Mrs. McGrath

Now, Mrs. McGrath, the sargent said
Would you like to make a soldier out of your son Ted?
With a scarlet coat and a big cocked hat
Mrs. McGrath, wouldn’t you like that?
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
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
«O captain dear, where have ye been?
You been sailing the Mediterranean
Have you news of my son Ted
Is he living or is he dead?»
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Then 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 your two fine legs behind?
Or was it walking upon the sea
That wore your two fine legs away?"
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
«Now I wasn’t drunk and I wasn’t blind
When I left my two fine legs behind
A cannonball on the fifth of May
Tore my two fine legs away»
«My, Teddy boy,» the widow cried
«Your two fine legs were yer mother’s pride
Stumps of a tree won’t do at all
Why didn’t ye run from the cannonball?»
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
«All foreign wars I do proclaim
Between Don John and the King of Spain
I’d rather have my son as he used to be
Than the King of France and his whole Navy»
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa