Tim Finnegan lived in Walkin' Street
A gentle, Irishman, mighty odd;
he had a beautiful brogue both rich and sweet
And to rise in the world he carried a hod.
What you see is a sort of the tipplin' way
With a love of the liquor pour Tim was born
And to help him on with his work each day
He'd a "drop of the cray-thur" every morn
Chorus:
Whack fol the darn O, dance to your partner
Whirl the floor, your trotters shake;
Wasn't it the truth I told you
Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake!
One mornin' Tim was rather full
His head felt heavy which made him shake;
He fell from the ladder and he broke his skull
And they carried him home his corpse to wake.
They rolled him up in a nice clean sheet
And laid him out upon the bed,
A barrel of porter at his feet
And a gallon of whiskey at his head.
Chorus ...
His friends assembled at the wake
When Mrs. Finnegan called for lunch,
First they brought in tea and cake
Then pipes, tobacco and whiskey punch.
Biddy O'Brien began to cry
"Such a nice clean corpse, did you ever see?
"O Tim, mavourneen, why did you die?"
Arragh, hold your gob said Paddy McGhee!
Chorus ...
And Maggie O'Connor took up the job
"O Biddy," says she, "You're wrong, I'm sure"
Biddy she gave her a belt in the gob
And left her sprawlin' on the floor.
And then the war did soon engage
'Twas woman to woman and man to man,
Shillelagh law was all the rage
And a row and a ruction soon began.
Chorus ...
Then Mickey Maloney raised his head
When a noggin of whiskey flew at him,
It missed, and landing on the bed
The liquor scattered over Tim.
Tim revives. See how he rises!
Timothy rising from the bed,
Says, "Whirl your whiskey around like blazes
Thanum an Dhul! Do you think I'm dead?"
The Wild Rover
I've been a wild rover for many a year
And I spent all my money on whiskey and beer,
And now I'm returning with gold in great store
And I never will play the wild rover no more.
Chorus:
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 ale-house 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 could have any day."
Chorus ...
I took from my pocket ten sovereigns bright
And the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight.
She said "I have whiskey and wines of the best
And the words that I spoke sure 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 if they forgive me as ofttimes before
Sure I never will play the wild rover no more.
Chorus ...