Irish Rover Songtext
von Bounding Main

In the year of our Lord, fifteen hundred and six
We set sail from the cold Bay of Cork
We were sailing away with a cargo of grit
For that grand city hall down in York
An elegant craft she was rigged fore and aft
And how the trade winds drove her
She had twenty-three masts, and she stood several blasts
And they called her the Irish Rover

So fare thee well, my pretty little girl
For we are bound away
Fare thee well, my pretty little girl
For we are bound away


There was Barney McGee from the banks of the Lee
There was Hogan from County Tyrone
There was Donny McGurk who was scared stiff of work
And a chap from Westmeath named Malone
There was Slugger O′Toole who was drunk as a rule
And fighting Bill Tracy from Dover
And your man Mick McCann from the banks of the Bann
Was the skipper of the Irish Rover

So fare thee well, my pretty little girl
For we are bound away
Fare thee well, my pretty little girl
For we are bound away

We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags
We had two million barrels of bone (You mean beavers!)
We had three million bales of old nanny goats' tails
We had four million barrels of stone
We had five million hogs, six million dogs
Seven million barrels of porter
We had eight million sides of old blind horses′ hides
In the hold of the Irish Rover

So fare thee well, my pretty little girl
For we are bound away
Fare thee well, my pretty little girl
For we are bound away


We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out
And the ship lost its way in a fog
And the whole of the crew was reduced down to two
'Twas myself and the captain's old dog (Save the dog!)
Then the ship struck a rock, Lord what a shock
We nearly tumbled over
We spun nine times around
And that poor old dog was drowned (Let me tell you ′bout the dog!)
I′m the last of the Irish Rover

So fare thee well, my pretty little girl
For we are bound away
Fare thee well, my pretty little girl
For we are bounding main
Hey!