Irish Rover
Drew Ronnie Lyrics

On the Fourth of July, 1806
We started our journey on fourth of July 1806

We set sail from the sweet Cove of Cork
We began sailing from the pleasant cove of Cork

We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks
We were carrying bricks in our ship

For the Grand City Hall in New York
The bricks in our ship were meant for building the City Hall in New York

'Twas a wonderful craft
Our ship was an amazing and beautiful vessel

She was rigged fore and aft
Our ship had sails at both front and rear ends

And oh, how the wild wind drove her
The strong wind was pushing our ship forward

She stood several blasts
Our ship could withstand multiple strong winds

She had twenty seven masts
Our ship had 27 masts (poetic exaggeration)

And they called her The Irish Rover
Our ship was known as The Irish Rover

We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags
In addition to the bricks, we were carrying one million bags of high-quality Sligo rags

We had two million barrels of stones
We were also carrying two million barrels of stones on our ship

We had three million sides of old blind horses hides'
Our ship's cargo included three million sides of old horse hides

We had four million barrels of bones
We had four million barrels filled with bones on our ship

We had five million hogs
Our cargo included five million live hogs (likely poetic exaggeration)

six million dogs
Our ship was carrying six million live dogs (likely poetic exaggeration)

Seven million barrels of porter
Our cargo included seven million barrels of a dark beer called porter

We had eight million sides of old nanny goate tails
In addition to the horse hides, our ship carried eight million sides of old goat tails

In the hold of the Irish Rover
All of our cargo was stored in the ship's hold

There was awl Mickey Coote
Our crew had a member named Mickey Coote

Who played hard on his flute
Mickey Coote was a skilled flute player

And the ladies lined up for a set
Women were interested to dance with Mickey Coote

He would tootle with skill
Mickey Coote played the flute with great skill

For each sparkling quadrille
Mickey Coote played music for a specific type of dance called quadrille

Though the dancers were fluther'd and bet
Even though the dancers were nervous and agitated

With his smart witty talk
Mickey Coote was also known for his clever and humorous conversations

He was cock of the walk
Mickey Coote was a confident and popular crew member

As he rolled the dames under and over
Mickey Coote was able to dance and have fun with the women onboard

They all knew at a glance
Everyone could tell right away

When he took up his stance
When Mickey Coote stood to play his flute

That he sailed in The Irish Rover
He was definitely part of The Irish Rover crew

There was Barney McGee
Another crew member was Barney McGee

From the banks of the Lee
Barney McGee was from a region near the Lee river

There was Hogan from County Tyrone
Another crew member was Hogan who belonged to County Tyrone

There was Johnny McGurk
The crew also included Johnny McGurk

Who was scared stiff of work
Johnny McGurk despised work and was afraid of it

And a man from Westmeath called Malone
Our crew had a member called Malone and he belonged to Westmeath

There was Slugger O'Toole
One more crew member was Slugger O'Toole

Who was drunk as a rule
Slugger O'Toole was typically drunk

And Fighting Bill Tracy from Dover
Another crew member was Bill Tracy who was known for fighting, and he was from Dover

And your man, Mick McCann
The captain of our ship was named Mick McCann

From the banks of the Bann
Mick McCann was from a place that was near the river Bann

Was the skipper of the Irish Rover
Mick McCann was our ship's captain

For a sailor its' always a bother in life
Life is always difficult for a sailor

It's so lonesome by night and by day
Sailors feel lonely both during the day and night

That he longs for the shore
Sailors crave to be on land

And a charming young whore
Sailors look for women to spend time with on the shore

Who will melt all his troubles away
They hope to find someone who can help them let go of their worries

Oh, the noise and the rout
The sounds and the chaos on board can be overwhelming

Swillin' poiteen and stout
The crew drinks a lot of poiteen (a type of Irish whiskey) and stout

For him soon the torment's over
Once they find a woman, sailors can be more at peace

Of the love of a maid he is never afraid
They are never afraid of falling in love with a woman

An old salt from the Irish Rover
This is a reference to a seasoned sailor from The Irish Rover

We had sailed seven years
The journey took us seven years

When the measles broke out
An outbreak of measles occurred

And the ship lost its way in the fog
The ship couldn't navigate properly due to the fog

And that whale of a crew
The crew was massive and strong (likely poetic exaggeration)

Was reduced down to two
Only two people survived the outbreak and foggy weather

Just myself and the Captain's old dog
The two survivors were myself and the captain's old dog

Then the ship struck a rock
The ship hit a rock

Oh Lord! what a shock
It was a terrible and scary experience

The bulkhead was turned right over
The wall lining of the ship was turned over

Turned nine times around
The ship turned around nine times (likely poetic exaggeration)

And the poor old dog was drowned (1, 2, 3!)
Unfortunately, the captain's dog couldn't survive and drowned

I'm the last of The Irish Rover
The only survivor was myself, I'm the last person from The Irish Rover crew