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The Rocky Road to Dublin
The Chieftains Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

In the merry month of May
From me home I started
Left the girls of Tuam
Sad and brokenhearted

Salute me father dear
And kissed me darling mother
Then drank a pint of beer
Me tears and grief to smother

Off to reap the corn
Leave where I was born
I cut a stoat black thorn
To banish ghosts and goblins

In a pair of brand new brogues
Rattled over the bogs
I frightened all the dogs
On the rocky road to Dublin

One two three four five
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road
And all the way to Dublin, whacks fer al de da

In Dublin next arrived
And thought it such a pity
To be so soon deprived
A view of that fair city

Then I took a stroll
All amongst the quality
Me bundle it was stole
In that neat locality

Something crossed me mind
When I looked behind
No bundle I could find
Upon me stick a wobbling

Inquiring after the rogue
Said me Connaught Brogue
Was not much in vogue
On the rocky road to Dublin

One two three four five
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road
And all the way to Dublin, whacks fer al de da

The boys of Liverpool
When we safely landed
Called myself a fool
I could no longer stand it

Me blood began to boil
Me temper I was losing
For old Erin's isle
They began abusing

Horah say I
Me shelelagh I let fly
Galway boys were by
They saw I was a hobbling

With a loud hurray
They joined in the affray
We quickly cleared the way
For the rocky road to Dublin

One two three four five
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road
Nd all the way to Dublin, whacks fer al de da

Overall Meaning

The Rocky Road to Dublin by The Chieftains is a traditional Irish song that tells the story of a man leaving his home in Tuam, County Galway and travelling to Dublin. The song starts in the merry month of May when the singer leaves his home town, leaving behind the girls of Tuam sad and broken-hearted. He salutes his father and kisses his mother before drinking a pint of beer to mask his tears and grief.


As he continues on his journey, he cuts a stoat black thorn to banish ghosts and goblins and walks in a pair of brand new brogues that rattle over the bogs, frightening all the dogs. When he arrives in Dublin, he is devastated that he has been robbed of his bundle. When he looked behind him, he couldn't find his bundle and upon checking his stick, it was wobbling. He soon discovers that his Connaught brogue is not in vogue on the rocky road to Dublin.


The song concludes with the singer getting into a fight with the boys of Liverpool when he lands in Dublin, and the Galway boys come to his aid. Together, they quickly clear the way for the rocky road to Dublin. This song is an ode to the tough life of Irish immigrants, who had to overcome numerous challenges on their journey from their home town to the capital of Ireland, Dublin.


Line by Line Meaning

In the merry month of May
The events of the song are set in May


From me home I started
The singer left his home


Left the girls of Tuam
The singer left behind the girls of Tuam


Sad and brokenhearted
The girls of Tuam were sad and brokenhearted to see him go


Salute me father dear
The singer bade farewell to his father


And kissed me darling mother
The singer bade farewell to his mother


Then drank a pint of beer
The singer drank a pint of beer to drown his sorrows


Me tears and grief to smother
The singer wanted to suppress his tears and grief


Off to reap the corn
The singer left to harvest the corn


Leave where I was born
The singer left the place of his birth


I cut a stoat black thorn
The singer cut a blackthorn to ward off evil spirits


To banish ghosts and goblins
The singer wanted to get rid of ghosts and goblins


In a pair of brand new brogues
The singer wore new shoes


Rattled over the bogs
The singer travelled over the marshy ground


I frightened all the dogs
The singer scared all the dogs on his way


On the rocky road to Dublin
The singer was travelling on the difficult road to Dublin


One two three four five
The singer is counting and getting ready for a game


Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road
The singer and his companions are playing a game with a hare


And all the way to Dublin, whacks fer al de da
The singer and his companions are having fun as they travel to Dublin


In Dublin next arrived
The singer arrived in Dublin


And thought it such a pity
The singer was disappointed that he couldn't spend more time in the city


To be so soon deprived
The singer was unhappy about leaving so soon


A view of that fair city
The singer wanted to see the sights of Dublin


Then I took a stroll
The singer went for a walk


All amongst the quality
The singer walked among the wealthy and fashionable people


Me bundle it was stole
The singer's belongings were stolen


In that neat locality
The theft happened in a seemingly safe and tidy area


Something crossed me mind
The singer had a sudden thought


When I looked behind
The singer turned around to see what had happened


No bundle I could find
The singer's belongings were nowhere to be seen


Upon me stick a wobbling
The singer was using a stick which wasn't very stable


Inquiring after the rogue
The singer asked around to find out who had stolen his belongings


Said me Connaught Brogue
The thief was wearing Connaught brogues


Was not much in vogue
Connaught brogues weren't very popular


The boys of Liverpool
The singer's companions were from Liverpool


When we safely landed
The group arrived safely in Liverpool


Called myself a fool
The singer felt foolish


I could no longer stand it
The singer couldn't take it anymore


Me blood began to boil
The singer became angry


Me temper I was losing
The singer was losing his temper


For old Erin's isle
The singer was defending Ireland


They began abusing
The locals began insulting the singer and his companions


Horah say I
The singer shouted 'hoorah!'


Me shelelagh I let fly
The singer swung his shelelagh


Galway boys were by
The singer's friends from Galway were there to support him


They saw I was a hobbling
The singer's friends saw that he was struggling


With a loud hurray
The singer's companions joined in with a loud cheer


They joined in the affray
The singer's companions joined in the fight


We quickly cleared the way
The group quickly made a path for themselves


For the rocky road to Dublin
The group continued their journey down the rocky road to Dublin


Nd all the way to Dublin, whacks fer al de da
The group continued to enjoy themselves on their journey to Dublin




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Paddy Moloney, Traditional

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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