I have been singing the first few verses of this song my entire life as my dad did and his dad before him. My grandfather, b. 1905, whose parents emigrated directly from Ireland, actually made a recording of this song (for his own personal use). For what it's worth, below is my family's version of the first few verses and I sing this to my kids still. :-)

Oh the country air that's rich and rare and stimulates the mind
How I long to be in the Morris Chair with the guys I left behind
I used to plow and milk the cows and now and then I'd stop
To listen to the guys tellin' lies in the village barber shop

Oh I remember a story, I remember a story, I remember a story
I'm about to tell to you
An Italian, a Hebrew, and an Irishman set out for recreation
They brought enough provisions along to spend a vacation
Well they got lost way out in the woods and it was dark and lonely
And all the food gave out except one hunk of baloney