The Irish comic ballad Finnegan’s Wake was first published in New York in 1864, but its oral tradition goes back even further, based on earlier Irish songs and folk tales in which an apparently dead alcoholic is revived by whiskey, known as “the water of life.” The title inspired James Joyce's novel Finnegans Wake.
lyrics
Tim Finnegan lived on Walker Street
and a gentle Irishman, mighty odd.
He'd a beautiful brogue so rich and sweet
and to rise in the world, he carried a hod.
See he'd sort of a tipplin' way.
With a love of the liquor, poor Tim was born.
To help him on with his work each day,
he'd a drop of the craythur every morn.
Whack fol the die do! 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 morning', Tim was rather full.
His head felt heavy which made him shake.
He fell from the ladder and broke his skull.
They carried him home, his corpse to wake.
Wrapped him up in a nice clean sheet,
and they laid him out upon a bed
with a gallon of whiskey at his feet
and a barrel or porter at his head.
Whack fol the die do! 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 brought in tea and cake
then pipes, tobacco and whisky punch.
Biddy O'Brien began to cry,
"Such a nice clean corpse did you ever see?
Tim mavourneen, why did ye die?"
"O hold your gob," says Patty MacGee.
Whack fol the die do! 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!
Maggie O'Connor took the job.
"Biddy," says she, "you're wrong, I'm sure!"
Biddy gave Maggie a belt in the gob
and left her sprawlin' on the floor.
Then the war did soon engage.
'Twas woman to woman and man to man.
Shillelagh law was all the rage,
and the row and eruption soon began.
Whack fol the die do! 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!
Mickey Maloney raised his head
when a noggin of whiskey flew at him.
Missed and fallen on the bed,
the liquor scattered over Tim.
Tim revived! See how he raises.
Timothy, rising from the bed,
says, "Wheel your whiskey 'round like blazes!
Thanum o'n dhoul! Did ye think I's dead?"
Whack fol the die do! 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!
Whack fol the die do! 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!
Whack fol the die do! 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!
credits
from From the Mountains to the Sea,
released January 17, 2024
Traditional, arranged by Phillips & Quinn
Davis Quinn - lead vocals, 8-string guitar
Derrick Phillips - additional vocals, 5-string banjo
Davis Quinn is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and traditional folk enthusiast. He has been performing and recording for over twenty years and lives in Buffalo, NY with his wife and dog.
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