A concert performer, composer, poet, singer, historian, storyteller, author… Read Full Bio ↴A concert performer, composer, poet, singer, historian, storyteller, author, TV host and humanitarian. For 30 years, Will Millar and his wonderful creations have brought joy to the hearts and smiles to the faces of millions of people throughout the world that have been touched by all his labors of love.

Belle Of Belfast City
Will Millar Lyrics

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Tell my ma when I go home,
The boys won′t leave the girls alone,
They pulled my hair and stole my comb,
But that's all right ′till I go home.
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the belle of Belfast city,
She is courting, one two three
Please won't you tell me who is she?

Albert Mooney says he loves her,
All the boys are fighting for her,
Knock on the door and they ring the bell
Oh my true love, are you well?
Here she comes, as white as snow,
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
Old Johnny Mary she says she'll die
If she doesn′t get the boy with the roving eye.

Tell my ma when I go home,
The boys won′t leave the girls alone,
They pulled my hair and stole my comb,
But that's all right ′till I go home.
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the belle of Belfast city,
She is courting, one two three
Please won't you tell me who is she?

Let the wind and the rain and the hail blow high
And the snow come tumbling from the sky
She′s as nice as apple pie
She'll get her own boy, by and by
When she gets a lad of her own,
She won′t tell her ma 'till she comes home,
Let the boys stay as they will,
For it's Albert Mooney she loves still.

Tell my ma when I go home,
The boys won′t leave the girls alone,
They pulled my hair and stole my comb,
But that′s all right 'till I go home.
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the belle of Belfast city,
She is courting, one two three
Please won′t you tell me who is she?

Tell my ma when I go home,
The boys won't leave the girls alone,
They pulled my hair and stole my comb,
But that′s all right 'till I go home.
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the belle of Belfast city,
She is courting, one two three
Please won′t you tell me who is she?

Tell my ma when I go home,
The boys won't leave the girls alone,
They pulled my hair and stole my comb,
But that's all right ′till I go home.
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the belle of Belfast city,

She is courting, one two three
Please won′t you tell me who is she

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Will Millar's "Belle Of Belfast City" describe the beauty of a young woman who has captured the attention and hearts of many young men in the city. The singer pleads with his mother to let her know that the boys won't leave the girls alone, indicating that they are all vying for the attention of this particular girl. Despite being harassed by the boys, the girl remains confident and beautiful. She is described as having "rings on her fingers and bells on her toes", and is courted by various suitors, including Albert Mooney. However, she only has eyes for the boy with the "roving eye", and it is implied that she will only be content with him.

The chorus repeats several times throughout the song, asking the listener to identify who the "belle of Belfast city" really is. The lyrics are playful and light-hearted, capturing the excitement and energy of youth. The final verse suggests that the girl will eventually find her true love, and that the boys can continue to fight over her until that time comes.

Line by Line Meaning

Tell my ma when I go home,
I will inform my mother on my return,

The boys won't leave the girls alone,
The boys will not stop harassing the girls,

They pulled my hair and stole my comb,
They pulled my hair and took my comb without asking,

But that's all right ′till I go home.
But it doesn't matter until I return home.

She is handsome, she is pretty
She is attractive and beautiful,

She is the belle of Belfast city,
She is the most beautiful girl in Belfast city,

She is courting, one two three
She is romantically involved with one, two, or three boys,

Please won't you tell me who is she?
Could you please tell me who she is?

Albert Mooney says he loves her,
Albert Mooney claims to be in love with her,

All the boys are fighting for her,
All the boys are competing for her affection,

Knock on the door and they ring the bell
They knock on her door and ring the bell to get her attention,

Oh my true love, are you well?
My beloved, are you doing well?

Here she comes, as white as snow,
Here she comes, looking as pure and beautiful as snow,

Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
She wears rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,

Old Johnny Mary she says she'll die
Old Johnny Mary claims she will die if she doesn't get her desired lover,

If she doesn't get the boy with the roving eye.
If she doesn't win the affection of the boy who can't stay faithful.

Let the wind and the rain and the hail blow high
Even if the weather gets rough,

And the snow come tumbling from the sky
And snow falls heavily from the sky,

She's as nice as apple pie
She is as sweet as apple pie,

She'll get her own boy, by and by
She will find her own true love eventually,

When she gets a lad of her own,
When she finds a man of her own,

She won't tell her ma 'till she comes home,
She won't tell her mother until she returns home,

Let the boys stay as they will,
Let the boys do as they please,

For it's Albert Mooney she loves still.
Because she still loves Albert Mooney.