Song Lyrics

"Mrs. McGrath," the sergeant said,
"Would you like a soldier
Of your son, Ted?
With a scattered coat and a big cocked hat,
Mrs. McGrath wouldn you like that?"
With a too-ri-a, fo-diddle- di-a,
Too-ri-o-ri-o-ri-a
With a too-ri-a, fo-diddle-di-a
Too-ri-o-ri-o-ri-a
Mrs. McGrath lived on the shore
For the space of seven long years or more
She spied a ship come in to the bay
With her son from far away
"Oh, Captain dear, where have ye been.
Ye been sailin' the Mediterranean'.
Have ye news of my son Ted.
Is he livin' or is he dead?"
With a too-ri-a, fo-diddle-di-a
Too-ri-o-ri-o-ri-a
With a too-ri-a, fo-diddle-di-a
Too-ri-o-ri-o-ri-a
There 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 ye drunk or were ye blind
When ye left yer two fine legs behind?
Or was it the walking upon the sea
That tore your legs away?"
"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."
With a too-ri-a, fo-diddle-di-a,
Too-ri-o-ri-o-ri-a
With a too-ri-a, fo-diddle-di-a
Too-ri-o-ri-o-ri-a
"Now Teddy boy," the widow cried
"Yer two fine legs were your mother's pride stumps of a tree won't do at all
Why didn't ye run from the cannon ball?"
With a too-ri-a, fo-diddle-di-a,
Too-ri-o-ri-o-ri-a
With a too-ri-a, fo-diddle-di-a
Too-ri-o-ri-o-ri-a
"Now against all war, I do profrain
Between Don Juan and the King of Spain
And, by herrons, I'll make 'em rue the time
When they swept the legs from a child of mine."

J Baird, Traditional, Pd Traditional