Appalachian Paddy
The Elders Lyrics

Young Dinny McCann, just a sliver of a man, He walks down the road with his fiddle in hand.
Dinny McCann, a slender man, walked down the street with his fiddle, looking for sixpence to pay for a boat to America, away from the place where he buried his father, mother and younger sister.

A beggin for sixpence to help pay for boat To get him to sailin' high tide To America he go, away from this hole That killed his young sister and shattered his soul.
Dinny was begging for sixpence to help him finance his trip to America where he could start life afresh after the death of his family, a tragedy that broke his soul.

A long stormy night, a long voyage he sailed His fiddle in hand was all that he hailed
Dinny sailed through stormy seas for a long time, with only his fiddle for company.

He played through the night, and saw a smile from a child Gave hope to the lost and forsaken As they pray on their knees, many souls lost at sea The sighting of land will bring tears to the free
Dinny played music all night long and saw a smile from a child who was lost and forsaken. He gave hope to other lost souls who prayed on their knees, and the sight of land brought tears to those who felt freedom from the dangers of the sea.

With hope in their hearts and screams of delight They will dance on the decks of the Erin
The passengers felt hope and joy when they saw land, and they danced on the deck of the Erin.

; Put your arms around each other And sing to the angels up high Shake your fist at the devil and begrudgers Give a kiss to the one by your side
People should hug each other and sing with the angels, and show their happiness by kissing their loved ones.

In a bar on the hill, schlligin' juice from a still He hears a young lad play an Appalachian fill To Dinny he cried what is in that black case ‘Tis me fiddle from my mother Ireland
Dinny met a young boy who played a tune on his fiddle in a bar on the hill while drinking the hooch from the still. The boy had a fiddle that was from his mother in Ireland.

Well break it on out he declares with a shout Let's dig for the gold with our strings and a stout We'll play ‘til we bleed or break an ould string Our ghosts will move on to the new land
The boy declared that they should start playing until their fingers bled or their strings broke. They will continue playing until they reach the new land, and their spirit moves into the next world

I'm playin da string with me fathers bow in a land so far away A sippin' a drop a da potteen, playin' da music from ma soul Flannigan, Donnigan, Finnegan's wake and all the tunes are known Irish Whiskey Irish music till the morning
People are drinking and playing Irish music with Dinny in a faraway place.

Maggie O'Connor jumps up on the table and dances a slippery Jig Her arms and legs a swinging with her lips wrapped round a cig Flannigan, Donnigan, Finnegan's wake and all the tunes are known Irish Whiskey Irish music till the morning
Maggie O'Connor danced on the table and had a cigar. They continue to celebrate with traditional Irish music and whiskey until morning.

Well this is our mountain music we be playin here so long Our plantin' and a seedin' all recorded in our song We work our fingers to the bone and praise the Lord each day ‘Til the sun come up and the moon goes down drinkin' moonshine rakin' hay
The mountain music that they play has been passed on for generations. They work hard every day to earn a living and give praise to the Lord. At the end of the day, they drink moonshine and rake hay.

Well a simple life we choose to live and treat your woman well Don't raise your hand to child nor dog your soul will go to hell Just work your fingers to the bone and praise the Lord each day ‘Til the sun come up and the moon goes down drinkin' moonshine rakin' hay
They choose a simple life and treat their women with respect. They don't abuse their children or pets. Their lives are hard work, but they find time to find joy and celebrate with music and moonshine.