Digital Tradition Mirror

Finnegan's Wake

(This score available as ABC, SongWright, PostScript, PNG, or PMW, or a MIDI file)
Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

Finnegan's Wake

Tim Finnegan lived in Walkin' Street
A gentleman, Irish, mighty odd;
He had a brogue both rich and sweet
And to rise in the world he carried a hod.
     Now Tim had a sort of the tipplin' way
     With a love of the whiskey he was born
     And to help him on with his work each day
     He'd a "drop of the cray-thur" every  morn.

cho  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 feelin' full
His head was heavy which made him shake;
He fell from the ladder and 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 gallon of whiskey at his feet
     And a barrel of porter at his head.

cho:

His friends assembled at the wake
And Mrs. Finnegan called for lunch,
First they brought in tay and cake
Then pipes, tobacco and whiskey punch.
     Biddy O'Brien began to bawl
     "Such a nice clean corpse, did you ever see?
     "O Tim, mavourneen, why did you die?"
     Arragh, hold your gob said Paddy McGhee!

cho:

Then 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.

cho:

Then Mickey Maloney ducked his head
When a noggin of whiskey flew at him,
It missed, and falling on the bed
The liquor scattered over Tim!
     The corpse revives! See how he raises!
     Timothy rising from the bed,
     Says,"Whirl your whiskey around like blazes
     Thanum an Dhul! Do you thunk I'm dead?"

cho:
Recorded by Clancys
DT #528
Laws Q17
RG

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!