Mrs. McGrath
Encyclopedia
"Mrs. McGrath" is an Irish
folk song. The song tells the story of a woman whose son enters the British Army
, and returns seven years later having lost his legs to a cannonball
fighting against Napoleon in the Peninsular War
. The general theme of the song is one of opposition to war
, the mother claiming that she would rather have her son as he was. It was very popular among the Irish Volunteers
in the years leading up to the 1916 Rising.
In 1958 the song was recorded by Burl Ives
on Decca DL8444 and by The Belafonte Folk Singers on RCA LSP1760 under the name of "The Sergeant and Mrs. McGrath". It was also recorded by the Clancy Brothers on their 1966 album Isn't It Grand Boys under the title "My Son Ted".
"Mrs. McGrath" is also a song by The Dubliners
based on the tune of the original folk song. This version of the song tells the story of a country boy who goes to Dublin to college but fails due to spending all his money and time on women and drink
Bruce Springsteen
recorded a version of the song on his 2006 album, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
. Performed frequently on the subsequent Sessions Band Tour, this incarnation was included on the 2007 Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin
audio and video release. In all this, Springsteen changed the traditional lyrics slightly. In the original song, Mrs. McGrath would rather have her "son as he used to be than the King of France and his whole navy." In Springsteen's version, this is changed to "King of America."
Would you like to make a soldier out of your son Ted?
With a scarlet coat and a big cocked hat,
Now Mrs McGrath, wouldn't you like that?
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
Too-ri, oo-ri, oo-ri-aa
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
Too-ri, oo-ri, oo-ri-aa.
Now Mrs McGrath lived on the seashore
For the space of seven long years or more,
Till a great big ship came sail into the bay,
Says, It's my son Ted, will you clear the way,
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
Oh captain, dear, where have you been,
Have you been sailing in the Meditereen,
And have you any news of my son Ted,
Is the poor boy living or is he dead?
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
Well, up comes Ted, without any legs,
And in their place was some wooden pegs.
She kissed him a dozen times or two,
Saying, Holy Moses, is it you,
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
Now was you drunk, or was you blind,
When you left your two fine legs behind,
Or was it from walking by the sea,
Wore your two fine legs from the knees away?
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
No, I was not drunk, and I was not blind
When I left my two fine legs behind,
A cannon ball on the fifth of May,
Took my two fine legs from the knees away,
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
Oh Teddy, my boy, the widow cried,
Your two fine legs were your mothers pride.
The stumps of a tree won't do at all,
Why didn't you run from the cannon ball?
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
All foreign wars, I do proclaim,
Between Don Juan and the King of Spain,
And I'll make them rue the time,
They took two legs from a child of mine,
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
Well then, if I had you back again,
I'd never let you go to fight the King of Spain,
For I'd rather have me Ted as he used to be,
Than the King of France and his whole navy,
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
He had a leg for every limb
But now he's got no legs at all
For he run a race with a cannonball
With me roo rum rar, faddle diddle dar
Whack faddlle liddle with me roo rum rar.
Oh were you deaf, were you blind
When you left your two fine legs behind
Or was it sailing on the sea
Lost your two fine legs right down to the knee
With me roo rum rar etc.
Oh I was not deaf, I was not blind
When I left my two fine legs behind
Nor was it sailing on the sea,
Lost my two fine legs right down to the knee
With me roo rum rar, etc.
For I was tall, I was slim
And I had a leg for every limb,
But now I've got no legs at all,
They were both shot away by a cannonball.
With me roo rum rar, etc.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
folk song. The song tells the story of a woman whose son enters the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, and returns seven years later having lost his legs to a cannonball
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
fighting against Napoleon in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
. The general theme of the song is one of opposition to war
Anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
, the mother claiming that she would rather have her son as he was. It was very popular among the Irish Volunteers
Irish Volunteers
The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was ostensibly formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland"...
in the years leading up to the 1916 Rising.
In 1958 the song was recorded by Burl Ives
Burl Ives
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....
on Decca DL8444 and by The Belafonte Folk Singers on RCA LSP1760 under the name of "The Sergeant and Mrs. McGrath". It was also recorded by the Clancy Brothers on their 1966 album Isn't It Grand Boys under the title "My Son Ted".
"Mrs. McGrath" is also a song by The Dubliners
The Dubliners
The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...
based on the tune of the original folk song. This version of the song tells the story of a country boy who goes to Dublin to college but fails due to spending all his money and time on women and drink
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
recorded a version of the song on his 2006 album, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
-Personnel:* Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, B-3 organ, and percussion* Sam Bardfeld – violin* Art Baron – tuba* Frank Bruno – guitar* Jeremy Chatzky – upright bass* Mark Clifford – banjo...
. Performed frequently on the subsequent Sessions Band Tour, this incarnation was included on the 2007 Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin
Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin
Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin is a 2007 video and audio offering that captures in-concert performances from the Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band Tour recorded in November 2006 at The Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. The release consists of a concert DVD,...
audio and video release. In all this, Springsteen changed the traditional lyrics slightly. In the original song, Mrs. McGrath would rather have her "son as he used to be than the King of France and his whole navy." In Springsteen's version, this is changed to "King of America."
My Son John
There is also another version of the song that tells exactly the same story. The difference is that the song is about a boy called John. The text of this version is much shorter.Mrs McGrath
Now, Mrs McGrath, the sargent said,Would you like to make a soldier out of your son Ted?
With a scarlet coat and a big cocked hat,
Now Mrs McGrath, wouldn't you like that?
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
Too-ri, oo-ri, oo-ri-aa
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
Too-ri, oo-ri, oo-ri-aa.
Now Mrs McGrath lived on the seashore
For the space of seven long years or more,
Till a great big ship came sail into the bay,
Says, It's my son Ted, will you clear the way,
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
Oh captain, dear, where have you been,
Have you been sailing in the Meditereen,
And have you any news of my son Ted,
Is the poor boy living or is he dead?
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
Well, up comes Ted, without any legs,
And in their place was some wooden pegs.
She kissed him a dozen times or two,
Saying, Holy Moses, is it you,
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
Now was you drunk, or was you blind,
When you left your two fine legs behind,
Or was it from walking by the sea,
Wore your two fine legs from the knees away?
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
No, I was not drunk, and I was not blind
When I left my two fine legs behind,
A cannon ball on the fifth of May,
Took my two fine legs from the knees away,
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
Oh Teddy, my boy, the widow cried,
Your two fine legs were your mothers pride.
The stumps of a tree won't do at all,
Why didn't you run from the cannon ball?
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
All foreign wars, I do proclaim,
Between Don Juan and the King of Spain,
And I'll make them rue the time,
They took two legs from a child of mine,
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
Well then, if I had you back again,
I'd never let you go to fight the King of Spain,
For I'd rather have me Ted as he used to be,
Than the King of France and his whole navy,
Wi your too-ri-aa, folly diddle-aa
...
My Son john
My son John was tall and slimHe had a leg for every limb
But now he's got no legs at all
For he run a race with a cannonball
With me roo rum rar, faddle diddle dar
Whack faddlle liddle with me roo rum rar.
Oh were you deaf, were you blind
When you left your two fine legs behind
Or was it sailing on the sea
Lost your two fine legs right down to the knee
With me roo rum rar etc.
Oh I was not deaf, I was not blind
When I left my two fine legs behind
Nor was it sailing on the sea,
Lost my two fine legs right down to the knee
With me roo rum rar, etc.
For I was tall, I was slim
And I had a leg for every limb,
But now I've got no legs at all,
They were both shot away by a cannonball.
With me roo rum rar, etc.