Charlie Robison - John O'Reilly lyrics
[Charlie Robison - John O'Reilly lyrics]
My name is John O'Reilly
And my father worked the fields
In the hills of old Kilarny
Where I helped him turn the wheels
My arms grew hard as iron for a boy of 17
And I used my fists for gambling
In those wet Kilarny streets
Well, the ship left for America and
I brought my pack aboard
Said goodbye to my dear Ireland said
A prayer to my dear Lord
I fought those sorry guineas in
The kitchen they called hell
I fought them for their dollar and
Those guineas paid me well
Fair thee well fair Dover
Fair thee well your seasons turn
For my pockets will be jingling on
The day of my return the day of my return
I fought in New York City and
I fought the Jersey shore
My gut stayed full of whiskey and
My bed stayed full of whores
They called my right a cannonball and
My left they called the same
I left em' all lyin' half in
Blood and half in shame
I met a man on '32 and he stuck out his hand
And he offered me a thousand if
I'd fall before his man
I said it could be done
But only for another two
He smiled at me and nodded as
I stuck it in my shoe
Fair thee well fair Dover
Fair thee well your seasons turn
For my pockets will be jingling on
The day of my return the day of my return
They rang the bell two times before
I let him have my nose
And I let him work my left
Until my eye was swollen closed
Then I let loose a right that
They still talk about today
For that guinea didn't know that I
Had bet the other way
They covered every dock and every
Port there on the coast
Looking for that double crosser who
Had turned into a ghost
But I was on a train my
Friend that rode the other way
And I'll sail from California back
To Dublin one fine day
Fair thee well fair Dover
Fair thee well your seasons turn
For my pockets will be jingling on
The day of my return the day of my return
And my father worked the fields
In the hills of old Kilarny
Where I helped him turn the wheels
My arms grew hard as iron for a boy of 17
And I used my fists for gambling
In those wet Kilarny streets
Well, the ship left for America and
I brought my pack aboard
Said goodbye to my dear Ireland said
A prayer to my dear Lord
I fought those sorry guineas in
The kitchen they called hell
I fought them for their dollar and
Those guineas paid me well
Fair thee well fair Dover
Fair thee well your seasons turn
For my pockets will be jingling on
The day of my return the day of my return
I fought in New York City and
I fought the Jersey shore
My gut stayed full of whiskey and
My bed stayed full of whores
They called my right a cannonball and
My left they called the same
I left em' all lyin' half in
Blood and half in shame
I met a man on '32 and he stuck out his hand
And he offered me a thousand if
I'd fall before his man
I said it could be done
But only for another two
He smiled at me and nodded as
I stuck it in my shoe
Fair thee well fair Dover
Fair thee well your seasons turn
For my pockets will be jingling on
The day of my return the day of my return
They rang the bell two times before
I let him have my nose
And I let him work my left
Until my eye was swollen closed
Then I let loose a right that
They still talk about today
For that guinea didn't know that I
Had bet the other way
They covered every dock and every
Port there on the coast
Looking for that double crosser who
Had turned into a ghost
But I was on a train my
Friend that rode the other way
And I'll sail from California back
To Dublin one fine day
Fair thee well fair Dover
Fair thee well your seasons turn
For my pockets will be jingling on
The day of my return the day of my return