Mrs. McGrath

"Oh, Mrs. McGrath," the sergeant said
"Would you like a soldier of your son Ted
With a scarlett coat and a big cocked hat
Oh, Mrs. McGrath, wouldn't you like that?"

Chorus:
With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-da, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a
With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-da, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a

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

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

Chorus

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

Chorus

"No, I wasn't drunk and I wasn't blind
When I left my two fine legs behind
A cannon ball on the fifth of May
Tore my two fine legs away"

"My Teddyboy," the widow cried
"Your two fine legs were your mothers pride
Stumps of a tree won't do at all
Why didn't you run from the cannon ball?"

Chorus

"All foreign wars I do proclaim
live on the blood and the mothers pain
I'd rather have my son as he used to be
Than the King of America and his whole navy"

Chorus - Irish folk song as sung by Bruce Springsteen

The lyrics don't really do it justice, the performance on the Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band: Live In Dublin DVD is fantastic!

I first saw (and recorded it) on BBC Four but do yourself a favour and buy yourself the DVD or CD (or both as the audio quality is better).

The entire set is fantastic! Yes some tracks are better than other but that is a matter of personal preference, the entire concert is of such a high standard that you have to (see and) hear it to believe it. I'll defy yuo to not find two of three songs that really like and not to be humming one or two for a few days after you first hear it. It really is that good!