MRS MCGRATH^©

Live 17 Nov 2006 version

"Mrs McGrath," the sergeant said,
"Would you like a soldier of your son Ted?
With a scarlet coat and a big cocked hat
Mrs McGrath would you like that?"

With your too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With your too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

Now Mrs McGrath lived on the shore
And after seven years or more
She spied a ship come into the bay
With her son from far away

"O captain dear, where have ya been?
You been sailing the Mediterranean
Have you news of my son Ted
Is he living or is he dead?"

With your too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

Then came Ted without any legs
And in their place two wooden pegs
She kissed him a dozen times or two
And said, "my God, Ted, is it you?

Now were ya drunk or were ya blind
When ya left your two fine legs behind?
Or was it walking upon the sea
That wore your two fine legs away?"

With a too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

"Now I wasn't drunk and I wasn't blind
When I left my two fine legs behind
A cannonball on the fifth of May
Tore my two fine legs away"

"My, Teddy boy," the widow cried
"Your two fine legs were yer mother's pride
Stumps of a tree won't do at all
Why didn't ya run from the cannonball?"

With a too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

"All foreign wars I do proclaim
Live on blood and a mother's pain
I'd rather have my son as he used to be
Than the King of America and his whole Navy"

With a too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
A too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

Page last updated: 27 Oct 2007

At the end of The Seeger Sessions Tour, the 3-nights stand at The Point Theater, Dublin, Ireland (17-18-19 Nov 2006), was filmed with nine High Definition (HD) cameras. A selection of 23-songs from these 3 nights was officially released in Jun 2007 on Live In Dublin, a live album and DVD, credited to Bruce Springsteen With The Sessions Band. Note the dropping of "Seeger" from the band's name for this release, probably due to the fact that many of the songs on this release are Springsteen originals from his earlier records, or covers that are not related to Pete Seeger. Live In Dublin is available in 4 formats:

• A 2-CD set
• A standard DVD
• A 2-CD/1-DVD combo set
• A Blu-ray disc

The DVD was edited by Emmy- and Grammy-winner Thom Zimny, with audio mixed by Bob Clearmountain (including 5.1 surround) and mastered by Bob Ludwig.

MRS MCGRATH was included on Live In Dublin, taken from the first night (17 Nov 2006), and the above lyrics are for that version.

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake from BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

Check out Bruce's album's version for more details.