Tim Finnegan's Wake Lyrics & Chords By The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem

Tim Finnegan lived in Watling Street
A gentle Irishman, mighty odd
He'd a beautiful brogue both rich and sweet
And to rise in the world he carried a hod
But Tim he'd sort of a tipplin way:
With love for the liquor he was born
And to help him on with his work each day
He'd a drop of the craythur every morn'

Whack fol-de-dah
Will ye dance to your partner
Welt the floor
Your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth
I told ye, lots of fun at Finnegan's wake

One morning Tim got rather full
His head felt heavy
Which made him shake
He fell from a ladder and he broke his skull
And they carried him home
His corpse to wake
They rolled him up in a nice clean sheet
And laid him out upon the bed
With a bucket of whiskey at his feet
And a bottle of porter at his head

Whack fol-de-dah
Will ye dance to your partner
Welt the floor
Your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth
I told ye, lots of fun at Finnegan's wake

His friends assembled at the wake
And Mrs. Finnegan called for lunch
First she brought in tea and cake
Then pipes, tobacco and whiskey punch
Biddy O'Brien began to cry
"Such a nice clean corpse did you ever see?
Ah Tim mavourneen why did ye die"?
"Arrah hold your gob!"
Said Patty Magee

Whack fol-de-dah
Will ye dance to your partner
Welt the floor
Your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth
I told ye, lots of fun at Finnegan's wake

Then Maggie O'connor took up the job
"Arrah!" Biddy says she "ye're wrong I'm sure"
Biddy gave her a belt in the gob
And she left her sprawling on the floor
Then civil war did soon engage
Twas woman to woman and man to man
Shillelah-law was all the rage
An a row and a ruction soon began

Whack fol-de-dah
Will ye dance to your partner
Welt the floor
Your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth
I told ye, lots of fun at Finnegan's wake

Then Mickey Maloney raised his head
When a bottle of whiskey flew at him
It missed him falling on the bed
The liquor scattered over Tim
Be gob he revives
See how he rises
Finnegan rising from the bed
Says, "Whirl your whiskey 'round like blazes Thanum o'n Dhoul
Do ye think I'm dead!"