Irish Rover

 

In the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and six

We set sail from the cold cay of Cork.

We were sailin’ away with a cargo of bricks

For the grand city hall of New York

 

We’d 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 Charly McGurk who was scared stiff of work

And a chap from West Meath called Malone.

 

There was Slugger O’Tool who was drunk as a rule

And fighting Bill Tracey from Dover

And your man, Mick McCann from the banks of the Bann

Was the skipper of the Irish Rover

 

Well, we had five million bags of the best Sligo rags

We had six million barrels of stones

An’ we had seven million bales of old nanny goats’ tails

We had eight million barrels of bones

 

We had nine million hogs, 10 million dogs

Eleven million barrels of porter

An’ we had twelve million sides of ol’ blind horses’ hides

In the hold of the Irish Rover

 

                           [Instrumental Chorus]

 

We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out

And the ship lost her way in a fog

And the whole of the crew was reduced down to two

Just myself and the captains’ old dog

 

Well the ship struck a rock, Lord what a shock

The boat, she turned right over

She turned nine times around, And the poor old dog was drowned

And I’m the last of the Irish Rover