
(Van Morrison) 

Hey where did we go, 
Days when the rains came 
Down in the hollow, 
Playin' a new game, 
Laughing and a running hey, hey 
Skipping and a jumping 
In the misty morning fog with 
Our hearts a thumpin' and you 
My brown eyed girl, 
You my brown eyed girl. 


Whatever happened 
To Tuesday and so slow 
Going down the old mind 
With a transistor radio 
Standing in the sunlight laughing, 
Hiding behind a rainbow's wall, 
Slipping and sliding 
All along the water fall, with you 
My brown eyed girl, 
You my brown eyed girl. 


Do you remember when we used to sing, 

Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da 


So hard to find my way, 
Now that I'm all on my own. 
I saw you just the other day, 
My how you have grown, 
Cast my memory back there, Lord 
Sometime I'm overcome thinking 'bout 
Making love in the green grass 
Behind the stadium with you 
My brown eyed girl 
You my brown eyed girl 

Do you remember when we used to sing 

Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da.

Return to Index

BLACK VELVET BAND          H

In a neat little town they call Belfast 
Apprenticed in trade I was bound
And many an hour of sweet happiness
I spent in that neat little town 
Till bad misfortune befell me 
And caused me to stray from the land 
Far away from my friends and relations 
To follow the black velvet band 

Chorus 

Her eyes they shone like the diamond 
You'd think she was queen of the land 
And her hair hung over her shoulder 
Tied up in a black velvet band 

Well, I was out strolling one evening
Not meaning to go very far 
When I met with a pretty young damsel 
She was selling her trade in a bar 
When I watched, she took from a customer 
And slipped it right into my hand
Then the Watch came and put me in prison 
Bad luck to the black velvet band

Chorus 

Next morning before judge and jury
For our trial I had to appear 
The judge, he said, "Young fellow 
The case against you is quite clear 
And seven years is your sentence 
You're going to Van Dieman's Land
Far away from your friends and relations 
To follow the black velvet band" 

Chorus 

So come all you jolly young fellows
I'd have you take warning by me 
And whenever you're out on the liquor
Beware of the pretty colleen
They'll fill your with whiskey and porter 
Until you're not able to stand 
And the very next thing that you know 
You're landed in Van Dieman's Land

Chorus 

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DON'T THINK TWICE, IT'S ALL RIGHT          H

It ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It don't matter, anyhow
An' it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If you don't know by now
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
Look out your window and I'll be gone
You're the reason I'm trav'lin' on
Don't think twice, it's all right

It ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
That light I never knowed
An' it ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
I'm on the dark side of the road
Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talkin' anyway
So don't think twice, it's all right

It ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
Like you never did before
It ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
I can't hear you any more
I'm a-thinkin' and a-wond'rin' all the way down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I'm told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don't think twice, it's all right

I'm walkin' down that long, lonesome road, babe
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
But goodbye's too good a word, gal
So I'll just say fare thee well
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right

Return to Index

Mr. TAMBOURINE MAN          H

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jungle morning I'll come followin' you.

Though I know that evenin's empire has returned into sand,
Vanished from my hand,
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping.
My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet,
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jungle morning I'll come followin' you.

Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship,
My senses have been stripped, my hands can't feel to grip,
My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wanderin'.
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way,
I promise to go under it.


Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jungle morning I'll come followin' you.


Though you might hear laughin', spinnin', swingin' madly across the sun,
It's not aimed at anyone, it's just escapin' on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facin'.
And if you hear vague traces of skippin' reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time, it's just a ragged clown behind,
I wouldn't pay it any mind, it's just a shadow you're
Seein' that he's chasing.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jungle morning I'll come followin' you.

Then take me disappearin' through the smoke rings of my mind,
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach,
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand wavingfree,
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves,
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.


Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jungle morning I'll come followin' you.

Return to Index

SEVEN DRUNKEN NIGHTS

As I went home on Monday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a horse outside the door where my old horse should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that horse outside the door where my old horse should be?

Ah, you're drunk, 
you're drunk you silly old fool, 
still you can not see
That's a lovely sow that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But a saddle on a sow sure I never saw before

And as I went home on Tuesday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a coat behind the door where my old coat should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that coat behind the door where my old coat should be

Ah, you're drunk, 
you're drunk you silly old fool, 
still you can not see
That's a woollen blanket that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But buttons in a blanket sure I never saw before

And as I went home on Wednesday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a pipe up on the chair where my old pipe should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that pipe up on the chair where my old pipe should be

Ah, you're drunk, 
you're drunk you silly old fool, 
still you can not see
That's a lovely tin whistle that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But tobacco in a tin whistle sure I never saw before

And as I went home on Thursday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw two boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns them boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be

Ah, you're drunk, 
you're drunk you silly old fool, 
still you can not see
They're two lovely Geranium pots me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But laces in Geranium pots I never saw before

And as I went home on Friday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a head upon the bed where my old head should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that head upon the bed where my old head should be

Ah, you're drunk, 
you're drunk you silly old fool, 
still you can not see
That's a baby boy that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But a baby boy with his whiskers on sure I never saw before

And as I went home on Saturday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw two hands upon her breasts where my old hands should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns them hands upon your breasts where my old hands should be

Ah, you're drunk, 
you're drunk you silly old fool, 
still you can not see
That's a lovely night gown that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But fingers in a night gown sure I never saw before

As I went home on Sunday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a thing in her thing where my old thing should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that thing in your thing where my old thing should be

Ah, you're drunk, 
you're drunk you silly old fool, 
still you can not see
That's a lovely tin whistle that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But hair on a tin whistle sure I never saw before

Return to Index

BALLY BAY

In the town of Bally Bay, a lassie, she was dwelling,
I knew her very well, from the stories she was telling.
Her father ran a still, he was a good distiller,
But when she went to drink, why, an ocean wouldn't fill her!

chorus

With me ringa dinga da, ringa dinga daddy-o,
Ringa dinga da, whack fol the daddy-o.
She said she wouldn't dance until she had her wellies on,
But when she had 'em on, she danced as well as anyone.
Wouldn't go to bed until she had her shimmy on,
But when she had it on, why, she'd go to bed with anyone! 

chorus

She had a wooden leg, it was hollow in the middle,
She tied it with a string, and she played it like a fiddle
She fiddled in the hall, she fiddled in the alleyway,
She didn't care at all, 'cause she had the fiddle anyway. 

chorus

She courted day and night, every Tom, Dick and Harry,
She'd lovers by the score, but she said she'd never marry.
Then she fell in love with a fellow with a stammer,
He tried to run away, but she hit him with a hammer. 

chorus

She led a simple life, kept a cabin and went boating,
She terrorized her man, 'til he up and died quite sudden.
When he passed away, she was feeling kind of sorry,
She rolled him in a bag, and she threw him in the quarry! 

chorus

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HEY, GOOD LOOKING          H

Hey, Hey, Good Lookin', whatcha got cookin'
How's about cookin' somethin' up with me ... 
Hey, sweet baby, don't you think maybe
We could find us a brand new recipe.

I got a hot rod Ford and a two dollar bill
And I know a spot right over the hill
There's soda pop and the dancin's free
So if you  wanna have fun come along with me.

Hay Hey, Good Lookin', whatcha got cookin'
How's about cookin' somethin' up with  me.

I'm free and ready so we can go steady
How's about savin' all your time for me
No more lookin', I know I've been (*tooken)
How's about keepin' steady company.

I'm gonna throw my date book over the fence
And find me one for five or ten cents.
I'll keep it 'til it's covered with age
'Cause I'm writin' your name down on ev'ry page.

Say Hey, Good Lookin', whatcha got cookin'
How's about cookin' somethin' up with me.

Return to Index

WILLOW (Bury me beneath)

My heart is sad and I am lonely
For the only one I love
When shall I see her, oh no never
Till we meet in heaven above

Oh bury me beneath the willow
Under the weeping willow tree
So she will know where I am sleeping
And perhaps she’ll weep for me

She told me that she dearly loved me
How could I believe it untrue
Until the angels softly whispered
She will prove untrue to you

Tomorrow was our wedding day
Oh god, oh god, where can she be
She’s out a courting with another
And no longer cares for me

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BLARNEY ROSES

Chorus

Can anybody tell me where the Blarney Roses grow
It might be down in Limerick town it might be in Mayo
It's somewhere in the Emerald Isle and this I want to know
Can anybody tell me where the Blarney Roses grow


T'was over in old Ireland near the town of Cushendall
One morn' I met a damsel there the fairest of them all
T' was with my young affections and my money she did go
She told me she belonged to where the Blarney Roses grow

Chorus

Her cheeks were like red roses and her hair a raven hue
Before that she bad done with me she had me raving too
She sorely left me stranded not a coin she left you know
Did the damsel that belonged to where the Blarney Roses grow

Chorus

There's roses in Killarney and there's some in County Clare
But upon my word the roses lads I can't find anywhere
She blarneyed me for by the power she left me broke you know
Did the damsel that belonged to where the Blarney Roses grow

Chorus

Return to Index

CITY of NEW ORLEANS          H

by Steve Goodman


Riding on the City of New Orleans,
Illinois Central Monday morning rail
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders,
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail.
All along the southbound odyssey
The train pulls out at Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms and fields.
Passin' trains that have no names,
Freight yards full of old black men
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles.

CHORUS:

Good morning America how are you?
Don't you know me I'm your native son,
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans,
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.


Dealin' card games with the old men in the club car.
Penny a point ain't no one keepin' score.
Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle
Feel the wheels rumblin' 'neath the floor.
And the sons of pullman porters
And the sons of engineers
Ride their father's magic carpets made of steel.
Mothers with their babes asleep,
Are rockin' to the gentle beat
And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel.

CHORUS

Nighttime on The City of New Orleans,
Changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee.
Half way home, we'll be there by morning
Through the Mississippi darkness
Rolling down to the sea.
And all the towns and people seem
To fade into a bad dream
And the steel rails still ain't heard the news.
The conductor sings his song again,
The passengers will please refrain
This train's got the disappearing railroad blues.


Good night, America, how are you?
Don't you know me I'm your native son,
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans,
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.

Return to Index

GREEN FIELDS of FRANCE          H

Well, how do you do, Private William McBride, 
Do you mind if I sit down here by your graveside? 
And rest for awhile in the warm summer sun, 
I've been walking all day, and I'm nearly done. 
And I see by your gravestone you were only 19 
When you joined the glorious fallen in 1916, 
Well, I hope you died quick and I hope you died clean 
Or, Willie McBride, was it slow and obscene? 

Did they Beat the drum slowly, did the play the pipes lowly? 
Did they sound the dead march as they lowered you down? 
Did the bugles sound The Last Post in chorus? 
Did the pipes play the Flowers of the Forest? 

And did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind 
In some loyal heart is your memory enshrined? 
And, though you died back in 1916, 
To that loyal heart are you forever 19? 
Or are you a stranger without even a name, 
Forever enshrined behind some glass pane, 
In an old photograph, torn and tattered and stained, 
And fading to yellow in a brown leather frame? 


The sun's shining down on these green fields of France; 
The warm wind blows gently, and the red poppies dance. 
The trenches have vanished long under the plow; 
No gas and no barbed wire, no guns firing now. 
But here in this graveyard that's still No Man's Land 
The countless white crosses in mute witness stand 
To man's blind indifference to his fellow man. 
And a whole generation who were butchered and damned. 

And I can't help but wonder, no Willie McBride, 
Do all those who lie here know why they died? 
Did you really believe them when they told you "The Cause?" 
Did you really believe that this war would end wars? 
Well the suffering, the sorrow, the glory, the shame 
The killing, the dying, it was all done in vain, 
For Willie McBride, it all happened again, 
And again, and again, and again, and again.

Return to Index

KING of THE ROAD

Trailer for sale or rent
Rooms to let...fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but..two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.


Third boxcar, midnight train
Destination...Bangor, Maine.
Old worn out clothes and shoes,
I don't pay no union dues,
I smoke old stogies I have found
Short, but not too big around
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.

I know every engineer on every train
All of their children, and all of their names
And every handout in every town
And every lock that ain't locked
When no one's around.

I sing,

Trailers for sale or rent
Rooms to let, fifty cents
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.

Return to Index

PUB WITH NO BEER

It's lonesome away from your kindred and all
By the campfire at night where the wild dingos call
But there's nothin' so lonesome, so dull or so drear
Than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer


Now the publican's anxious for the quota to come
There's a faraway look on the face of the bum
The maid's gone all cranky and the cook's acting queer
What a terrible place is a pub with no beer


The stockman rides up with his dry, dusty throat
He breasts up to the bar, pulls a wad from his coat
But the smile on his face quickly turns to a sneer
When the barman says suddenly: "The pub's got no beer!"


There's a dog on the verandah, for his master he waits
But the boss is inside drinking wine with his mates
He hurries for cover and he cringes in fear
It's no place for a dog round a pub with no beer


Then in comes the swagman, all covered with flies
He throws down his roll, wipes the sweat from his eyes
But when he is told he says, "What's this I hear?
I've trudged fifty flamin' miles to a pub with no beer!"


Old Billy, the blacksmith, the first time in his life
Has gone home cold sober to his darling wife
He walks in the kitchen; she says: "You're early, me dear"
Then he breaks down and he tells her that the pub's got no beer


It's lonesome away from your kindred and all
By the campfire at night where the wild dingos call
But there's nothin' so lonesome, so dull or so drear
Than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer

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ROSEVILLE FAIR

Oh, the night was clear and the stars were shinin'
and the moon came up,... so quiet in the sky
And all the people gathered round while the band was a-tunin'
I can hear them now ... playin' 'Comin' Through the Rye'


She was dressed in blue and she looked so lovely
just a gentle flower of a small town girl
Then he took her hand and they danced to the music
with a single smile ... she became his world


(chorus) 

And they danced all night ... to the fiddle and the banjo 
their driftin' tunes, seemed to fill the air 
so long ago, but they still remember ... 
when they fell in love, at the Roseville Fair 


Now, they courted well, and they courted dearly
They'd rock for hours in the front porch chair
Then a year went by ... from the time that he met her
and he made her his, at the Roseville Fair


(repeat chorus)


So here's a song for all of the lovers
and here's a tune ... that you can share
May you dance all night ... to the fiddle and the banjo
Oh, the way they did at the Roseville Fair
Oh, the way they did ... at the Roseville Fair

Return to Index

SALLY MAC

Well Jimmy played harmonica in the pub where I was born
He played it from the night time to the peaceful early morn
He soothed the souls of psychos and the men who had the horn
And they all looked very happy in the morning



Now Jimmy didn't like his place in this world of ours
Where the elephant man broke strong men's necks
When he'd had too many Powers
So sad to see the grieving of the people that he's leaving
And he took the road for God knows in the morning


We walked him to the station in the rain
We kissed him as we put him on the train
And we sang him a song of times long gone
Though we knew that we'd be seeing him again

(Far away) sad to say I must be on my way
So buy me beer and whiskey 'cause I'm going far away (far away)
I'd like to think of me returning when I can
To the greatest little boozer and to Sally MacLennane


The years passed by the times had changed I grew to be a man
I learned to love the virtues of sweet Sally MacLennane
I took the jeers and drank the beers and crawled back home at dawn
And ended up a barman in the morning


I played the pump and took the hump and watered whiskey down
I talked of whores and horses to the men who drank the brown
I heard them say that Jimmy's making money far away
And some people left for heaven without warning


We walked him to the station in the rain
We kissed him as we put him on the train
And we sang him a song of times long gone
Though we knew that we'd be seeing him again

(Far away) sad to say I must be on my way
So buy me beer and whiskey 'cause I'm going far away (far away)
I'd like to think of me returning when I can
To the greatest little boozer and to Sally MacLennane


When Jimmy came back home he was surprised that they were gone
He asked me all the details of the train that they went on
Some people they are scared to croak but Jimmy drank until he choked
And he took the road for heaven in the morning


We walked him to the station in the rain
We kissed him as we put him on the train
And we sang him a song of times long gone
Though we knew that we'd be seeing him again

(Far away) sad to say I must be on my way
So buy me beer and whiskey 'cause I'm going far away (far away)
I'd like to think of me returning when I can
To the greatest little boozer and to Sally MacLennane

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MEET ME ON THE CORNER

Hey Mister Dream-Seller, where have you been, tell me,
Have you dreams I can see?
I came along just to bring you this song,
Can you spare one dream for me?


You won't have met me and you'll soon forget, 
So don't mind me tugging at your sleeve. 
I'm asking you if I can fix a rendezvous, 
For your dreams are all I believe. 


Meet me on the corner when the lights are coming  on
And I'll be there, I promise I'll be there.
Down the empty streets we'll disappear into the dawn,
If you have dreams enough to share. 


Lay down your bundles of rags and reminders
And spread your wares on the ground.
Well I've got time if you'll deal in rhyme,
I'm just hanging 'round.


Meet me on the corner when the lights are coming on 
And I'll be there, I promise I'll be there. 
Down the empty streets we'll disappear into the dawn, 
If you have dreams enough to share. 


Hey Mister Dream-Seller, where have you been, tell me,
Have you dreams I can see?
I came along just to bring you this song,
Can you spare one dream for me?

Return to Index

MOUNTAINS O'MOURNE

Oh, Mary, this London's a wonderful sight
With people here working by day and by night
They don't sow potatoes nor barley nor wheat
But there's gangs of them diggin' for gold in the street
At least when I asked them, that's what I was told
So I just took a hand at this diggin' for gold
But for all that I've found there, I might as well be
In the place where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea


I believe that when writin' a wish you expressed
As to how the fine ladies of London were dressed
But if you'll believe me, when asked to a ball
They don't wear no tops to their dresses at all
Oh, I've seen them myself and you could not in truth
Tell if they were bound for a ball or a bath
Don't be startin' them fashions now, Mary McRee,
In the place where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea


There's beautiful girls here, oh, never you mind
Beautiful shapes Nature never designed
Lovely complexions of roses and cream
But let me remark with regard to the same
That if at those roses you venture to sit
The colors might all come away on your lip
So I'll wait for the wild rose that's waitin' for me
In the place where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea


You remember young Diddy McClaren, of course
But he's over here with the rest of the force
I saw him one day as he stood on the strand
Stopped all the traffic with a wave of his hand
As we were talking of days that are gone
The whole town of London stood there to look on
But for all his great powers, he's wishful like me
To be back where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea

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THE TOWN I LOVED SO WELL          H

In my memory I will always see  
The town that I have loved so well  
Where our school played ball by the gasyard wall  
And we laughed through the smoke and smell.  
Going home in the rain running up the dark lane  
Past the jail and down beside the fountain  
Those were happy days in so many many ways  
In the town I loved so well.  
  

In the early morn the shirt factory horn  
Called women from Creggan, the Moor and the Bog  
While the men on the dole played a mothers role  
Fed the children and then trained the dog  
And when times got tough, there was just about enough  
But they saw it through without complaining  
For deep inside was a burning pride  
In the town I loved so well.  
  

There was music there in the Derry air  
Like a language that we could all understand  
I remember the day when I earned my first pay  
as I played in a small pickup band  
There I spent my youth and to tell you the truth  
I was sad to leave it all behind me  
For I'd learned about life and I'd found a wife  
In the town I loved so well.  
  

But when I returned how my eyes were burned  
To see how a town could be brought to it's knees  
By the armoured cars and the bombed out bars  
And the gas that hangs on to every breeze  
Now the army's installed by that old gasyard wall  
And the damned barbed wire  
gets higher and higher  
With their tanks and guns  
Oh my God, what have they done  
To the town I loved so well.

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WORRIED MAN

It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
I'm worried now but I won't be worried long


Got myself a Cadillac thirty dollars down
Got myself a brand new house five miles out of town
Got myself a gal named Sue treats me really fine
Yes, she's my baby and I love her all the time


It takes a worried worried man to sing a worried worried song
It takes a worried worried man to sing a worried worried song
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
I'm worried now but I won't be worried long


I've been away on a business trip travelin' all around
I got a gal and her name is Sue, prettiest gal in town
She sets my mind to worryin' every time I'm gone
I'll be home tonight so I won't be worried long


It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
I'm worried now but I won't be worried long


Well Bob is in the livin' room holdin' hands with Sue
Nicky's at that big front door, vowin' to come on through
Well I'm here in the closet, oh lord what shall I do
We're worried now but we won't be worried long


It takes a worried man to sing a worried song, oh yes
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
I'm worried now but I won't be worried long

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YOU AIN'T GOIN NO WHERE  (Easy Chair)

Clouds so swift
Rain won't lift
Gate won't close
Railings froze
Get your mind off wintertime
You ain't goin' nowhere
Whoo-ee! Ride me high
Tomorrow's the day
My bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair!


I don't care
How many letters they sent
Morning came and morning went
Pick up your money
And pack up your tent
You ain't goin' nowhere
Whoo-ee! Ride me high
Tomorrow's the day
My bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair!


Buy me a flute
And a gun that shoots
Tailgates and substitutes
Strap yourself
To the tree with roots
You ain't goin' nowhere
Whoo-ee! Ride me high
Tomorrow's the day
My bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair!


Genghis Khan
He could not keep
All his kings
Supplied with sleep
We'll climb that hill no matter how steep
When we get up to it
Whoo-ee! Ride me high
Tomorrow's the day
My bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair!

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McALPINES FUSILIERS

(Dominick Behan)


As down the Glen came Mcalpine's men 
	with their shovels slung behind them.
It was in the pub that they drank their sub
	or down in the spike you'll find them.
We sweated blood and we washed down mud
	 with quarts and pints of beer.
But now we're on the road again 
	with McAlpines Fusiliers.


I stripped to the skin with Darky Finn 
	down upon the Isle of Grain,
With Horseface Toole I learned the rule, 
	no money if you stop for rain.
For McAlpine's god is a well filled hod 
	with your shoulders cut to bits and seared
And woe to he who looks for tea with McAlpines Fusiliers.


I remember the day that the Bear O'Shea 
	fell into a concrete stair,
What Horseface said, when he saw him dead, 
	well it wasn't what the rich call prayers.
"I'm a navvy short," was his one retort 
	that reached unto my ears,
When the going is rough, well you must be tough, 
	with McAlpine's Fusiliers.


I've worked till the sweat near had me beat 
	with Russian, Czech and Pole,
At shuttering jams up in the Hydro Dams, 
	or underneath the Thames in a hole,
I grafted hard and I got me cards 
	and many a ganger's fist across me ears.
If you pride your life, don't join, by Christ, 
	with McAlpine's Fusiliers.

Return to Index

THE HOLY GROUND          H


Fare thee well, my lovely Dinah,
a thousand times adieu.
We are going away from the Holy Ground
and the girls we all love true.
We'll sail the salt seas over 
and we'll return for sure
To see again the girls we love
the Holy Ground once more.

Chorus:

You're the girl I do adore,
And still I live in hope to see
the Holy Ground once more.


Oh now the storm is raging
and we are far from shore;
The good old ship she's sinking fast
and the riggings they are tore.
The secrets of my mind, my girl,
you're the girl that I adore,
And still I live in hope to see
the Holy Ground once more.

Chorus:

You're the girl I do adore,
And still I live in hope to see
the Holy Ground once more.

Now the storm is over
Yes we're safe we're well
We will go into a public house 
and sit and drink like hell
We'll drink strong ale and porter
and we'll make the rafters roar,
And when our money is all spent
we'll go to sea once more.

Chorus:

You're the girl I do adore,
And still I live in hope to see
The Holy Ground once more

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I'll TELL ME MA WHEN I GO HOME


I'll tell my ma when I go home
The boys won't leave the girls alone
They pulled my hair, they stole my comb
But that's all right till I go home.
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the bell of Belfast city
She is counting one, two, three
Please won't you tell me who is she.

Albert Mooney says he loves her
All the boys are fighting for her
They knock at the door and they ring at the bell
Sayin' "Oh my true love, are you well?"
Out she comes as white as snow
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
Old John Murray says she'll die
If she doesn't get the fellow with the roving eye.

I'll tell my ma when I go home
The boys won't leave the girls alone
They pulled my hair, they stole my comb
But that's all right till I go home.
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the bell of Belfast city
She is counting one, two, three
Please won't you tell me who is she.

Let the wind and rain and the hail blow high
And the snow come tumblin' from the sky
She's as nice as apple pie
She'll get her own lad by and by.
When she gets a lad of her own
She won't tell her ma when she goes home
Let them all come as they will
For it's Albert Mooney she loves still.

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FISHERMAN'S BLUES

I wish I was a fisherman
tumblin' on the seas
far away from dry land
and it's bitter memories
castin' out my sweet line
with abandonment and love
no ceiling bearin' down on me
save the starry sky above
with light in my head
with you in my arms... 

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	  BANG ON THE EAR

Lindsay was my first love she was in my class
I would have loved to take her out 
     but I was too shy to ask
The fullness of my feeling was never made clear
But I send her my love with a bang on the ear

Nora was my girl when I first was in a group
I can still see her to this day, stirring chicken soup
Now she’s living in australia working for an auctioneer
But I send her my love with a bang on the ear

Deborah broke my heart and I the willing fool
I fell for her one summer on the road to liverpool
I thought it was forever 
     but it was over in a year (oh dear)
But I give her my love with a bang on the ear

The home I made with bella became a house of pain
We weathered it together bound by a ball and chain
Is started up in fife, and ended up in tears (oh dear)
But I send her my love with a bang on the ear

Krista was a rover from canada she hailed
We crossed swords in san francisco 
    we both lived to tell the tale
I don’t know now where she is oh but if I had her here
I’d give her my love with a bang on the ear

So my woman of the hearthfire, harbour of my soul
I watch you lightly sleeping 
    and sense the dream that does unfold (like gold)
You to me are treasure, you to me are dear
So I’ll give you my love with a bang on the ear.

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WAGON WHEEL

Headed down south to the land of the pines
And I'm thumbin' my way into North Caroline
Starin' up the road
And pray to God I see headlights

I made it down the coast in seventeen hours
Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
And I'm a hopin' for Raleigh
I can see my baby tonight

So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama anyway you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
Hey mama rock me

Runnin' from the cold up in New England
I was born to be a fiddler in an old-time stringband
My baby plays the guitar
I pick a banjo now

Oh, the North country winters keep a gettin' me now
Lost my money playin' poker so I had to up and leave
But I ain't a turnin' back
To livin' that old life no more

So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama anyway you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
Hey mama rock me

Walkin' to the south out of Roanoke
I caught a trucker out of Philly
Had a nice long toke
But he's a headed west from the Cumberland Gap
To Johnson City, Tennessee

And I gotta get a move on fit for the sun
I hear my baby callin' my name
And I know that she's the only one
And if I die in Raleigh
At least I will die free

So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama anyway you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
Hey mama rock me

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DIRTY OLD TOWN          H

(Ewan McColl)


I met my love by the gas works croft 
Dreamed a dream by the old canal 
I kissed my girl by the factory wall 
Dirty old town, dirty old town


Clouds are drifting across the moon 
Cats are prowling on their beat 
Springs a girl  in the street at night 
Dirty old town, dirty old town 


Heard a siren from the docks 
Saw a train set the night on fire 
Smelled the spring in the smokey wind 
Dirty old town, dirty old town 


I'm going to make a good sharp axe 
Shining steel tempered in the fire 
I'll chop you down like an old dead tree 
Dirty old town, dirty old town 

Dirty old town, dirty old town

FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK          H


It was Christmas Eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me,
Won't see another one
And then he sang a song
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
And I turned my face away
And dreamed about you


Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
I've got a feeling
This year's for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you baby
I can see better times
When all our dreams come true


They've got cars Big as bars
They've got rivers of gold
But the wind goes Right through you
It's no place for the old
When you first took my hand
On a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me Broadway was waiting for me


You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen Of New York City
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging,
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on the corner
Then danced through the night


The Boys of the NYPD choir
Were singing 'Galway Bay'
And the bells were ringing
Out for Christmas day


You're a bum
You're a punk
You're an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed


You scum bag
You maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas you arse
I pray God it's our last


The Boys of the NYPD choir
Were singing 'Galway Bay'
And the bells were ringing
Out for Christmas day


I could have been someone
So could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you

I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I've built my dreams around you


The Boys of the NYPD choir
Were singing 'Galway Bay'
And the bells were ringing
Out for Christmas day

Return to Index

THE GALWAY SHAWL


At Oranmore in the county Galway,
One pleasant evening in the month of May,
I spied a damsel, she was young and handsome,
Her beauty fairly took my breath away.


She wore no jewels, nor costly diamonds,
No paint nor powder no one at all,
But she wore a bonnet with ribbons on it,
And around her shoulders was the Galway shawl.


We kept on walking, she kept on talking,
'Till her father's cottage came into view,
Said she, Come in sir and meet my father,
And play to please him, The foggy Dew.


She sat down beside the hearth stone,
I could see her father he was six feet tall,
And soon her mother had the kettle singing,
All I could think of was the Galway shawl.


She wore no jewels, nor costly diamonds,
No paint nor powder no one at all,
But she wore a bonnet with ribbons on it,
And around her shoulders was the Galway shawl.


I played the Blackbird, the Stack of Barley,
Rodney's Glory and the Foggy Dew,
She sang each note like an Irish linnet,
And tears welled in her eyes of blue.


'Twas early, early all in the morning,
I hit the road for old Donegal,
Said she 'Goodbye Sir', she cried and kissed me,
But my heart remains with the Galway shawl.


She wore no jewels, nor costly diamonds,
No paint nor powder no one at all,
But she wore a bonnet with ribbons on it,
And around her shoulders was the Galway shawl.

Return to Index

THE IRISH ROVER


On the fourth of July eighteen hundred and six
We set sail from the sweet cove of Cork
We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks
For the grand city hall in New York
'Twas an elegant craft, she was rigged fore and aft
And how the wild wind drove her
She could stand a great blast in her twenty seven masts
And we called her the Irish Rover


We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags
We had two million barrels of stones
We had three million sides of old blind horses hides
We had four million barrels of bone
We had five million hogs, six million dogs
Seven million barrels of porter
We had eight million bales of old nanny goats tails
In the hold of the Irish Rover


There was Barney McGee from the banks of the Lee
There was Hogan from County Tyrone
There was Johnny McGuirk who was scared stiff of work
And a chap from Westmeath called Malone
There was Slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a rule
And fighting Bill Tracy from Dover
There was Dolan from Clare, just as strong as a bear
All aboard on the Irish Rover


We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out
And our ship lost it's way in the fog
Then the whole of the crew was reduced down to two
Just myself and the captain's old dog
The ship struck a rock, Lord what a shock
The boat it flipped right over
Turned nine times around and the poor old dog was drowned
I'm the last of the Irish Rover

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THE WILD ROVER          H


Chorus: 

And it's no, nay, never, no, nay, never, no more,
Will I play the wild rover, no, never no more


I've been a wild rover for many's the year,
And I've spent all my money on whiskey and beer,
But now I'm returning with gold in great store,
And I never will play the wild rover no more.

(Chorus)

I went into an alehouse I used to frequent,
And I told the landlady my money was spent,
I asked her for credit, she answered me
"Nay, such a custom as yours I can have every day."

(Chorus)

I then took from my pocket ten sovereigns bright,
And the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight,
She says, "I have whiskies and wines of the best,
And the words that I told you were only in jest."

(Chorus)

I'll go home to my parents, confess what I've done,
And I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son,
And when they've caressed me as oft times before,
The I never will play the wild rover no more.

Return to Index

PADDY On The RAILWAY



In eighteen hundred and forty one
My corduroy breeches I put on
My corduroy breeches I put on
To work upon the railway
The railway
Im weary of the railway
Poor Paddy works on the railway


In eighteen hundred and forty two
From Hartlepool I moved to Grove
And found myself a job to do
Working on the railway
I was wearing
Corduroy breeches
Digging ditches
Pulling switches
Dodging hitchers
I was working on the railway


In eighteen hundred and forty three
I broke me shuffle across me knee
I went to work for the company
And leave me seldom railway
I was wearing
Corduroy breeches
Digging ditches
Pulling switches
Dodging hitchers
I was working on the railway


In eighteen hundred and forty four
I landed on the Liverpool shore
Me belly was empty me hands were raw
With working on the railway
The railway
Im weary of the railway
Poor Paddy works on the railway



In eighteen hundred and forty five
When Daniel OConnell he was alive
And Daniel OConnell he was alive
And working on the railway
I was wearing
Corduroy breeches
Digging ditches
Pulling switches
Dodging hitchers
I was working on the railway


In eighteen hundred and forty six
I changed me trade from carrying bricks
Changed me trade from carrying bricks
To working on the railway
I was wearing
Corduroy breeches
Digging ditches
Pulling switches
Dodging hitchers

I was working on the railway


In eighteen hundred and forty seven
Poor Paddy was thinking of going to Heaven
Poor Paddy was thinking of going to Heaven
To work upon the railway
The railway
Im weary of the railway
Poor Paddy works on the railway


I was wearing
Corduroy breeches
Digging ditches
Pulling switches
Dodging hitchers
I was working on the railway

 Return to Index

  IF YOU GOTA GO, GO NOW
(Bob Dylan)

Listen to me baby there's something
that you must see
I want to be with you babe
If you want to be with me. 

But if you gotta go, its alright.
But if you gotta go, go now
or else you got to stay all night. 

It's not that I'm questioning you to take part
in any kind of quest
It's just that I ain't got no watch 
and you keep asking me what time it is.

But if you gotta go, its alright.
But if you gotta go, go now
or else you got to stay all night.

I am just a poor girl 
trying to connect
I certainly don't want you thinking
that I ain't got any respect.

But if you gotta go, its alright.
But if you gotta go, go now
or else you gotta to stay all night.

It ain't that I am wanting anything
that you never gave before.
It's just that I'll be sleeping and it'll be too dark
for you to find the door.

But if you gotta go, its alright
But if you gotta go, go now
or else you got to stay all night.

Return to Index

IN SEARCH OF A ROSE

Where will I wander and wonder ?
Nobody knows
but wherever I'm going I'll go
in search of a rose


Whatever the will of the weather
and whether it shines or snows
wherever I'm going I'll go
in search of a rose


I don't know where it's found
but I don't mind
as long as the world spins around
I'll take my time


I may follow the fellow who fiddles
I may put on a merchant's clothes
but wherever I'm going I'll go
in search of a rose


I don't know where I'm bound
Oh, and I don't care
As long as the world spins around
I'll be there !


I'll savour the softness of summer
I'll wrap up when winter blows
and wherever I'm going I'll go
in search of a rose

Return to Index

THE WEIGHT

(J. R. Robertson) 

I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin' about half past dead;
I just need some place where I can lay my head.
"Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed?"
He just grinned and shook my hand, and "No!", was all he said.


CHORUS:

Take a load off Fanny, take a load for free;
Take a load off Fanny, And (and) (and) you can put the load right on me.


I picked up my bag, I went lookin' for a place to hide;
When I saw Carmen and the Devil walkin' side by side.
I said, "Hey, Carmen, come on, let's go downtown."
She said, "I gotta go, but m'friend can stick around."


CHORUS


Go down, Miss Moses, there's nothin' you can say
It's just ol' Luke, and Luke's waitin' on the Judgement Day.
"Well, Luke, my friend, what about young Anna Lee?"
He said, "Do me a favor, son, woncha stay an' keep Anna Lee company?"


CHORUS


Crazy Chester followed me, and he caught me in the fog.
He said, "I will fix your rack, if you'll take Jack, my dog."
I said, "Wait a minute, Chester, you know I'm a peaceful man."
He said, "That's okay, boy, won't you feed him when you can."


CHORUS


Catch a cannon ball now, t'take me down the line
My bag is sinkin' low and I do believe it's time.
To get back to Miss Fanny, you know she's the only one.
Who sent me here with her regards for everyone.


CHORUS

Return to Index

I'LL BE YOURS (Baby Tonight)

Close your eyes, close the door
You don't have to worry any more
I'll be your baby tonight

Shut the light, shut the shade
You don't have to be afraid
I'll be your baby tonight

Well, that mockingbird's gonna sail away
We're gonna forget it
That big, fat moon is gonna shine like a spoon
But we're gonna let it
You won't regret it

Kick your shoes off, do not fear
Bring that bottle over here
I'll be your baby tonight

Return to Index

GOODNIGHT IRENE          H

Irene goodnight, Irene Goodnight
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I will see you in my dreams.


Sometimes I live in the country
Sometimes I live in town
Sometimes I take a great notion
To jump in the river and drown


Irene goodnight, Irene goodnight
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I will see you in my dreams


Stop your ramblin
Stop your gamblin
Stop staying out late at night
Go home to your wife and family
And stay by thr fireside bright


Irene goodnight, Irene goodnight
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I will see you in my dreams


Sometimes I live in the counry
Sometimes I live in town
Sometimes I take a great notion
To jump in the river and drown


Irene goodnight, Irene Goodnight
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I will see you in my dreams


Stop your ramblin
Stop your gamblin
Stop staying out late at night
Go home to your wife and family
And stay by the fireside bright


Oh Irene goodnight, Irene goodnight
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I will see you in my dreams

Return to Index

CIGARETTES AND WHISKEY

chorus: 

     Cigarettes, whiskey and wild wild women
     They'll drive you crazy, they'll drive you insane;
     Cigarettes, whiskey and wild wild women
     They'll drive you crazy, they'll drive you insane;


Once I was happy and had a good wife
I had enough money to last me for life
Then I met with a gal and we went on a spree
She taught me smokin' and drinkin' whiskee

  (CHORUS)

Cigarettes are a blight on the whole human race
A man is a monkey with one in his face;
Take warning dear friend, take warning dear brother
A fire's on one end, a fools on the t'other.

  (CHORUS)

And now good people, I'm broken with age
The lines on my face make a well written page
I'm weavin' this story -- how sadly but true
On women and whiskey and what they can do

 (CHORUS)

Write on the cross at the head of my grave
For women and whiskey here lies a poor slave.
Take warnin' poor stranger, take warnin' dear friend
In wide clear letters this tale of my end.

 (CHORUS)

Return to Index

O'REILY'S DAUGHTER

As I was sitting by the fire,
Talking to old Reilly's daughter
Suddenly a thought came into my head:
I'd like to marry old Reilly's daughter,

Chorus

Giddy I Ay, Giddy I Ay, Giddy I Ay
For the one eyed Reilly,
Giddy I Ay, (bang, bang, bang)
Play it on your big brass drum.


For Reilly played on the big brass drum
Reilly had a mind for murder and slaughter,
Reilly had a bright red gilttering eye,
And he kept an eye on his lovely daughter.

Chorus

Her hair was black and her eyes were blue
The colonel and the major and the captain sought her
The sergeant and the private and the drummer boy, too
But they never had a chance with O'Reilly's daughter.

Chorus

I got me a ring and a parson, too,
I got me a 'scratch' in the married quarter
Settled me down to a peaceful life,
As happy as a king with O'Reilly's daughter.

Chorus

Suddenly a footstep on the stair,
Who should it be but the one-eyed Reilly
With two pistols in his hand
Look for the man who married his daughter.

Chorus

I took O'Reilly by the hair,
Rammed his head in a pail of water,
Fired his pistols in the air,
A darned sight quicker than I married his daughter.

Chorus

Return to Index

ALL FOR ME GROG            H

And it's all for me grog me jolly, jolly grog
All for my beer and tobacco
Well, I spent all me tin with the ladies drinkin' gin
Far across the Western Ocean I must wander 


I'm sick in the head and I haven't been to bed 
Since first I came ashore with me plunder
I've seen centipedes and snakes and me head is full of aches
And I have to take a path for way out yonder 


And it's all for me grog me jolly, jolly grog
All for my beer and tobacco
Well, I spent all me tin with the ladies drinkin' gin
Far across the Western Ocean I must wander 


Where are me boots, me noggin', noggin' boots
They're all sold for beer and tobacco
See the soles they were thin and the uppers were lettin' in
And the heels were lookin' out for better weather 


And it's all for me grog me jolly, jolly grog
All for my beer and tobacco
Well, I spent all me tin with the ladies drinkin' gin
Far across the Western Ocean I must wander 


Where is me shirt, me noggin', noggin' shirt
It's all sold for beer and tobacco
You see the sleeves were all worn out and the collar been torn about
And the tail was lookin' out for better weather 


And it's all for me grog me jolly, jolly grog
All for my beer and tobacco
Well, I spent all me tin with the ladies drinkin' gin
Far across the Western Ocean I must wander 


Where is me wife, me noggin', noggin' wife
She's all sold for beer and tobacco
You see her front it was worn out and her tail I kicked about
And I'm sure she's lookin' out for better weather 


And it's all for me grog me jolly, jolly grog
All for my beer and tobacco
Well, I spent all me tin with the ladies drinkin' gin
Far across the Western Ocean I must wander 


Where is me bed, me noggin', noggin' bed
It's all sold for beer and tobacco
You see I sold it to the girls until the springs were all in twirls
And the sheets they're lookin' out for better weather 


And it's all for me grog me jolly, jolly grog
All for my beer and tobacco
Well, I spent all me tin with the ladies drinkin' gin
Far across the Western Ocean I must wander

Return to Index

BLUE MOON of KENTUCKY          H

Blue moon of Kentucky, keep on shining.
Shine on the one that's gone and proved untrue.
Blue moon of Kentucky, keep on shining.
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue. 

It was on a moonlight night, the stars were shining bright,
An' they whispered from on high: "Your love has said goodbye."
Blue moon of Kentucky, keep on shining.
Shine on the one that's gone and said goodbye. 

Blue moon of Kentucky, keep on shining.
Shine on the one that's gone and said goodbye.
Blue moon of Kentucky, keep on shining.
Shine on the one that's gone and made me cry. 

It was on a moonlight night, the stars were shining bright,
They whispered from on high: "Your love has said goodbye."
Blue moon of Kentucky, keep on shining.
Shine on the one that's gone and said goodbye. 

Return to Index

HILLS OF CONNEMARA          H

Chorus 

Gather up the pots and the old tin cans 
The mash, the corn, the barley and the bran. 
Run like the devil from the excise man 
Keep the smoke from rising, Barney.


Keep your eyes well peeled today
The excise men are on their way 
Searching for the mountain tay 
In the hills of Connemara.


Swinging to the left, swinging to the right 
The excise men will dance all night 
Drinkin' up the tay till the broad daylight 
In the hills of Connemara.


Chorus 


A gallon for the butcher and a quart for John 
And a bottle for poor old Father Tom
Just to help the poor old dear along 
In the hills of Connemara. 


Stand your ground, for it's too late 
The excise men are at the gate. 
Glory be to Paddy, but they're drinkin' it straight 
In the hills of Connemara.


Chorus (Twice)

Return to Index

STREAMS OF WHISKEY          H

Last night as I slept
I dreamt I met with Behan
I shook him by the hand and we passed the time of day
When questioned on his views
On the crux of life's philosophies
He had but these few clear and simple words to say


I am going, I am going
Any which way the wind may be blowing
I am going, I am going
Where streams of whiskey are flowing


I have cursed, bled and sworn
Jumped bail and landed up in jail
Life has often tried to stretch me
But the rope always was slack
And now that I've a pile
I'll go down to the Chelsea
I'll walk in on my feet
But I'll leave there on my back


Oh the words that he spoke
Seemed the wisest of philosophies
There's nothing ever gained
By a wet thing called a tear
When the world is too dark
And I need the light inside of me
I'll go into a bar and drink
Fifteen pints of beer

Return to Index

MOLLY MAGUIRES          H

Make way for the Molly Maguires
They're drinkers, they're liars but they're men
Make way for the Molly Maguires
You'll never see the likes of them again


Down the mines no sunlight shines
Those pits they're black as hell
In modest style they do their time
It's Paddy's prison cell
And they curse the day they've travelled far
Then drown their tears with a jar


So make way for the Molly Maguires
They're drinkers, they're liars but they're men
Make way for the Molly Maguires
You'll never see the likes of them again


Backs will break and muscles ache
Down there there's no time to dream
Of fields and farms, of womans arms
Just dig that bloody seam
Though they drain their bodies underground
Who'll dare to push them around


So make way for the Molly Maguires
They're drinkers, they're liars but they're men
Make way for the Molly Maguires
You'll never see the likes of them again


So make way for the Molly Maguires
They're drinkers, they're liars but they're men
Make way for the Molly Maguires
You'll never see the likes of them again

Return to Index

CITY of CHICAGO

In the City of Chicago,
As the evening shadows fall,
There are people dreaming,
Of the hills of Donegal.


1847, was the year it all began,
Deadly pains of hunger, drove a million from the land,
They journeyed not for glory,
Their motive was not greed,
A voyage of survival,
Across the stormy sea.


In the City of Chicago,
As the evening shadows fall,
There are people dreaming,
Of the hills of Donegal.


Some of them knew fortune, some of them knew fame,
More of them knew hardship,
And died upon the plain,
They spread throughout the nation,
They rode the railroad cars,
Brought their songs and music,
To ease their lonely hearts.


In the City of Chicago,
As the evening shadows fall,
There are people dreaming,
Of the hills of Donegal.

Return to Index

DANNY BOY          H

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling 
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side 
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying 
'tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide. 

But come you back when summer's in the meadow 
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow 
'tis I'll be there in sunshine or in shadow 
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so. 

And if you come, when all the flowers are dying 
And I am dead, as dead I well may be 
You'll come and find the place where I am lying 
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me. 

And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me 
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be 
If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me 
I simply sleep in peace until you come to me. 

Return to Index

HEY JUDE

Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better 

Hey, Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better. 

And any time you feel the pain, hey, Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
Well don't you know that its a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder 

Hey, Jude! Don't let her down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember, to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better. 

So let it out and let it in, hey, Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that it's just you, hey, Jude,
You'll do, the movement you need is on your shoulder 

Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Return to Index

LAS VEGAS IN THE HILLS OF DONEGAL

You may talk about Atlantis, how it’s lost beneath the sea
Or the grave of the unknown soldier and the cry of the old banshee
Who was the man in the iron mask, was Jack the ripper set free?
But ask them all where’s Donegal, and it’s still a mystery


And if I could I’d build a wall around old Donegal
The north and south to keep them out, my god I’d build it tall
Casinoes, chicken ranches, I’d legalize them all
We’d have our own Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal
Yeah!! Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal


Late night clubs and all night pubs, black jack and roulette
Mel Gibson, Brigitte Nilsen, Mike Tyson having a bet (bite)
Iniseoghain would then be known for it’s multi-millionaires
Where Donald Trump would have a chunk to live in solitaire


And if I could I’d build a wall around old Donegal
The north and south to keep them out, my god I’d build it tall
Casinoes, chicken ranches, I’d legalize them all
We’d have our own Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal
Yeah!! Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal


To stand on top of fairy hill would give me such a thrill
I’ve heard them say in Dublin there’s gold in them there hills
So don’t despair, ‘cos if you dare, the answer lies with me
There’s a wall that’s steep and it’s going cheap somewhere in Germany


And if I could I’d build a wall around old Donegal
The north and south to keep them out, my god I’d build it tall
Casinoes, chicken ranches, I’d legalize them all
We’d have our own Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal
Yeah!! Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal

Return to Index

N 17           H

Well I didn't see much future 
When I left the Christian brothers school 
So I waved it goodbye with a wistful smile 
And I left the girls of Tuam 
And sometimes when I'm reminiscing 
I see the prefabs and my old friends 
And I know that they'll be changed or gone 
By the time I get home again 

Chorus: 

And I wish I was on that N 17 
(Stone walls and the grasses green) 
Yes I wish I was on that N 17 
(Stone walls and the grasses green) 
Travelling with just my thoughts and dreams 


Well the ould fella left me to Shannon 
Was the last time I travelled that road 
and as I turned left at Claregalway 
I could feel a lump in my throat 
As I pictured the thousands of times 
That I travelled that well worn track 
And I know that things would be different 
If I ever decide to go back 

Chorus: 

Now as I tumble down highways 
Or filthy overcrowded trains 
There's no one to talk to in transit 
So I sit there and daydream in vain 
And behind all these muddled up problems 
Of living on a foreign soil 
I can still see the twists and turns on the road 
From the square to the town of the tribes

Return to Index

RIDE ON

True you ride the finest horse I've ever seen
Standing sixteen one or two
With eyes wild and green
You ride the horse so well
Hands light to the touch
I could never go with you
No matter how I wanted to


Ride on, see you
I could never go with you
No matter how I wanted to
Ride on, see you
I could never go with you
No matter how I wanted to


When you ride into the night
Without out a trace behind
Run your claw along my gush one last time
I turn to face an empty space
Where you used to lie
And look for the spark that lights the night
Through the teardrop in my eye


Ride on, see you
I could never go with you
No matter how I wanted to
Ride on, see you
I could never go with you
No matter how I wanted to

Return to Index

SLOOP JOHN B

We come on the sloop john b
My grandfather and me
Around nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night
Got into a fight
Well I feel so broke up
I want to go home


So hoist up the john b’s sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up
I wanna go home


The first mate he got drunk
And broke in the cap’n’s trunk
The constable had to come and take him away
Sheriff john stone
Why don’t you leave me alone, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up I wanna go home


So hoist up the john b’s sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, let me go home
Why don’t you let me go home
(hoist up the john b’s sail)

Hoist up the john b
I feel so broke up I wanna go home
Let me go home

The poor cook he caught the fits
And threw away all my grits
And then he took and he ate up all of my corn
Let me go home
Why don’t they let me go home
This is the worst trip I’ve ever been on


So hoist up the john b’s sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the captain ashore

Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, let me go home
Why don’t you let me go home

Return to Index

CASTLE IN THE AIR

And if she asks you why, you can tell her that I told you
That I’m tired of castles in the air.
I’ve got a dream I want the world to share
And castle walls just lead me to despair.


Hills of forest green where the mountains touch the sky,
A dream come true, I’ll live there till I die.
I’m asking you to say my last goodbye.
The love we knew ain’t worth another try.


Save me from all the trouble and the pain.
I know I’m weak, but I can’t face that girl again.
Tell her the reasons why I can’t remain,
Perhaps she’ll understand if you tell it to her plain.


But how can words express the feel of sunlight in the morning,
In the hills, away from city strife.
I need a country woman for my wife;
I’m city born, but I love the country life.


For I cannot be part of the cocktail generation:
Partners waltz, devoid of all romance.
The music plays and everyone must dance.
I’m bowing out. I need a second chance.


Save me from all the trouble and the pain.
I know I’m weak, but I can’t face that girl again.
Tell her the reasons why I can’t remain,
Perhaps she’ll understand if you tell it to her plain.


And if she asks you why, you can tell her that I told you
That I’m tired of castles in the air.
I’ve got a dream I want the world to share
And castle walls just lead me to despair.

Return to Index

MOUNTAIN DEW

Chorus:

Ah didlee ay dum 
ah diddlee ay dum
Ah doo ray diddlee ai ay 
Ah didlee ay dum 
ah diddlee ay dum
Ah doo ray diddlee ai ay 

Let grasses grow and waters flow
In a free and easy way
Just give me enough of that fine old stuff 
that's made near Galway Bay
The police men from old Donegal
Sligo and Lietrin too
We'll give them the slip and we'll take a sip
Of that real old Mountain Dew

At the foot of the hill there's a neat little still
Where the smoke curls up to the sky
By the smoke and the smell you can plainly tell 
There's poitin brewin near by
It fills the air with a perfume rare
But betwixt both me and you
When home we go you can take a bowl
Or a bucket of the Mountain Dew

Now learned men who use a pen
Have wrote your praises high
That sweet poitin from Ireland green
is stilled from wheat and rye
Put away your pills, it'll cure all ills
Be ye Christian, pagan or Jew
Take off your coat and grease your throat
With a bucket of the Mountain Dew

Return to Index

SPANISH LADY

As I went out through Dublin City
At the hour of twelve o'clock at night
Who should I see but the Spanish lady
Washing her feet by candlelight
First she washed it
Then she dried it
Over a fire of amber coals
In all my life I never did see
A maid so sweet about the soul


Whack for the tur a lur a laddy
Whack for the tur a lur a lay
Whack for the tur a lur a laddy
Whack for the tur a lur a lay


As I went our thru Dublin City
At the hour of half past eight
Who do I see but the Spanish lady
Combing her hair so trim and neat
First she brushed it
Then she combed it
On her lap was a silver comb
In all my life I never did see
A maid so sweet since I did roam


As I walked out through Dublin City
As the sun began to set
Who should I see but the Spanish lady
Catch a moth in her golden net
First she spied me then she fled me
Hitchin' her petticoat over her knee
In all my life ne'er did I see
A maid so fair as the Spanish Lady

Return to Index

WHISKEY IN THE JAR

As I was goin' over the Cork and Kerry mountains 
I met with Captain Farrell and his money he was countin'
I first produced my pistol and then produced my rapier
I said stand and deliver or the devil he may take you 


Musha ring dum a doo dum a da 
Wept for my daddy-o 
Wept for my daddy-o 
There's whiskey in the jar-o 


I took all of his money and there was a pretty penny 
I took all of his money and I brought it home to Molly 
she swore that she loved me and never would she leave me 
but the devil take that woman for she deceived me easy 


Musha ring dum a doo dum a da 
Wept for my daddy-o 
Wept for my daddy-o 
There's whiskey in the jar-o 


Now some men like the fishin', and some men like the fowlin'
some men like to hear cannon balls rollin'
but me I like the sleeping, especially in my Molly's chamber
but here I am in prison, here I am with ball and chain, yeah


Musha ring dum a doo dum a da 
Wept for my daddy-o 
Wept  for my daddy-o 
There's whiskey in the jar-o

Repeat chorus

Return to Index

RED IS THE ROSE

Chorus

Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows
Fair is the lily of the valley
Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne
But my love is fairer than any.
Come over the hills, my bonnie Irish lass
Come over the hills to your darling
You choose the rose, love, and I'll make the vow
And I'll be your true love forever.


'Twas down by Killarney's green woods that we strayed
When the moon and the stars they were shining
The moon shone its rays on her locks of golden hair
And she swore she'd be my love forever.

Chorus

It's not for the parting that my sister pains
It's not for the grief of my mother
'Tis all for the loss of my bonny Irish lass
That my heart is breaking forever.

Chorus 

Return to Index

EILEEN OGE          H

Eileen Oge, an’ that the darlin’s name is,
Through the barony her features they were famous,
If we loved her, who is there to blame us
For wasn’t she the Pride of Petravore?
But her beauty made us all so shy.
Not a man could look her in the eye.
Boys, oh Boys! Sure that’s the reason why 
We’re in mournin’ for the Pride of Petravore.


Eileen Oge! Me heart is growin’ grey,
Ever since the day you wandered far away
Eileen Oge! There’s good fish in the say
But there’s no one like the Pride of Petravore.


Friday at the fair of Ballintubber,
Eileen met McGrath the cattle jobber
I’d like to set me mark upon the robber
For he stole away the Pride of Petravore.
He never seemed to see the girl at all
Even when she ogled him underneath her shawl
Lookin’ big and masterful when she was lookin’ small
Most provoking for the Pride of Petravore. (chorus)


So it went as it was in the beginning
Eileen Oge was bent upon the winning
Big McGrath contentedly was grinning
Being courted by the Pride of Petravore.
Sez he, “I know a girl who could knock you into fits.”
At that Eileen nearly lost her wits
The upshot of the ruction was that now the robber sits
With his arm around the Pride of Petravore. (chorus)


Boys, oh boys! With fate ‘tis hard to grapple
Of me eye ‘tis Eileen was the apple
And now to see her walkin’ to the chapel
With the hardest featured man in Petravore.
And now boys this is all I have to say
When you do your courtin’ make no display
If you want them to run after you then run the other way
For they’re mostly like the Pride of Petravore. (chorus)

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DUBLIN IN THE RARE OLD TIMES          H

Raised on songs and stories, heroes of renown,
The passing tales and glories, that once was Dublin town;
The hallowed halls and houses, the haunting children's rhymes,
That once was Dublin city in the rare old times.

Ring-a-ring-a-rosie as the light declines,
I remember Dublin city in the rare old times.

Oh, my name it is Sean Dempsey, as Dublin as can be,
Born hard and late in Pimlico, in a house that ceased to be;
By trade I was a cooper, lost out to redundancy,
Like my house that fell to progress, my trade to memory.

I courted Peggy Diegnan, as pretty as you please,
Oh, a rogue and a child of Mary from the rebel Liberties;
I lost her to a student chap, with skin as black as coal,
When he took her off to Birmingham, she took away my soul.

Ring-a-ring-a-rosie as the light declines,
I remember Dublin city in the rare old times.

The years have made me bitter, the gargle dims my brain,
For Dublin keeps on changin', and nothing seems the same;
The Pillar and the Met are gone, the Royal long since pulled down,
As the gray unyielding concrete makes a city of our town.

Ring-a-ring-a-rosie as the light declines,
I remember Dublin city in the rare old times.

Fare thee well, sweet Anna Liffey, I can no longer stay,
And watch the new glass cages that spring up along the Quay;
My mind's too full of memories, too old to hear new chimes,
I'm part of what was Dublin, in the rare old times.

Ring-a-ring-a-rosie as the light declines,
I remember Dublin city in the rare old times.
Ring-a-ring-a-rosie as the light declines,
I remember Dublin city in the rare old times.

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P for PADDY

As I walked out on a bright May morn,
to take a pleasant walk.
I sat me down upon an old stone wall,
to hear two lovers talk.
For to hear what they might say my friend,
hear what they might say.
So I might learn a little more about life 
before I go away.

Chorus:

	P stands for Paddy, I suppose.
	J for my love John.
	W stands bold William 
	and Johnny is the fairest man.
	Johnny is the fairest man my dear,
	Johnny is the fairest man.
	And I don't care what anybody says
	for Johnny is the fairest man.


Don't sit you down beside me, he said.
Not now nor any other day.
I hear that you have another little lad
and your heart's no longer mine.
Your heart's no longer mine he said,
Your heart's no longer mine.
I hear that you have another little lad
and your heart's no longer mine.

Chorus

I'll go climb a tall fine tree,
up to a Wild Bird's nest.
When I'll come down I'll care a little more
about the girl that I love best.
The girl that I love best he said,
the girl that I love best.
When I'll come down I'll care a little more
about the girl that I love best.

Chorus

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BOUND FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA        H

In South Australia I was born
Heave away, haul away
South Australia round Cape Horn
We're bound for South Australia



Chorus
Heave away, you rolling king
Heave away, haul away 
Heave away, oh hear me sing
We're bound for South Australia

There ain't but one thing grieves my mind
Heave away, haul away
To leave Miss Nancy Blair behind
We're bound for South Australia

Oh when I sailed across the sea
Heave away, haul away
My girl said she'd be true to me
We're bound for South Australia

I rung her all night I rung her all day
Heave away, haul away
I rung her before we sailed away
We're bound for South Australia

And now I'm on some foreign strand
Heave away, haul away
With a bottle of whiskey in my hand
We're bound for South Australia

And as we wallop around Cape Horn
Heave away, haul away
You wish to God you'd never been born
We're bound for South Australia

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  500 MILES

When I wake up yeah I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you

When I go out yeah I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you

If I get drunk yes I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you

And if I haver yeah I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you

But I would walk 500 miles

And I would walk 500 more

Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles

To fall down at your door

 When I'm working yes I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you

And when the money comes in for the work I'll do

I'll pass almost every penny on to you

When I come home yeah I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you

And if I grow old well I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you

But I would walk 500 miles

And I would walk 500 more

Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles

To fall down at your door

When I'm lonely yes I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man whose lonely without you

When I'm dreaming yes I know I'm gonna dream

Dream about the time when I'm with you.

But I would walk 500 miles

And I would walk 500 more

Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles

To fall down at your door

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