The Irish Ballad 1952 Tom Lehrer

Dr. Pitt-Payne in London UK - 08 Nov 2002

About a maid I'll sing a song,
sing ricketyticketytin.
About a maid I'll sing a song
who didn't have her fam'ly long,
not only did she do them wrong,
she did ev'ry one of them in,
them in,
she did ev'ry one of them in.

One morning in a fit of pique,
sing ricketyticketytin.
One morning in a fit of pique,
she drowned her father in the creek,
the water tasted bad for a week,
and we had to make do with gin,
with gin, we had to make do with gin.

Her mother she could never stand,
sing ricketyticketytin.
Her mother she could never stand,
and so a cyanide soup was planned.
The mother died with the spoon in her hand,
and her face in a hideous grin,
a grin,
her face in a hideous grin.

She set her sister's hair on fire,
sing ricketyticketytin.
She set her sister's hair on fire,
and as the smoke and flame rose high'r,
danced around the funeral pyre,
playing a violin, olin,
playing a violin.

She weighted her brother down with stones,
sing ricketyticketytin.
She weighted her brother down with stones,
and sent him off to Davy Jones.
All they ever found were some bones,
and occasional pieces of skin,
of skin,
occasional pieces of skin.

One day when she had nothing to do,
sing ricketyticketytin.
one day when she had nothing to do,
she cut her baby brother in two,
and served him up as an Irish stew,
and invited the neighbours in, bors in,
invited the neighbours in.

And when at last the police came by,
sing ricketyticketytin.
And when at last the police came by,
her little pranks she did not deny,
to do so, she would have had to lie,
and lying she knew was a sin,
was a sin,
lying she knew was a sin.

My tragic tale I won't prolong,
sing ricketyticketytin.
My tragic tale I won't prolong,
and if you do not enjoy my song,
you've yourselves to blame if it's too long,
you should never have let me begin, begin,
You should never have let me begin.

Soft karaoke
Words
treble clef 1
treble clef 2
lyric line
bass
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The Irish Ballad 1952
by Tom Lehrer
copyright by Tom Lehrer 1952 and 1954
sequence and karaoke by Dr. Pitt-Payne in London UK
on Friday 08 November 2002 at 21.36
in association with Doug Grierson
*