Glad you enjoyed the recording Barbara.

Thanks John for the text above. I'd love to see the Fowke text whenever you have a few minutes to type it in. About the thread title, I would point out that 13 other singers also took part in the recording and two other singers did a nice job with this song.      

In any case, perhaps some people are interested in another Irish song from the Flanders Ballad Collection. Each of the singers on the CD got a few songs from which to choose. No one picked the one below. Any thoughts? Is there a Latin scholar with the proper spelling?

PAT O'BRIEN

Now Pat O'Brien, a friend of mine, on board a Broadway car did ride
To Harlem where he did reside when his daily work was done
The reason that he had to ride, he couldn't walk for he had tied
A pick and shovel to his side and he'd a turkey that he'd won

He laid the turkey on the seat himself took one beside
With pick and shovel to his feet he settled down to ride
And when the car got overcrowded the conductor to him said,
"You'll have to remove your turkey, sir, and let a man sit down instead."

"Ah, not on your life," said Pat O'Brien, "that bird belongs to me.
That lovely bird's not saying a word he owes no odds t' ye"
So down in his seat went Pat O'Brien, his words I will repeat,
"You cannot disturb the turkey, sir, for I'll pay for the turkey's seat."

A lady soon came in and sat directly opposite of Pat
She wore beneath her opry wrap a dress ???????*
The car got warm so much that the lady soon removed her wrap
Exposing to the gaze of Pat a lovely neck to see

And while Paddy was admiring her neck and shoulders fair
The lady soon got angry at Paddy's ardent stare.
And when she couldn't stand it longer and she replaced her wrap
'Twas then she shouted "rubberneck" and looked right straight at Pat

"Ah, not on your life" says Pat O'Brien, "it's a dollar to a dime.
Begorra," says he, "I should have thought your neck was gen-u-wine   
But if it's not," says Pat O'Brien, "as sure as me name is Pat
It's a damn good imitation; you can bet your life on that!"

Two ladies who sat next to Pat were much amused and decided that
To have a little fun with Pat so one of them she said,
"To ride in the cars I never care; you meet so many Irish there
They're enough to drive you to despair; they have such vulgar ways."

"It's true," said lady number two. "They're always in the way
For where the Irish do resort I always stay away
You'll meet them at the seashore, the opera or the ball
You meet the dirty Irish now anywhere at all."

"Ah, not on your life said Pat O'Brien," you could see that he was mad
"To rid ye'selves of the Irish now to tell ye's I'll be glad."
So he took his turkey by the neck; he blustered like a bear.
"The pair of ye's can go straight to hell, you won't find any Irish there!"

*Latin, something like "kep beck-a-la" for a meaning of "plunging neckline."