We are happy to offer some special notes on all of the songs on the LIVE CD. Some of the text will be identical to that found on the CD, while there are special comments and further information added--and, of course, lyrics so that you can sing along!. We hope you will enjoy this companion to your CD purchase.
liner notes
The participation begins with The Irish Rover as the audience sings the last line of each verse, imitates howling dogs and throws in some general comments about life at sea. We're now doing this song with an additional verse sung by none other than the great Shane McGowan of The Pogues fame.
There are many versions of this music hall song and it's always a popular tune.
The Irish Rover
In the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and six,
We set sail from the cold 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-she was rigged for 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 Barnie McGee from the banks of the Lee,
And Hogan from County Tyrone;
There was Johnny McGirk who was scared stiff of work,
And a chap from Westmeath named Malone.
There was slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a rule,
And fightin' Bill Tracy from Dover;
And your man, Mick McCann from the banks of the Bann,
Was the skipper of The Irish Rover!
We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags,
We had two million barrels of bone;
We had three million bales of old nanny goat tails,
We had four million barrels of stone.
We had five million hogs and six million dogs,
And seven million barrels of porter;
We had eight million sides of old lamed horse's hides
In the hold of The Irish Rover!
There as awl Mickey Coote who played hard on his flute,
When the ladies lined up for a set;
He was tootlin' with skill for each sparklin' 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 on The Irish Rover!
We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out,
And the ship lost its way in a fog--GREAT FOG!
And the whole of the 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!
We nearly tumbled over;
Turned nine times around and the poor old dog was drowned
Now, I'm the last of The Irish Rover!
