Finnegan's Wake
Waxies Dargle Lyrics
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Ah Tim Finnegan lived in Walkin Street,
A gentleman Irish mighty odd
Well he had a tongue both rich and sweet,
An' to rise in the world he carried a hod
Ah but Tim had a sort of tipplin way
With the love of the liquor he was born
He'd a drop of the craythur ev'ry morn
Chorus
Whack fol the dah will ya dance to yer parner around the flure yer trotters shake
Wasn'-n't it the truth I told you? Lots of fun at Finnegan's Wake
One morning Tim was rather full
His head felt heavy which made him shake
He fell off the ladder and he broke his skull
And they carried him home his corpse to wake
Well they rolled him up in a nice clean sheet
And they laid him out upon the bed
With a bottle of whiskey at his feet
And a barrel of porter at his head
Well his friends assembled at the wake
And Mrs. Finnegan called for lunch
Well first they brought in tay and cake
The pipes, tobacco and brandy punch
Then Widow Malone began to cry
'Such a lovely corpse, did you ever see
Arrah, Tim avourneen, why did you die?'
'Will ye hould your gob?' said Molly McGee
Well Mary O'Connor took up the job
'Biddy' says she 'you're wrong, I'm sure'
Well Biddy gave her a belt in the gob
And left her sprawling on the floor
Well civil war did then engage
Woman to woman and man to man
Shillelagh law was all the rage
And a row and a runction soon began
Well Tim Maloney raised his head
When a bottle of whiskey flew at him
He ducked and, landing on the bed
The whiskey scattered over Tim
Bedad he revives, see how he rises
Tim Finnegan rising in the bed
Saying 'Whittle your whiskey around like blazes
T'underin' Jaysus, do ye think I'm dead?'
The song "Finnegan's Wake" by Waxies Dargle is a humorous recounting of the events following the death of Tim Finnegan. Tim was a heavy drinker and on the day of his death, he fell off a ladder and broke his skull. His body was brought back to his home and laid out on the bed, with a bottle of whiskey at his feet and a barrel of porter at his head. His friends came to mourn him and very quickly, the wake turned into a wild party with plenty of drinking, tobacco, and rowdiness. During the party, a fight broke out between two women, which turned into a larger brawl. In the chaos, a bottle of whiskey was thrown and accidentally landed on Tim Finnegan's body, which shockingly revived him.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah Tim Finnegan lived in Walkin Street
Tim Finnegan resided on Walkin Street
A gentleman Irish mighty odd
He was an unusual but courteous Irishman
Well he had a tongue both rich and sweet
He had a way with words, eloquent and pleasing
An' to rise in the world he carried a hod
He worked hard to climb the social ladder
Ah but Tim had a sort of tipplin way
Tim liked to drink a bit
With the love of the liquor he was born
He had an innate fondness for alcohol
And to send him on his way each day
To start his day off right, he had a drink
He'd a drop of the craythur ev'ry morn
A sip of whiskey to help him face the day's trials
Whack fol the dah will ya dance to yer parner around the flure yer trotters shake
Let's dance and have some fun
Wasn'-n't it the truth I told you? Lots of fun at Finnegan's Wake
I wasn't lying, Finnegan's Wake is a good time
One morning Tim was rather full
One morning Tim drank too much
His head felt heavy which made him shake
His head was throbbing and he felt unsteady
He fell off the ladder and he broke his skull
He tumbled off his ladder and suffered a head injury
And they carried him home his corpse to wake
They brought him home to be mourned and celebrated
Well they rolled him up in a nice clean sheet
They wrapped him up neatly in a clean sheet
And they laid him out upon the bed
They placed him on his bed
With a bottle of whiskey at his feet
And a bottle of whiskey at the end of his bed
And a barrel of porter at his head
And a barrel of beer by his head
Well his friends assembled at the wake
His friends gathered to mourn him
And Mrs. Finnegan called for lunch
His wife arranged for a meal
Well first they brought in tay and cake
They provided tea and cake
The pipes, tobacco and brandy punch
Also pipes, tobacco, and brandy punch
Then Widow Malone began to cry
Widow Malone started weeping
'Such a lovely corpse, did you ever see
She remarked on how nice he looked even in death
Arrah, Tim avourneen, why did you die?'
She lamented his passing
'Will ye hould your gob?' said Molly McGee
Molly McGee told Widow Malone to be quiet
Well Mary O'Connor took up the job
Mary O'Connor took over Widow Malone's weeping
'Biddy' says she 'you're wrong, I'm sure'
She argued with Biddy
Well Biddy gave her a belt in the gob
Biddy punched Mary O'Connor in the mouth
And left her sprawling on the floor
Mary O'Connor was knocked to the ground
Well civil war did then engage
A conflict broke out among the mourners
Woman to woman and man to man
Men and women fought each other
Shillelagh law was all the rage
They used shillelaghs to fight
And a row and a runction soon began
A heated argument and brawl ensued
Well Tim Maloney raised his head
Tim Finnegan suddenly sat up
When a bottle of whiskey flew at him
Someone threw a bottle of whiskey and missed
He ducked and, landing on the bed
Tim ducked and landed back on the bed
The whiskey scattered over Tim
The whiskey bottle broke and spilled all over him
Bedad he revives, see how he rises
Miraculously, Tim regained consciousness and stood up
Tim Finnegan rising in the bed
To everyone's amazement, Tim got up from his deathbed
Saying 'Whittle your whiskey around like blazes
Exclaiming that he was not dead, he told them to enjoy their whiskey
T'underin' Jaysus, do ye think I'm dead?'
He asked them jokingly if they really thought he was dead
Contributed by Eliana I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.