Merry month of June,
And from my home I started,
Left the girls of Tuam,
Nearly broken hearted;
Saluted father dear,
Kissed my darlin' mother,
drank a pint of beer,
my grief and tears to smother.
Off to reap the corn,
leave where I was born,
Cut a stout blackthorn
to banish ghosts and goblins;
In a brand new pair of brogues,
I rattled o'er the bogs,
Frightened all the dogs
on the rocky road to Dublin.
Chorus: One two three four five,
hunt the hare and turn her
down the rocky road
all the way to Dublin,
One two three four five!
In Mulingar that night,
I rested limbs so weary,
Started by daylight,
Next morning, light and airy;
Took a drop of the pure,
to keep my heart from sinking,
That's a Paddy's cure,
Whenever he's for drinking.
See the lassies smile,
Laughing all the while,
At my daring style,
'Twould set your heart a-bubblin';
They asked if I was hired,
Wages I required,
'Til I was almost tired
of the rocky road to Dublin.
Chorus:
In Dublin next arrived,
and thought it such a pity
to be so soon deprived,
a view of that fine city;
When I took a stroll,
all among the quality,
My bundle it was stole,
in that neat locality.
Something crossed my mind,
Then I looked behind,
no bundle I could find,
upon my stick a-wobblin';
Enquiring for the rogue,
They said my Connaught brogue
wasn't much in vogue,
on the rocky road to Dublin.
Chorus:
Then the following day,
Spirits never failing,
I landed on the quay,
Just as a ship was sailing;
Captain at me roared,
Said that no room had he,
When I jumped aboard,
A cabin found for Paddy.
Down among the pigs,
I played some merry rigs,
I danced some hearty jigs,
The water 'round me bubblin';
When off Holyhead,
I wished meself was dead,
Or better far instead,
on the rocky road to Dublin.
Chorus:
The boys of Liverpool,
when we safely landed,
called meself a fool,
I could no longer stand it;
Blood began to boil,
me temper it was risin',
for old Erin's isle,
they began abusing.
"Hurrah, me soul!" said I,
me shillelagh I let fly,
some Galway boys were by,
they saw I was a-hobblin';
with a loud Hurray!
they joined in the affray,
we quickly cleared the way,
for the rocky road to Dublin.
Chorus: