Irish Rover
Clancy Bros. & Tommy Makem Lyrics
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We set sail from the Coal Quay of Cork
We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks
For the grand City Hall in New York
We'd an elegant craft, it was rigged 'fore and aft
And how the trade winds drove her
She had twenty-three masts and she stood several blasts
And they called her the Irish Rover
There was Barney Magee from the banks of the Lee
There was Hogan from County Tyrone
There was Johnny McGurk who was scared stiff of work
And a chap from Westmeath named Malone
There was Slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a rule
And fighting Bill Tracy from Dover
And your man Mick McCann, from the banks of the Bann
Was the skipper on the Irish Rover
We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags
We had two million barrells of bone
We had three million bales of old nanny goats' tails
We had four million barrells of stone
We had five million hogs and six million dogs
And seven million barrells of porter
We had eight million sides of old blind horses' hides
In the hold of the Irish Rover
We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out
And our ship lost her way in a fog
And the whole of the crew was reduced down to two
'Twas myself and the captain's old dog
Then the ship struck a rock, oh, Lord what a shock
And nearly tumbled over
Turned nine times around then the poor old dog was drowned
I'm the last of the Irish Rover
The lyrics of Clancy Bros. & Tommy Makem's song "[The] Irish Rover" tell the story of a sailing voyage from Cork to New York in the year 1806. The ship was loaded with cargo, including bricks for the grand City Hall in New York. The ship was described as elegant, with a rig that allowed it to withstand the trade winds. The ship had twenty-three masts and could withstand several blasts. Because of its remarkable sailing capabilities, the ship was called the Irish Rover.
The song goes on to introduce the different characters on board the ship. From Barney Magee from the banks of the Lee to Hogan from County Tyrone, Johnny McGurk, and a man from Westmeath named Malone. The song also mentions Slugger O'Toole, who was generally drunk and Bill Tracy from Dover, who was always ready for a fight. The captain of the Irish Rover was Mick McCann, from the banks of the Bann.
The song's final verse tells the tragic fate of the Irish Rover. After sailing for seven years, the ship encountered a fog, and the crew was struck with measles. The ship hit a rock, and only two people survived - the singer of the song and the captain's old dog. The dog ultimately drowned, leaving the singer as the last of the Irish Rover.
Line by Line Meaning
In the year of our Lord, eighteen hundred and six,
In the year 1806,
We set sail from the Coal Quay of Cork
We departed from the dock in Cork where coal was stored
We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks
We were carrying bricks on our journey
For the grand City Hall in New York
The bricks were intended for the City Hall in New York
We'd an elegant craft, it was rigged 'fore and aft
Our ship was beautiful and had masts at both the front and back
And how the trade winds drove her
The trade winds were pushing us along
She had twenty-three masts and she stood several blasts
The ship had 23 masts and was able to withstand severe storms
And they called her the Irish Rover
The ship was known as the Irish Rover
There was Barney Magee from the banks of the Lee
One of the crew members was Barney Magee from the banks of the Lee River
There was Hogan from County Tyrone
Another crew member was Hogan from County Tyrone
There was Johnny McGurk who was scared stiff of work
There was a crew member named Johnny McGurk who was afraid of working
And a chap from Westmeath named Malone
Another crew member was Malone from Westmeath
There was Slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a rule
Another crew member was Slugger O'Toole who frequently drank alcohol
And fighting Bill Tracy from Dover
There was a crew member named Bill Tracy from Dover who enjoyed fighting
And your man Mick McCann, from the banks of the Bann
The captain of the Irish Rover was Mick McCann from the banks of the River Bann
Was the skipper on the Irish Rover
Mick McCann was the captain of the Irish Rover
We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags
We had a cargo of one million bags filled with the best Sligo rags
We had two million barrels of bone
Two million barrels of something made of bone were on board the ship
We had three million bales of old nanny goats' tails
We had a cargo of three million bales filled with old nanny goats' tails
We had four million barrels of stone
We were carrying four million barrels filled with stone
We had five million hogs and six million dogs
We had five million hogs and six million dogs on board the ship
And seven million barrels of porter
The ship was also carrying seven million barrels of porter
We had eight million sides of old blind horses' hides
Our ship also had eight million sides of old blind horses' hides
In the hold of the Irish Rover
All of these items were in the cargo hold of the Irish Rover
We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out
After seven years of sailing, the measles disease spread on the ship
And our ship lost her way in a fog
Lost in a thick fog, our ship was unsure of its direction
And the whole of the crew was reduced down to two
Everyone on board except for the captain and his dog got sick
'Twas myself and the captain's old dog
Only I and the captain's old dog remained healthy
Then the ship struck a rock, oh, Lord what a shock
The ship hit a rock, causing great surprise and fear
And nearly tumbled over
The hit was nearly enough to make the ship capsize
Turned nine times around then the poor old dog was drowned
After spinning around nine times, the captain's dog sadly drowned
I'm the last of the Irish Rover
As the sole survivor, I'm the last of our crew to tell the tale of the Irish Rover
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: TRADITIONAL, J BAIRD, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MarkRobertCuthbert
There was Bobby McGee from the banks of the Leith.
There was Hogan from county Tyrone.
There was John D. McGirk, who was scared stiff of work,
And a chap from Westmeath named Malone.
There was Slugger O'Toole, who was drunk as a rule,
And Fighting Bill Tracy from Dover,
And a man, Mick McCann, from the banks of the Bann
Was the skipper of the Irish Rover.
@user-xl6rk9du1s
I somehow came across this song, it's amazing. It's so interesting to learn about different cultures through music while high. Have a nice day and good mood everyone.
Alan from North Ossetia.
@kylemccourt663
I own a Groverbuilt boat. She is a small downeaster style craft made in small numbers by a local legend. The builder is quite the legend locally as he went down in the Guinness Book for piloting the smallest craft (26 feet) ever across the Atlantic. So when I finally became old enough to purchase one of these legendary vessels, I felt it only fitting to name her "The Irish Grover".
@49312317
Timeless excellence
@l.salisbury1253
Best ever Irish musical unit: STIFF LITTLE FINGERS!!
@NumberNile
That's a damn shame... I remember spending nights at my grandparents' house and falling asleep to Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers every night...
@ilikpatoez
i still do that every once in a while my granfather and his wife will sit down and play his old clancy brothers records aaallll night
@jayandirene
And now, they're all gone. That's very sad. They were great.
@feelsman7837
There was Johnny McGurk who was scared stiff of work
And a chap from Westmeath named Malone
There was Slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a rule
And fighting Bill Tracy from Dover
@MarkRobertCuthbert
There was Bobby McGee from the banks of the Leith.
There was Hogan from county Tyrone.
There was John D. McGirk, who was scared stiff of work,
And a chap from Westmeath named Malone.
There was Slugger O'Toole, who was drunk as a rule,
And Fighting Bill Tracy from Dover,
And a man, Mick McCann, from the banks of the Bann
Was the skipper of the Irish Rover.
@abramtaylor1
Funny little song that points out one of life's hard facts-being Irish is often a drag. I know this from personal experience.