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The Rocky Road to Dublin Lyrics
In the merry month of June from my home I started left the girls of Taum nearly brokenhearted saluted me father dear, kissed me darling mother drank a pint of beer, my grief and tears to smother then off to reap the corn, leave where I was born cut a stout blackthorn to banish ghosts and goblin, brand-new pair of brogues, rattling o'er the bogs frightening all the dogs on the rocky road to Dublin.
In Mullingar last night, I rested limbs so weary started by daylight next morning bright and early took a drop of the pure to keep me heart from sinking that's the daddy's cure when he's on the drinking see the lassies smile, laughing all the while at me darling style, would set your heart a-bubblin' asked me was I hired, wages I required 'til I was almost tired of the rocky road to Dublin.
Chorus:
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road and all the way to Dublin, whack-fol-la-de-da!
In Dublin next arrived, I thought it such a pity to be so soon deprived a view of that fine city decided to take a stroll all among the quality bundle, it was stole in that neat locality something crossed my mind when I looked behind no bundle could I find upon me stick a-wobblin' crying for a rogue said me connaught brogue wasn't much in-vogue on the rocky road to Dublin.
From there I got away, me spirits never failing landed on the quay just as the ship was sailing captain at me roared, said that no room had he then I jumped aboard a cabin found for Daddy down among the pigs, played some funny rigs, danced some hearty jigs, the water 'round me bubblin' off to hollyhead wished myself was dead or better far instead on the rocky road to Dublin.
The boys in Liverpool, when we safely landed called myself a fool, I could no longer stand it blood began to boil, temper I was losing poor old Erin's Isle they began abusing hooray me soul, says I, let the shellaillagh fly some galway boys were nigh, saw I was a-hobblin' with a loud array, they joined me in the fray and soon we cleared the way on the rocky road to Dublin.
no one else commented on this song even though it kicks ass so i think i will thats all i have to say
my favorite verions is the dubliners'.
i think that this song really has a great kick to it...u can dance and have fun w/ it and do wutever, it's a good time song and it's kicks ass! SMILE
yeah, it has a cool kinda feel to it, rhythmically it has a strange progression, but it is cool. It really is a fun kinda song, and lyrically, I think it's about this guy that travels hard all the way to Dublin, but when he gets there it is shitty, so he comes back and gets made fun off, so a drunken brawl ensues...I could be wrong, but it's a cool song nonetheless.
ql song, very quick, it leaves you with some feeling I can't describe. Ure like on speed or smthn :) thumbs up!
this version is great, but The Chieftains do a version with The Rolling Stones that blows this one away.
I've heard a "traditional" version of this song and compared to the DKM one, it is crap. It's way slower and doesn't get the same beat going.
Madcap, you're slightly off. He leaves Tuam (in the west) to look for work in Dublin. When he gets there, he's not welcome (because Dublin people traditionally don't like anybody from outside the city) and so he jumps on a boat going to England. When he gets to Liverpool (in England, not Galway), a bunch of English guys start slagging him for begin Irish, so he gets annoyed and starts into them with his shillelagh. A bunch of other Irish guys (from Galway, where Tuam is) see he's in trouble and join in the fight. Wherever the guy goes, he's not welcome and he has to fight his way through life. Very Irish. One other thing, for some reason the lyrics here say "daddy" instead of "Paddy". What's that about? Maybe it's not widely known that Irish are derisively referred to as Paddies? It's because we're all called Patrick, apparently. Similar to the American "Yankee", I suppose. And, Rover, I like the original. If you hear it sung well it can be just as fast as the DKM version. The main difference is that there's no punk instruments in the background (in fact, the best version I heard was sung with just a bodhran in the background. BTW, for anybody unfamiliar with Irish music in the audience, a Bodhran is a type of drum. Google it.)
if you listen to the song carefully you can hear that it DOES say " Paddys Cure"
it's pretty obvious that it says paddy both times (cabin found for paddy/that's the paddy's cure) and it is a derisive word for the irish, but I know a lot of irish and irish-americans who use it in jest, much like any other ethnic group uses derisve words in closed circles as loving terms. for example, every time i go to the bar, the bar-tender and I take a shot "for paddy," although I must say I'm a bit bewildered by the substitution of D's for T's, although I'm sure it has something to do with the original gaelic spelling