BOOZE & RIOTS

As we gather in the chapel here in old Kilmainham Gaol I think about these past few weeks, oh, will they say we've failed? From our schooldays, they have told us we must yearn for liberty Yet, all I want in this dark place is to have you here with me Oh Grace, just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger They'll take me out at dawn and I will die With all my love, I'll place this wedding ring upon your finger There won't be time to share our love, for we must say goodbye Now, I know it's hard for you, my love, to ever understand The love I bear for these brave men, my love for this dear land But when Pádraic called me to his side down in the G.P.O. , I had to leave my own sick bed; to him I had to go Oh Grace, just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger They'll take me out at dawn and I will die With all my love, I'll place this wedding ring upon your finger There won't be time to share our love, for we must say goodbye Now, as the dawn ...

Well how do you do, young Willie McBride Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside? And rest for a while 'neath the warm summer sun I've been walking all day and I'm nearly done I see by your gravestone, you were only nineteen When you joined the great fallen in 1916 . I hope you died well and I hope you died clean Or young Willie McBride, was it slow and obscene? Did they beat the drum slowly, did they play the fife lowly? Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down? And did the band play the Last Post and Chorus? Did the pipes play 'The Flowers of the Forest'? Did you leave 'ere a wife or a sweetheart behind? In some faithful heart is your memory enshrined? Although you died back in 1916 In that faithful heart are you forever nineteen? Or are you a stranger without even a name Enclosed in forever, behind a glass frame? In an old photograph, torn, battered and stained And faded to yellow in a brown leather frame Did they beat the drum slowly,...

Oh, Ireland is a very funny place, sir It's a strange and a troubled land And the Irish are a very funny race, sir Every woman's in Cumann na mBan Every doggie got a tri-coloured ribbon Tied firmly to its tail And it wouldn't be surprising If there'd be another rising Said the man from the Daily Mail Oh, every bird upon my word Singing Yo Ho — I'm A Provo ! Every hen in Jail is laying hand grenades Over there sir, i do declare sir! And every old cock in the farmyard Stock singing triumph to Sinn Fein And it wouldn't be surprising If there'd be another rising Said the man from the Daily Mail Oh, the other day I travelled down to Claire, sir I spied an old boreen Such a bunch of busy gooses there, sir Dressed in orange, white and green They were marching to the German Goose step And whistling Grann na bheal And every time I show up They would shoot me as a yeoman Said the man from the Daily Mail You might also like Oh, every bird upon my word Singing Yo Ho — I...

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' 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 a better time 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 a 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 ...

Some say the devil is dead, the devil is dead, the devil is dead Some say the devil is dead and buried in Killarney More say he rose again, more say he rose again, more say he rose again And joined the British army Feed the pigs and milk the cow, milk the cow, milk the cow Feed the pigs and milk the cow, so early in the morning Tuck your leg up, Paddy, dear. Paddy, dear, I'm over here! Tuck your leg up, Paddy dear It's time to stop your yawning Some say the devil is dead, the devil is dead, the devil is dead Some say the devil is dead and buried in Killarney More say he rose again, more say he rose again, more say he rose again And joined the British army Katie, she is tall and thin, tall and thin, tall and thin Katie, she is tall and thin. She likes a drop of brandy Drinks it in the bed at night, drinks it in the bed at night, drinks it in the bed at night It makes her nice and randy Some say the devil is dead, the devil is dead, the devil is dead Some say the devil is dead an...

Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 60, my dear and loving son John Your good friend the schoolmaster Pat McNamara's so good As to write these words down Your brothers have all gone to find work in England The house is so empty and sad The crop of potatoes is sorely infected A third to a half of them bad And your sister Brigid and Patrick O'Donnell Are going to be married in June Your mother says not to work on the railroad And be sure to come on home soon Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 70, dear and loving son John Hello to your Mrs and to your four children May they grow healthy and strong Michael has got in a wee bit of trouble I guess that he never will learn Because of the dampness there's no turf to speak of And now we have nothing to burn And Brigid is happy you named a child for her Although she's got six of her own You say you found work, but you don't say What kind or when you will be coming home Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 80, dear Michael and John, my sons I'm sorry t...

I'm an ordinary man, nothing special nothing grand I've had to work for everything I own I never asked for a lot, I was happy with what I got Enough to keep my family and my home Now they say that times are hard and they've handed me my cards They say there's not the work to go around And when the whistle blows, the gates will finally close Tonight they're going to shut this factory down Then they'll tear it d-o-w-n I never missed a day nor went on strike for better pay For twenty years I served them best I could Now with a handshake and a cheque it seems so easy to forget Loyalty through the bad times and through good The owner says he's sad to see that things have got so bad But the captains of industry won't let him lose He still drives a car and smokes his cigar And still he takes his family on a cruise, he'll never lose Well it seems to me such a cruel irony He's richer now then he ever was before Now my cheque is spent and I can't affor...