Hi Everyone,

Happy New Year !

"Old Woman from Wexford" is a very popular Irish ballad that can be found in numerous collections ex. Sam Henry Collection.

Here is the version I know:

THE OLD WOMAN FROM WEXFORD

D A D
Oh there was an old woman from Wexford and from Wexford she did dwell.
D G A G D A D
She loved her old man dearly but another one as well.
With your rum dom dom dom dei-ro and the blind man he could see.

One day she went to the doctor some medicine for to find
She said "will you give me something for to make me old man blind".
(With your rum dom dom dom etc. repeated after each verse)

Feed him eggs and marrowbones and make him suck them all
And it won't be very long after till he won't see you at all.

The doctor wrote a letter and he signed it with his hand
He sent it round to the old man just to let him understand.

She fed him eggs and marrowbones and made him such them all
And it wasn't very long after till he couldn't see the wall.

Says he: I'd like to drown myself, but that might be a sin'.
Says she: I'll go along with you and help to push you in.

The woman she stepped back a bit to rush and push him in,
And the old man quickly stepped aside and she went tumblin' in.

Oh how loudly she did yell and how loudly she did call,
Yerra hold your whist old woman, sure I can't see you at all.

Now eggs and eggs and marrowbones may make your old man blind
But if you want to drown him you must creep up close behind.

I'M SURE SHE WAS FROM WEXFORD!
Bye folks.

HTML line breaks added to replace double spacing, etc. --JoeClone, 6-Apr-03.