Mary's Knocking Shop by KingBrilliant
(The tune should be sort of Irishy and rhythmic)

KingBrilliant's Comments:  Mary's knocking shop is about my next-door neighbour. She is a lovely elderly lady of whom we are very fond. We were puzzled about one thing though. We would often hear a persistent knocking through the walls of our terraced house, and couldn't imagine what she was up to. We called it Mary's knocking shop. When eventually we asked her she explained that she was taking work home - putting staples into notebooks etc for a small stationery company. Anyway here's what my imagination cooked up . .

You could hear Mary knocking all the night and all the day
And its knocking so hard that drives the devil away
When she strikes up a rhythm you never want to stop
Since Mary took to business in a little knocking shop

The first time that we heard it we were sitting down to tea
Says I to me feller whatever can that be
Would you knock around the door and take a look and see
Says he its Mary Livingstone a-knocking back at me

You could hear Mary knocking all the night and all the day
And its knocking so hard that drives the devil away
When she strikes up a rhythm you never want to stop
Since Mary took to business in a little knocking shop

The local beat policeman went a knocking on the door
Says he Mary Livingstone what are you knocking for
Are you kocking on the ceiling or a-knocking on the floor
Jump up Mary Livingstone and knock a little more

You could hear Mary knocking all the night and all the day
And its knocking so hard that drives the devil away
When she strikes up a rhythm you never want to stop
Since Mary took to business in a little knocking shop

On Sunday night the parson well he had a pious thought
For to save poor Mary's mortal soul just as a parson ought
Now Mary you must leave off all your knocking and your sport
Says she that's just me wooden leg, what was it that you thought?

You could hear Mary knocking all the night and all the day
And its knocking so hard that drives the devil away
When she strikes up a rhythm you never want to stop
Since Mary took to business in a little knocking shop

© Kristin King (May 2001)