On the Fourth of July, 1806
We set sail from the sweet cove of Cork
We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks

For the Grand City Hall in New York
'Twas a wonderful craft
She was rigged fore and aft

And oh, how the wild wind drove her
She stood several blasts
She had twenty seven masts

And they called her The Irish Rover.

We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags

We had two million barrels of stone
We had three million sides of old blind horses hides
We had four million barrels of bones

We had five million hogs
And six million dogs
Seven million barrels of porter

We had eight million bails of old nanny-goats' tails
In the hold of the Irish Rover.


There was awl Mickey Coote
Who played hard on his flute
When the ladies lined up for a set

He was tootin' with skill
For each sparkling quadrille
Though the dancers were fluther'd and bet

With his smart witty talk
He was @@#! of the walk
And he rolled the dames under and over

They all knew at a glance
When he took up his stance
That he sailed in The Irish Rover.


There was Barney McGee
From the banks of the Lee

There was Hogan from County Tyrone
There was Johnny McGurk
Who was scared stiff of work

And a man from Westmeath called Malone
There was Slugger O'Toole
Who was drunk as a rule

And Fighting Bill Treacy from Dover
And your man, Mick MacCann
From the banks of the Bann

Was the skipper of the Irish Rover.

We had sailed seven years

When the measles broke out
And the ship lost its way in the fog
And that whale of a crew

Was reduced down to two
Just myself and the Captain's old dog
Then the ship struck a rock

Oh Lord! what a shock
The bulkhead was turned right over
Turned nine times around

And the poor old dog was drowned
And the las of The Irish Rover.