Finnegans Wake
The Poxy Boggards Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴Tim Finnegan lived in Watling Street
A gentle Irishman mighty odd
He′d a beautiful brogue so rich and sweet
To rise in the world he carried a hod
You see he'd sort of a tippling way
With love for a liquor poor Tim was born
To help him on with his work every day
He′d a drop of the Craythor every morn'
And whack Fol-De-Dah now dance to your partner
Welt the floor, your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth I told ya
Lots of fun at Finnegan′s wake.

One morning Tim was rather full
His head felt heavy which made him shake
Fell from the ladder and broke his skull
So they carried him home his corpse to wake
Rolled him up in a nice clean sheet
And laid him upon the bed
A bottle of whiskey at his feet
And a gallon of porter at his head

And whack Fol-De-Dah now dance to your partner
Welt the floor, your trotters shake
Wasn′t it the truth I told ya
Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake.

His friends assembled at his wake
And Missus Finnegan called for lunch
First they brought in tay and cake
Then pipes, tobacco and whiskey and punch
Biddy O′Brien began to cry
Such a nice clean corpse did you ever did see
Tim mavourneen, why did you die?
Hold your gob said Paddy McGee.

And whack Fol-De-Dah now dance to your partner
Welt the floor, your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth I told ya
Lots of fun at Finnegan′s wake.

Then Peggy O'Connor took up the job
Biddy she says You′re wrong I'm sure
Biddy then gave her a belt on the gob
And left her sprawling on the floor
Then the war did soon engage
Woman to Woman and Man to Man
Shillelah law was all the rage
And a row and a ruction soon began

And whack Fol-De-Dah now dance to your partner
Welt the floor, your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth I told ya
Lots of fun at Finnegan′s wake.

And whack Fol-De-Dah now dance to your partner
Welt the floor, your trotters shake
Wasn′t it the truth I told ya
Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake.

Mickey Maloney he raised his head
When a bottle of whiskey flew at him
It missed him falling on the bed
The liquor scattered over Tim
Tim revives see how he rises
Timothy rising from the bed
Whirl your whiskey around like blazes
Thanum an Dhul, do ye think I′m dead.

And whack Fol-De-Dah now dance to your partner
Welt the floor, your trotters shake

Wasn't it the truth I told ya
Lots of fun at Finnegan′s wake.

Overall Meaning

The song "Finnegans Wake" by The Poxy Boggards tells a humorous story of Tim Finnegan, an Irishman who loved his alcohol. Tim lived in Watling Street and worked as a hod carrier, but he had a "tippling way" and drank a drop of the strong Irish whiskey, Craythor, every morning to help him get through his workday. Unfortunately, one day, Tim drank too much and fell off a ladder, breaking his skull. His friends laid him out on his bed, surrounded by alcohol and food, for his wake, but things quickly got out of hand. The mourners began to argue and fight, and in the chaos, a bottle of whiskey was thrown and landed on Tim's body. To everyone's surprise, Tim revived and joined in the revelry.

The lyrics vividly tell the story of Tim's wake and the chaotic scenes that unfolded. They paint a picture of the mourners dancing and drinking, and the shenanigans that ensued, making it a fun and lively song. It also highlights the role that alcohol played in Irish culture and the importance of communal gatherings, such as wakes, in bringing people together.

Line by Line Meaning

Tim Finnegan lived in Watling Street
Tim Finnegan resided in Watling Street

A gentle Irishman mighty odd
Tim was a gentle Irish man, kind of peculiar

He′d a beautiful brogue so rich and sweet
And with a stunning accent so mellifluous and neat

To rise in the world he carried a hod
He carried a hod to elevate his social status

You see he'd sort of a tippling way
He used to drink a bit too much every day

With love for a liquor poor Tim was born
Tim was infatuated with liquor from the day he was born

To help him on with his work every day
To help him every day with his job, come what may

He′d a drop of the Craythor every morn'
He'd start his day with a sip of the fiery Craythor

And whack Fol-De-Dah now dance to your partner
Let's all dance now, with a Fol-De-Dah and your partner

Welt the floor, your trotters shake
Stamp your feet and shake your legs briskly without a break

Wasn't it the truth I told ya
Didn't I tell you the truth, aren't you happy now

Lots of fun at Finnegan′s wake.
Everyone is having a blast at Finnegan's wake

One morning Tim was rather full
One fine morning, Tim was inebriated to the brim

His head felt heavy which made him shake
His head felt like lead, causing him to waver and quake

Fell from the ladder and broke his skull
He fell from the ladder, his skull fractured like a hull

So they carried him home his corp to wake
His mates took him home, to give his body the wake

Rolled him up in a nice clean sheet
Wrapped him with attention, tidiness and neat

And laid him upon the bed
Placed him gently on the bed

A bottle of whiskey at his feet
A bottle of whiskey at his feet to treat

And a gallon of porter at his head
And a gallon of porter at his head, a fitting spread

His friends assembled at his wake
Folks gathered at his wake

And Missus Finnegan called for lunch
Mrs. Finnegan requested lunch to crunch

First they brought in tay and cake
First they served tea and cake

Then pipes, tobacco and whiskey and punch
Followed by pipes, tobacco, punch and whiskey to crunch

Biddy O′Brien began to cry
Biddy O'Brien started weeping, with a sigh

Such a nice clean corpse did you ever did see
Such a neat and nice corpse was never seen in history

Tim mavourneen, why did you die?
Tim, my dear, why did you have to die?

Hold your gob said Paddy McGee.
But Paddy McGee silenced her, saying 'hold your plea'

Then Peggy O'Connor took up the job
Peggy O'Connor started fighting, with a throb

Biddy she says You′re wrong I'm sure
Biddy retorted 'You're mistaken', with a lure

Biddy then gave her a belt on the gob
Biddy gave her a punch on the mouth, a heavy sob

And left her sprawling on the floor
And Peggy fell down flat, sore

Then the war did soon engage
And then a war ensued with great rage

Woman to Woman and Man to Man
Women fighting women and men fighting men

Shillelah law was all the rage
And the Shillelagh law was all the rage

And a row and a ruction soon began
And a clamour and a conflict soon began

Mickey Maloney he raised his head
Mickey Maloney perked himself with a head raise

When a bottle of whiskey flew at him
When a flask of whiskey hurtled through the dim

It missed him falling on the bed
It missed him, falling on Tim's bed

The liquor scattered over Tim
The spirit spread over Tim's stem

Tim revives see how he rises
Tim comes back to life, see how he surmises

Timothy rising from the bed
Timothy is getting up from the bed

Whirl your whiskey around like blazes
Swirl your whiskey like a whirlwind, one that amazes

Thanum an Dhul, do ye think I′m dead.
By the Lord God, do you really think I'm dead?

And whack Fol-De-Dah now dance to your partner
Let's all dance now, with a Fol-De-Dah and your partner

Welt the floor, your trotters shake
Stamp your feet and shake your legs briskly without a break

Wasn't it the truth I told ya
Didn't I tell you the truth, aren't you happy now

Lots of fun at Finnegan′s wake.
Everyone is having a blast at Finnegan's wake

Writer(s): Traditional, Sean O'boyle, Jane Rutter

Contributed by Hudson E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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