Mrs. McGrath

"Oh, Mrs McGrath," the sergeant said

"Would you like a soldier in your son Ted

With a scarlett coat and a big cocked hat

Oh, Mrs McGrath, wouldn't you like that?"

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

Now, Mrs McGrath lived on the shore

And after seven years or more

She spied a ship come into the bay

With her son from far away

"Oh captain dear, where have you been

You've been sailing the Mediterranean

Have you news of my son Ted

Is he living or is he dead?"

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

Up came Ted without any legs

And in their place, two wooden pegs

She kissed him a dozen times or two

And said "My god, Ted is it you?"

"Now were you drunk or were you blind

When you left your two fine legs behind

Or was it walking upon the sea

That wore your two fine legs away?"

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

"No, I wasn't drunk and I wasn't blind

When I left my two fine legs behind

A cannon ball on the fifth of May

Tore my two fine legs away"

"Oh, Teddyboy," the widow cried

"Your two fine legs were your mother's pride

Stumps of a tree won't do at all

Why didn't you run from the cannon ball?"

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

All foreign wars I do proclaim

Live on the blood and the mother's pain

I'd rather have my son as he used to be

Than the King of America and his whole navy

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

With your too-ri-a, fol-diddle-di-a, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a