The Rocky Road To Dublin - The Dubliners

In the merry month of June, From my home I started, Left the girls of Tuam, Nearly broken hearted, Saluted me father dear, Kissed me darling mother, Drank a pint of beer, My grief and tears to smother, Then off to reap the corn, And leave where I was born, Cut a stout blackthorn, To banish ghost and goblin, In a brand new pair of brogues, go rattling o'er the bogs, Frightening all the dogs, On the rocky road to Dublin. One, two, three, four, five In Mullingar last night, I rested limbs so weary, Started by daylight, Next morning bright and early, Took a drop of the pure, To keep my heart from sinking, That's the Paddy's cure, When he's on the drinking. See the lassies smile, Laughing all the while, At me darling style, ' Twould set your heart a-bubbling. Asked me was I hired, The wages I required, Till I was almost tired, Of the rocky road to Dublin. One, two, three, four, five Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road and all the way to Dublin, whack-fol-la-de-da! In Dublin next arrived, I thought it such a pity, To be so soon deprived, A view of that fine city. Decided to take a stroll, All among the quality, My bundle it was stole, In a neat locality; Something crossed my mind, When I looked behind; No bundle could I find, Upon me stick a wobbling. Enquiring for a rogue, They said me Connacht brogue, Wasn't much in vogue, On the rocky roadto Dublin. One, two, three, four, five Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road and all the way to Dublin, whack-fol-la-de-da! From there I got away, Me spirits never failing Landed on the quay just as the ship was sailing; Captain at me roared, Said that no room had he, then I jumped aboard, A cabin found for Paddy, Down among the pigs played some funny rigs, Danced some hearty jigs, The water round me bubbling, When off to Holyhead, Wished myself was dead, Or better far instead, On the rocky road to Dublin. One, two, three, four, five Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road and all the way to Dublin, whack-fol-la-de-da! The boys of Liverpool, When we safely landed, Called meself a fool; I could no longer stand it; Blood began to boil, Temper I was losing, Poor old Erin's isle They began abusing," Hurrah my soul," sez I, Let the shillelagh fly; Some Galway boys were nigh, Saw I wasa hobbling, With a loud hurray, They joined me in thefray. Soon we cleared the way, O'er the rocky road to Dublin. One, two, three, four, five Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road and all the way to Dublin, whack-fol-la-de-da! One, two, three, four, five Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road and all the way to Dublin, whack-fol-la-de-da!

In the merry month of June from me home I started Left the girls of Tuam nearly broken hearted Saluted Father dear, kissed me darling mother Drank a pint of beer, me grief and tears to smother Then off to reap the corn, leave where I was born I cut a stout blackthorn to banish ghosts and goblins In a new pair of brogues, rattling o'er the bogs Frightening all the dogs on the rocky road to Dublin One, two, three, four, five Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road And all the way to Dublin, Whack fol lol de ra! In Mullingar that night I rested limbs so weary Started by daylight next mornin' light and airy Took a drop of the pure To keep me heart from sinking That's the Paddy's cure whenever he's on drinking To see the lassies smile, laughing all the while At me curious style, 'twould set your heart a bubblin' They asked if I was hired, wages I required 'Till I was almost tired of the rocky road to Dublin One, two, three, four, five Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road And all the way to Dublin, Whack fol lol de ra! In Dublin next arrived, I thought it such a pity To be soon deprived a view of that fine city 'Twas then I took a stroll, all among the quality Bundle it was stole, in a neat locality Something crossed me mind, when I looked behind No bundle could I find upon me stick a wobblin' Enquiring for the rogue, they said me Connacht brogue Wasn't much in vogue on the rocky road to Dublin One, two, three, four, five Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road And all the way to Dublin, Whack fol lol de ra! From there I got away, me spirits never failin' Landed on the quay, just as the ship was sailin' Captain at me roared, said that no room had he When I jumped aboard, a cabin found for Paddy Down among the pigs, played some funny rigs Danced some hearty jigs, the water round me bubblin' When off Holyhead, I wished myself was dead Or better far instead On the rocky road to Dublin One, two, three, four, five Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road And all the way to Dublin, Whack fol lol de ra! The boys of Liverpool, when we safely landed Called meself a fool, I could no longer stand it Blood began to boil, temper I was losing Poor old Erin's isle they began abusing "Hurrah me soul!" says I, me shillelagh I let fly Some Galway boys were by and saw I was a hobble in With a loud "Hurray!" they joined in the affray We quickly cleared the way for the rocky road to Dublin One, two, three, four, five Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road And all the way to Dublin, Whack fol lol de ra! Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road And all the way to Dublin, Whack fol lol de ra! Whack fol lol de ra! Whack fol lol de ra!

In the merry month of may, from me home I started left the girls of Tuam, Sad and broken hearted, salute me father dear, And kissed me darlin' mother, drank a pint of beer, Me tears and grief to smother, off to reap the corn, Leave where I was born, I cut a stoat black thorn to banish ghosts and goblins, In a pair of brand new of brogues, I rattled over the bogs, frightened all the dogs, On the rocky road to Dublin, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road, And all the way to Dublin, whacks fer al de da! In Dublin next arrived, and thought it such a pity to be so soon deprived, A view of that fair city, then I took a stroll, All amongst the quality, me bundle it was stole, In that neat locality, something crossed me mind, when I looked behind, No bundle I could find, upon me stick a wobblin. Enquiring after the rogue, Said me Connaught brogue, was not much in vogue, On the rocky road to Dublin, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road, And all the way to Dublin, whacks fer al de da! The boys of Liverpool, when we safely landed, called meself a fool, I could no longer stand it, me blood began to boil, Me temper I was losing, for old Erin's isle, They began abusing, horah say I, me Shelelagh I let fly, Some Galway boys were by, they saw I was a hobblin', With a loud hurray, they joined in the afray, We quickly cleared the way, For the rocky road to Dublin, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road, And all the way to Dublin, whacks fer al de da!

In the merry month of June From my home I started Left the girls of Tuam Nearly brokenhearted Saluted me father dear Kissed me darling mother Drank a pint of beer My grief and tears to smother Then off to reap the corn Leave where I was born Cut a stout blackthorn To banish ghosts and goblin Brand-new pair of brogues Rattling o'er the bogs Frightening all the dogs On the rocky road to Dublin. One, two, three, four, five In Mullingar last night, I rested limbs so weary Started by daylight Next morning bright and early Took a drop of the pure To keep me heart from sinking That's the Paddy's cure When he's on the drinking See the lassies smile Laughing all the while At me darling style Would set your heart a-bubblin' Asked me was I hired Wages I required 'Til I was almost tired Of the rocky road to Dublin One, two, three, four, five Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road And all the way to Dublin, whack-fol-la-de-da! In Dublin next arrived I thought it such a pity To be so soon deprived A view of that fine city Decided to take a stroll All among the quality bundle It was stole in that neat locality Something crossed my mind When I looked behind No bundle could I find Upon me stick a-wobblin' Crying for a rogue Said me connaught brogue Wasn't much in-vogue On the rocky road to Dublin One, two, three, four, five Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road And all the way to Dublin, whack-fol-la-de-da! From there I got away Me spirits never failing Landed on the quay Just as the ship was sailing Captain at me roared Said that no room had he Then I jumped aboard A cabin found for Paddy Down among the pigs Played some funny rigs Danced some hearty jigs The water 'round me bubblin' Off to hollyhead Wished myself was dead Or better far instead On the rocky road to Dublin One, two, three, four, five Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road And all the way to Dublin, whack-fol-la-de-da! The boys in Liverpool When we safely landed Called myself a fool I could no longer stand it Blood began to boil Temper I was losing Poor old Erin's Isle They began abusing Hooray me soul, says I Let the shellaillagh fly Some Galway boys were nigh Saw I was a-hobblin' With a loud array They joined me in the fray And soon we cleared the way On the rocky road to Dublin One, two, three, four, five Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road And all the way to Dublin, whack-fol-la-de-da! One, two, three, four, five Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road And all the way to Dublin, whack-fol-la-de-da!

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