Chiff and Fipple Forums

I've been trying to follow the lyrics to the song "The Millionaire", track 19 on the 'Music at Matt Molloy's' CD, and the craic surrounding it (recorded live at a session) makes it hard to hear some of it well. I did some searching but got no leads. Does anybody out there know the lyrics or can point me in the right direction?

Thanks
N

(edited for more boneheadedness from yours truly)

*Ahem*

Well, there are a few little uncertainties here. Can anybody figure them out?

Btw, N, I like how your new aviator appears to be flying, sort of.

Carol

T'was early Friday mornin' as I cycled into town,
The front wheel it was wobblin' and the mud guard fallin' down,
I was holding up me trousers with [something] and bits of twine,
And a pension [pinchin’?] folk kept tellin' me a pint would soon be mine.

How are you Mr. Murphy, said the postal clerk to me
Not too bad, says I, for a man of 73
The fox came to me house last night and stole me only duck
Buy a lottery ticket, she says, it might change your luck.

Well I took the little girls’ advice and I gave to her a pound
Outside I scratched me ticket with the penknife I had found
Well I nearly dropped me trousers and I grew a head of hair
When I realized I was a bloody millionaire.

No more hay or turf to save, no more bleatin’ calves
One keg from me big booze and the bike was in two halves
I headed for The Lotus[?], sure I was feeling great
And friends I never knew I had came in to celebrate.

Not long after that I had a new suit on me back
A new red car outside the door with a telephone on the rack
Me wife was wearing a blonde wig where her gray head used to be
And the [Wellington?] tracks had disappeared from just below her knee.

I sat there admiring the new dress that she wore
A lovely set of teeth she had installed the day before
I held her oh so tightly like when I was a groom
And we looked rich and graceful as we waltzed around the room.

Well then I got an awful shock, I thought I’d nearly die
I spied my ugly missus as I opened up one eye
With rollers in her old gray head she nearly made me sick
Get up and milk the cows, she says, you ravin’ lunatic.

It was then I realized that it was all a dream
The cow was lowing in the field and the cat was at the cream
Our bike was thrown right in the hedge, me trousers had a shine
Twas lovely while it lasted, that winnin’ dream of mine.

Brava, Carol! Brava!!

I have some different takes:
-"The (nanana) of me trousers were held up with bits of twine"
-"a pension note(?)" or "post(?)"
-"no more feedin' calves"
-"one kick from me big boot and the bike was in two halves"
-"I headed for the local"
-"our bike was threw along the hedge, me trousers had they shine"


That "pension" (or pinchin') bit and the "(garbledy) tracks" are killin' me.

--Anybody else? I really want to trot this one out at a session some evening.

Nanohedron wrote: I have some different takes:

-"a pension note(?)" or "post(?)"
-"one kick from me big boot and the bike was in two halves"
-"I headed for the local"

Perhaps these *do* make a bit better sense than mine. I sure wondered about that keg from me big booze. And that line about the red car? I was really puzzled when I thought it was: And a new red pair of zydeco with a telephone on the rack.

And, okay, perhaps it's not really Wellington tracks.

*giggles and scratches head*

Carol

I think some of the lines go :

"The two legs of me trousers were held up with bits of twine"

"and a pension book was telling me a pint would soon be mine"

(nb: in years past, people receiving company & government pensions would often be issued "pension book" on which a clerk would stamp the date every time they were issued a cheque)

Also, I think "Wellington tracks" is correct. calf-length rubber boots (often worn while working in the garden) are known in some parts as "Wellington boots" or "Wellies". If you have them on long enough, the do leave tracks around your calves.

Thats my contribution to the world's store of useless knowledge for today.

Thanks, SteveB. We're getting there.

Zydeco, Carol? Have you been steeping yourself in "St. Patrick was a Cajun" these days?

The BBC broadcast a live session from Matt Malloy's on New Year's day 2002,during which Mick Lavelle reprised the song,but updated the lyrics,by paying for the lottery ticket with the NEW EURO he had found.This caused some hilarity from the audience,as it was on 1st Jan. 2002 that the Irish Punt was replaced by the Euro.

Well, I gave it a go tonite at Keegan's. We were all packing it up to go home and a sorta-newbie (good whistler) said, "People really don't sing at sessions around here, do they?"

The rest is history.

Of course I botched it in a couple of spots, but everybody had a good laugh. Thanks to all for helping out.

Nanohedron wrote:Well, I gave it a go tonite at Keegan's. We were all packing it up to go home and a sorta-newbie (good whistler) said, "People really don't sing at sessions around here, do they?"

The rest is history.

Of course I botched it in a couple of spots, but everybody had a good laugh. Thanks to all for helping out.

*applauds*

I have just found this site and have spent the last four hours moving all about it but when I read the lyrics of that song it made me laugh and I was wondering if anyone has the guitar chords to go with it?? If not I have made a superb discovery anyway!!

For the best in lyrics, and some of the fastest responses to a posted question of lyrics, try www.mudcats.org Great group of singing sort and a riproaring message board

My version of this......

My Winning Dream

'Twas early Friday mornin' as I cycled into town.
The front wheel it was wobblin' and the mud guard fallin' down.
The two legs on me trousers were tied up with bits of twine,
And a pension book was telling me a pint would soon be mine.

"Howya , Mr. Murphy?" said the postal clerk to me.
"Not too bad," says I, "for a man of seventy-three.
The fox came to me house last night and stole me only duck."
"Buy a lottery ticket," she says. "It might change your luck."

Well, I took the little girl's advice and I gave to her a pound.
Outside I scratched me ticket with the penknife I had found.
Well, I nearly dropped me trousers and I grew a head of hair
When I realized I was a bloody millionaire.

No more hay or turf to save, no more feedin' calves.
One kick from me big boot and the bike was in two halves.
I headed for the local. Sure I was feeling great,
And friends I never knew I had came in to celebrate.

Not long after that, I had a new suit on me back,
A new red car outside the door with a telephone on the rack.
The ould wife was wearing a blonde wig where her gray head used to be,
And the Wellington tracks had disappeared from just below her knee.

I sat there admiring the new dress that she wore.
A lovely set of teeth she had installed the day before.
I held her oh so tightly like when I was a groom,
And we looked rich and graceful as we waltzed around the room.

Twas then I got an awful shock. I thought I'd nearly die.
I spied my ugly missus as I opened up one eye,
With rollers in her old grey head she nearly made me sick.
"Get up and milk the cows," she says, "you ravin' lunatic."

It was then I realized that it was all a dream.
The cow was lowing in the yard and the cat was at the cream.
Our bike was strewn in the hedge. Me trousers had a shine.
ah but twas lovely while it lasted, that winnin' dream of mine.

Talk about a zombie thread!

Yeah, that's pretty close to how I've gotten it.

Nano, now you need to add the Chiffer's Alphabet Song to your repertoire.

carrie wrote: Not long after that I had a new suit on me back
A new red car outside the door with a telephone on the rack
Me wife was wearing a blonde wig where her gray head used to be
And the [Wellington?] tracks had disappeared from just below her knee.

I've always heard 'varicose' [veins] rather than wellington. It makes more sense, but I have to pretend that he's pronouncing it closer to 'varicone', or at least swallowing the S