In 1968, the predecessor of the Juno’s named The Irish Rovers Canada’s, “Folk Group of the Year”, and the following year, they received a Grammy nomination for “Folk Performance of the Year”.
As hosts of three national television series in Canada and Ireland, through the 1970's and 80s, The Irish Rovers increased the popularity of Irish music by way of the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
Canada's Prime Minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, personally asked the band if they could “please become Canadian” so that they could officially represent Canada throughout the world. Since then, they have represented Canada at no less than five world Expos, and in recognition for a quarter century of contributions to the International music world, The Irish Rovers won the Performing Rights Organization's (PROCAN) 'Harold Moon Award'.
Although all members of the band hail from Ireland, a number of their biggest hits were often "non-Irish". Their own rousing, traditional Irish compositions, however, do comprise the bulk of their music.
By the 90’s, their songwriting was even more prolific than their early years, and production of albums wasn’t about to slow down. Since they desired the freedom that as a younger band, they could not afford, in ’93 The Irish Rovers established their own record company, Rover Records. Their songs tell the story of the Irish, whether it’s a lost love, a sailor on leave, or the simple good taste of a Guinness. Rover Records has put out their last eleven albums, including Celtic Collection, Come Fill Up Your Glasses, Down by the Lagan Side, Another Round, Still Rovin', a Christmas album, and their greatest hits, 40 Years A-Rovin'.
Founding member George Millar is from Ballymena, original member Wilcil McDowell is from Larne, John Reynolds from Belfast, Sean O'Driscoll from Cork, Ian Millar from Ballymena, and percussionist Fred Graham is also from Belfast.
Former members include founding member Jimmy Ferguson who passed away in 1997 and Joe Millar.
My Old Man's A Dustman
The Irish Rovers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To tell it is a must
About an unsung hero
That moves away your dust
Some people make a fortune
Other's earn a mint
My old man don't earn much
In fact....he's flippin'.....skint
Oh, my old man's a dustman
He wears a dustman's hat
He wears cor blimey trousers
And he lives in a council flat
He looks a proper narner
In his great big hob nailed boots
He's got such a job to pull em up
That he calls them daisy roots
Some folks give tips at Christmas
And some of them forget
So when he picks their bins up
He spills some on the steps
Now one old man got nasty
And to the council wrote
Next time my old man went 'round there
He punched him up the throat
Oh, my old man's a dustman
He wears a dustman's hat
He wears cor blimey trousers
And he lives in a council flat
Though my old man's a dustman
He's got a heart of gold
He got married recently
Though he's 86 years old
We said 'Ear! Hang on Dad
you're getting past your prime'
He said 'Well when you get to my age'
'It helps to pass the time'
Now one day while in a hurry
He missed a lady's bin
He hadn't gone but a few yards
When she chased after him
'What game do you think you're playing'
She cried right from the heart
'You've missed me...am I too late'
'No... jump up on the cart'
Oh, my old man's a dustman
He wears a dustman's hat
He wears cor blimey trousers
And he lives in a council flat
Though my old man's a dustman
He's got a heart of gold
He got married recently
Though he's 86 years old
We said 'Ear! Hang on Dad
you're getting past your prime'
He said 'Well when you get to my age'
'It helps to pass the time'
Oh, my old man's a dustman
He wears a dustman's hat
He wears cor blimey trousers
And he lives in a council flat
He found a tiger's head one day
Nailed to a piece of wood
The tiger looked quite miserable
But I suppose it should
Just then from out a window
A voice began to wail
He said (Oi! Where's me tiger head)
Four foot from it's tail
Oh, my old man's a dustman
He wears a dustman's hat
He wears cor blimey trousers
And he lives in a council flat
Next time you see a dustman
Looking all pale and sad
Don't kick him in the dustbin
It might be my old dad
The Irish Rovers' "My Old Man's A Dustman" is a humorous and lighthearted look at the life of a garbage collector. The song encapsulates an unsung hero's work ethic, a man that moves away your dust, a man that may not earn what others do monetarily, but does earn respect with the heart. The opening verse highlights the contrast between the fortunate, who make a fortune, and the less fortunate, who are simply trying to mint some money. The singer speaks of his father, who is not making enough money and is even skint, meaning he is broke.
The chorus notes that the man in question is a dustman, wearing a dustman's hat and the "cor blimey trousers" commonly associated with working-class Londoners. He lives in a council flat, which is social housing in the UK, and looks the part with his great hob-nailed boots, which he calls daisy roots since they are challenging to pull up. The second verse is about how some people don't tip and how one old man got nasty and punched the dustman up the throat.
Despite all this, the singer notes that the dustman has a heart of gold and got married, despite being 86 years old. When confronted by his children about his age, his father said, "It helps to pass the time." The final verse is about the day the dustman found a tiger's head and how its owner, a man from a window, began to wail about where his tiger's head was.
Line by Line Meaning
Now here's a little story
I have an interesting story to share with you.
To tell it is a must
It's important that I tell it to you.
About an unsung hero
This story is about a hero who doesn't get acknowledged.
That moves away your dust
He's a dustman who clears out your trash.
Some people make a fortune
Some people are very wealthy.
Other's earn a mint
Others earn a lot of money.
My old man don't earn much
My dad doesn't make a lot of money.
In fact....he's flippin'.....skint
He's actually quite broke.
Oh, my old man's a dustman
My dad is a dustman, you see.
He wears a dustman's hat
He even has a special hat that comes with the job.
He wears cor blimey trousers
His pants are quite unique too.
And he lives in a council flat
He resides in a small apartment complex owned by the government.
He looks a proper narner
He looks very proper indeed.
In his great big hob nailed boots
He wears enormous boots for his job.
He's got such a job to pull em up
It's quite challenging to lift his massive footwear.
That he calls them daisy roots
He affectionately refers to them as 'daisy roots.'
Some folks give tips at Christmas
Some people reward him with tips during the holiday season.
And some of them forget
But other people forget to tip him.
So when he picks their bins up
When he comes to collect their trash.
He spills some on the steps
He accidentally leaves some behind on their steps.
Now one old man got nasty
Once an old man got quite upset with him.
And to the council wrote
He even wrote a letter to their governing council.
Next time my old man went 'round there
The next time my dad visited that man's home.
He punched him up the throat
He physically assaulted my father by punching him in the throat.
Though my old man's a dustman
Despite being a trash collector.
He's got a heart of gold
My dad is an extremely kind-hearted person.
He got married recently
To top it off, he even got married recently.
Though he's 86 years old
Even though he's already 86 years old.
We said 'Ear! Hang on Dad
We told him, 'Hold on, Dad.
you're getting past your prime'
You're getting up there in age.'
He said 'Well when you get to my age'
He replied, 'Well, when you reach my age.'
'It helps to pass the time'
'It's nice to have something to pass the time.'
One day while in a hurry
One day when he was in a rush.
He missed a lady's bin
He accidentally missed collecting a woman's trash bin.
He hadn't gone but a few yards
He had only gone a short distance.
When she chased after him
When she ran after him to ask about her trash.
'What game do you think you're playing'
She yelled, 'What do you think you're doing?'
She cried right from the heart
She was really upset about it.
'You've missed me...am I too late'
She asked, 'Did you miss me? Am I too late?'
'No... jump up on the cart'
He kindly allowed her to put her trash on the truck.
He found a tiger's head one day
One day he stumbled upon a strange discovery.
Nailed to a piece of wood
A tiger's head attached to a wooden plank.
The tiger looked quite miserable
The tiger's expression seemed very unhappy.
But I suppose it should
It's likely that a tiger in that predicament would not be happy.
Just then from out a window
At that moment, a voice called out from a nearby window.
A voice began to wail
The voice was crying out loudly.
He said (Oi! Where's me tiger head)
The man yelled out, 'Hey, where's my tiger head?'
Four foot from it's tail
It turns out the tiger's tail was only a few feet away from its head.
Next time you see a dustman
The next time you come across a trash collector.
Looking all pale and sad
Who looks really tired and unhappy.
Don't kick him in the dustbin
Don't mistreat him or kick him while he's working.
It might be my old dad
Because it could be my dear old father.
Contributed by Evan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ian Burt
on Bluenose
You have missed out a verse.