Finnegan’s Wake

Tim Finnegan lived in Watling Street
A gentleman Irishman mighty odd
He seen a brogue so soft and sweet
And to rise in the world he carried the hod

Tim had a sort of a tipplin' way
With a love of the liquor now he was born
To help him on with his work each day
Had a "drop of the craythur" every morn

Whack fol-the-dah, oh dance to your partner
Welt the floor, your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth I told ya?
Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake

One mornin' Tim felt rather full
His head felt heavy which made him shake
Fell from a ladder and he burst his skull
So they carried him home his corpse to wake

Rolled him up in a nice clean sheet
Laid him out upon the bed
A gallon of whiskey at his feet
A barrel of porter at his head

Whack fol-the-dah, oh dance to your partner
Welt the floor, your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth I told ya?
Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake

His friends assembled at the wake
And Mrs. Finnegan called for lunch
First they brung in tea and cake
Then pipes, tobacco and whiskey punch

Biddy O'Brien began to cry
"Such a nice clean corpse, did you ever see?
Tim mavourneen, why did you die?"
"Aarrgh, shut your gob" said Paddy McGee

Whack fol-the-dah, oh dance to your partner
Welt the floor, your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth I told ya?
Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake

Patty O'Connor took up the job
"Ah Biddy," says she, "You're wrong, I'm sure"
Biddy gave her a belt in the gob
Then left her sprawlin' on the floor

Then the war did soon enrage
Woman to woman and man to man
Shillelagh-law was all the rage
And a row and a ruction soon began

Mickey Maloney lowered his head
And a bottle of whiskey flew at him
Missed, and fallin' on the bed
The liquor scattered over Tim

Tim revives! See how he rises!
Timothy risin' from the bed
Sayin': "Whirl your liquor around like blazes
Thunderin' Jaysus! Do you think I'm dead?"

Whack fol-the-dah, oh dance to your partner
Welt the floor, your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth I told ya?
Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake