Tim Finnegan lived in Watling street A gentleman Irish, mighty odd He had a brogue both rich and sweet And to rise in the world he carried a hod You see he'd a sort of a tipplin' way With a love for the liquor he was born And to send him on his way each day, He'd a drop of the craythur every morn'
CHORUS:
Whack fol' the dah will ya dance to your partner Round the floor your trotters shake Isn't it the truth I told ya? Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake
One morning Tim was rather full His head felt heavy which made him shake He fell off the ladder and he broke his skull And they carried him home, his corpse to wake Rolled him up in a nice, clean sheet laid him out upon the bed With a bottle of whiskey at his feet And a barrel of porter at his head
(Repeat Chorus)
Well his friends assembled at the wake And Mrs. Finnegan called for brunch Well, first she brought them tea and cake Then pipes, tobacco, and whiskey punch Then the Widow Malone began to cry "such a nice clean corpse did you ever see?" " Tim, mavourneen! Why did you die?" "Will you hold yer gob?" says Molly McGee'
(Repeat Chorus)
Well, Mary Murphy took up the job "Oh Biddy," says she, "you're wrong, I'm sure." Well Biddy fetched her a belt in the gob And left her sprawling on the floor Then the war did soon engage 'Twas woman to woman and man to man Shillelagh law was all the rage And a row and a ruction soon began
(Repeat Chorus)
Well Mickey Maloney ducked his head When a bottle of whiskey flew at him It missed, and landing on the bed The whiskey scattered over Tim Bedad revives, see how he rises! Timothy risin' from the bed! Sayin' "Throwin' your whiskey around like blazes," "Thanum an Dhul! do ye think I'm dead?"