The Irish Rover
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"The Irish Rover" is a traditional Irish song about a magnificent sailing ship that reaches an unfortunate end. It has been covered numerous times.
[edit] Original lyrics
- In the year of our Lord, eighteen hundred and six,
- We set sail from the Coal Quay of Cork
- We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks
- For the grand City Hall in New York
- We'd an elegant craft, it was rigged 'fore and aft
- And how the trade winds drove her
- She had twenty-three masts and she stood 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 Johnny McGurk who was scared stiff of work
- And a man from Westmeath called Malone
- There was Slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a rule
- And fighting Bill Tracy from Dover
- And your man Mick McCann, from the banks of the Bann
- Was the skipper on the Irish Rover
- We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags
- We had two million barrels of stones
- We had three million sides of old blind horses' hides
- We had four million barrels of bones
- We had five million hogs and six million dogs
- And seven million barrels of porter
- We had eight million bales of old nanny goats' tails
- In the hold of the Irish Rover
- We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out
- And our ship lost her way in the fog
- And the whole of the crew was reduced down to two
- 'Twas meself and the captain's old dog
- Then the ship struck a rock; oh Lord what a shock
- The bulkhead was turned right over
- We turned nine times around - then the poor old dog was drowned
- Now I'm the last of the Irish Rover
[edit] Variations
The Irish Rovers sang the song with a slightly different final verse due to being a group:
- ...And the crew left alive were reduced down to five
- Just ourselves and the captain's old dog
- Then the ship struck a rock; oh, Lord, what a shock
- We nearly tumbled over
- Turned nine times around, and the poor old dog was drowned
- We're the last of the Irish Rover
The version sung by The Pogues and The Dubliners has two verses that are not part of the traditional version.
- There was awl Mickey Coote
- Who played hard on his flute
- When the ladies lined up for a set
- He was tootin' with skill
- For each sparkling quadrille
- Though the dancers were fluther'd and bet
- With his smart witty talk
- He was cock of the walk
- And he rolled the dames under and over
- They all knew at a glance
- When he took up his stance
- That he sailed in The Irish Rover
- For a sailor it's always a bother in life
- It's so lonesome by night and day
- That he longs for the shore
- And a charming young whore
- Who will melt all his troubles away
- Oh, the noise and the rout
- Swillin' poitin and stout
- For him soon the torment's over
- Of the love of a maid
- He is never afraid
- An old salt from the Irish Rover
There is also a variation in the second-last line of the first verse sung by The Pogues:
- She stood several blasts, she had twenty-seven masts
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