The Irish Rover

THE IRISH ROVER

In the year of our Lord, eighteen hundred and six,
We set sail from the Coal Quay of Cork
Down below in the hold was a cargo of bricks
For the grand City Hall in New York
We'd an elegant craft, she was rigged 'fore and aft
And oh how the trade winds drove her
She had twenty-three masts and she stood several blasts
And we called her the Irish Rover

Well, there was Barney Magee from the banks of the Lee
There was Hogan from County Tyrone
An' there was Johnny McGurk, he was scared stiff of work
And a chap from Westmeath named 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 barrells of bone
We had three million bales of old nanny goats' tails
We had four million barrells of stone
We had five million hogs and six million dogs
And seven million barrells of porter
We had eight million sides of old blind horses' hides
In the hold of the Irish Rover

We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out
And our ship lost its way in a fog
And the whale of a crew was reduced down to two
'Twas myself and the captain's old dog
Then the ship struck a rock, Oh, Lord what a shock
And nearly tumbled over
Turned nine times around - then the poor old dog was drowned
I'm the last of the Irish Rover

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