The Irish Rover (feat. Ronnie Drew & the Pogues) - The Dubliners

In the year of our lord eighteen hundred and six We set sail from the coal quay of Cork We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks For the Grand City Hall of New York We had an elegant craft She was rigged fore and aft And oh, how the wild winds drove her She had twenty seven masts And withstood several blasts And they called her The Irish Rover There was Barney McGee From the banks of the Lee There was Hogan from County Tyrone There was Johnny McGurk 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 And your man, Mick McCann From the banks of the Bann Was the skipper of the Irish Rover We had five million bags of the best Sligo rags We had six million barrels of stones We had seven million bales of old nanny goats tails We had eight million barrels of bones We had nine million hogs Ten million dogs Eleven million barrels of porter We had twelve million sides of old blind horses hides' In the hold of the Irish Rover We had sailed seven years When the measles broke out And the ship lost its way in a fog And that whole of a crew Was reduced down to two Just myself and the Captain's old dog Well the ship struck a rock Oh Lord! what a shock The boat she turned right over She turned nine times around And the poor old dog was drowned I'm the last of The Irish Rover

And there was an old woman and she lived in the woods A weila weila waila There was an old woman and she lived in the woods Down by the River Saile She had a baby three months old A weila weila waila She had a baby three months old Down by the River Saile She had a penknife long and sharp A weila weila waila She had a penknife long and sharp Down by the River Saile She stuck the penknife in the baby's heart A weila weila waila She stuck the penknife in the baby's heart Down by the River Saile Three loud knocks came knocking on the door A weila weila waila Three loud knocks came knocking on the door Down by the River Saile There was two policeman and a man A weila weila waila There was two policeman and a man Down by the River Saile They took her away and they put her into jail A weila weila waila They took her away and they put her into jail Down by the River Saile They put a rope around her neck A weila weila waila They put a rope around her neck Down by the River Saile They pulled the rope she got hung A weila weila waila They pulled the rope she got hung Down by the River Saile Now that was the end of the woman in the woods A weila weila waila And that was the end of the baby too Down by the River Saile

I've been a wild rover for many a year And I've spent all me money on whiskey and beer But now I'm returning with gold in great store And I promise to play the wild rover no more And it's no, nay, never No, nay, never, no more Will I play the wild rover No never, no more I went to an alehouse I used to frequent And I told the landlady me money's all spent I asked her for credit, she answered me, "Nay" Saying, "A custom like yours I can get any day" And it's no, nay, never No, nay, never, no more Will I play the wild rover No never, no more And from my pocket I took sovereigns bright And the landlady's eyes, they lit up with delight She said, "I have whiskeys and wines of the best And the words that I spoke to you were only a jest" And it's no, nay, never No, nay, never, no more Will I play the wild rover No never, no more I'll go home to my parents, confess what I've done And I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son And if they forgive me as oft-times before Then I promise I'll play the wild rover no more And it's no, nay, never No, nay, never, no more Will I play the wild rover No never, no more And it's no, nay, never No, nay, never, no more Will I play the wild rover? No never, no more

Come listen to me for a while Me good friends one and all And I'll sing to you a verse or two About a famous ball Now the ball was given by some friends Who lived down Ashe Street In a certain house in the Liberties Where the ragmen used to meet Well the names were called at seven o'clock And every man was on the spot And to show respect for the management Every ragman brought his mot I must admit that I brought mine At twenty five minutes to eight And the first to stand up was Kieran Grace For to tell me I was late Then up jumps Humpy Soodelum And he says: 'I think somehow' By the ways are all going on tonight Is a looking for a row Now listen here, Grace if you want your face You'd better not shout or bawl There's a lot of hard chews gonna be here tonight To respect the ragman's ball Well for eating we had plenty now As much as we could hold We drank Brady's Loopline porter Until round the floor we rolled In the midst of all the confusion Someone shouted for a song When up jumps oul' John Lavin and sings 'Keep rollin' your barrel along' Then says my one; 'You're quare one now' And Biddy you're hard to beat Oh when up jumps Liza Boland And she told her to hold her prate Then my one made a clout at her She missed her and hit the wall And the two of them went in the ambulance The night of the Ragman's ball Then we all sat down to some ham parings When everything was quiet And for broken noses I must say We had a lovely night Black eyes they were in great demand Not to mention split heads and all So if anyone wants to commit suicide Let them come to the Ragman's ball

I wish I was in Carrickfergus Only for nights in Ballygrand I would swim over the deepest ocean The deepest ocean, my love to find But the sea is wide and I cannot swim over And neither have I the wings to fly If I could find me a handsome boatman To ferry me over my love and I My childhood days bring back sweet reflections The happy times I spent so long ago My boyhood friends and kind relations Have all past on now like melting snow I'll spend my da - ys an endless rover Soft is the grass and sure, my bed is free Oh but to be back, in carrickfergus To strike that lonely road, down by the sea And in kilkenny it is reported On marble stone there as black as ink With gold and silver I would support her But I'll sing no more now til I get a drink For I'm drunk today and I'm seldom sober A handsome rover from town to town Ah but I'm sick now my days are numbered Come all ye young men and lay me down

I wish I was in Carrickfergus Only for nights in Ballygrand I would swim over the deepest ocean Only for nights in Ballygrand But the sea is wide and I cannot swim over And neither have I the wings to fly I wish I had a handsome boatman To ferry me over, my love and I My childhood days bring back sad reflections Of happy times I spent so long ago My boyhood friends and my own relations Have all past on now like melting snow I'll spend my days in this ceaseless roving Soft is the grass and my bed is free Oh but to be back now, in Carrickfergus On that long winding road, down to the sea Now in Kilkenny it is reported On marble stone there as black as ink With gold and silver I would support her But I'll sing no more now 'til I get a drink For I'm drunk today and I'm seldom sober A handsome rover from town to town Ah but I'm sick now my days are numbered Come all ye young men and lay me down Good evening Well, during the period 1939 to 1945 There was a very big war going on all over the world They called it World War II everywhere, except, of course, in Ireland Where we called it The Emergency Now, during this Emergency England had suffered a lot from air raids and all that stuff, so They sent for some of our fellas to go to England and Help to rebuild essential services Like houses and roads and bridges and Probably a few pubs While they were there, I suppose they helped To make England into a fit place for Irish people to live in And a lot of the lads who went over that time Found work with a man by the name of Mr. Robert McAlpine, as he was then called But in the meantime he did away with so many paddies That they saw fit to make a lord out of him And on his deathbed He didn't die in a building, he died in a bed And when he was dying in his bed, his last words were Or so they say, was If the men wish to honour my memory Let them keep two minutes' silence But keep the mixer going, and keep paddy behind it And this is about him and his little gang

I remember the night that he came in from the wintery cold and damp A giant of a man in an oilskin coat and the bundle that told he was a tramp He stood at the bar and he 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. 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 roads 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 my days on the shore 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 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 when that night was done that my fine friends would all be lost 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 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 Then 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 band 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 never more 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

Well if you got a wingo, Take her up to ringo, Where the waxies sing o all the day, If youve had your fill of porter, And you cant go any further, Give yer man the order "Back to the Quay" And take her up to Monto, Monto, Monto, Take her up to Monto, langeroo, to you. The Dirty Duke of Gloucester The dirty old imposter, Took his mot and lost her up the Furry Glen, He first put on his bowler, Then he buttoned up his trousers, And he whistled for a growler And he said "My man", Take me up to Monto, Monto, Monto, Take me up to Monto, langeroo, to you. You see the Dublin Fusiliers, The dirty old bamboozileers, They went to get the childer one, two, three, Marchin from the linenhall Theres one for every canonball, And Vickis going to send yis all oer the sea, But first go up to Monto, Monto, Monto, First go up to Monto, langeroo, to you. When the Tzar of Russia And the King of Prussia, Landed in the Phoenix Park in a big balloon, They asked the Police band to play The Wearing of the Green, But the buggers in the Depot Didnt know that tune, So they both went up to Monto, Monto, Mont, They both went up to Monto, langeroo, to you. The Queen she came to call on us, She wanted to see all of us, Im glad she didnt fall on us, Shes eighteen stone, Mr. me Lord Mayor, sez she, Is this all youve got to show to me? Why no, maam, there is more to see, Pg mo thin, And he took her up to Monto, Monto, Monto, He took her up to Monto, langeroo, Goodnight to you

Schooldays over, come on then John, time to be gettin' your pit boots on On with your sark and moleskin trousers, it's time you were on your way Time you were learning the pitman's job and earning a pitman's pay Come on then Jim, it's time to go, time you were working down below Time to be handling a pick and shovel, you start at the pit today Time you were learning the collier's job and earning a collier's pay Come on then Dai, it's almost light, time you were off to the anthracite The morning mist in on the valley, it's time you were on your way Time you were learning the miner's job and earning a miner's pay Schooldays over, come on then John, time to be gettin' your pit boots on On with your sark and moleskin trousers, it's time you were on your way Time you were learning the pitman's job and earning a pitman's pay