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Song title: Mrs. McGrath


Mrs. McGrath

"Mrs McGrath ," the sergeant said,
"would you like a soldier of your son, Ted?
With a scarlet coat and a big cocked hat,
Mrs McGrath wouldn you like that?"

With your too-ri-aa, fol-ded-dle-di-aa,
too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa,too-ri-aa,
fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

Mrs McGrath lived on the shore
and after seven years or more
She spied a ship come into the bay
with her son from far away
"O captain dear where have ye been?
you been sailing the Mediterranean?
Have you news of my son Ted?
Is he living or is he dead?"

With your too-ri-aa, fol-ded-dle-di-aa,
too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa,too-ri-aa,
fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

Then 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 ye drunk or were ye blind?
When ye left yer two fine legs behind?
Or was it walking upon the sea
that wore your two fine legs away?"

With your too-ri-aa, fol-ded-dle-di-aa,
too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa,too-ri-aa,
fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With your too-ri-aa, fol-ded-dle-di-aa,
too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa,too-ri-aa,
fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

Now I wasn't drunk and I wasn't blind
When I left my two fine legs behind
A cannonball on the fifth of May
Tore my two fine legs away
"My, Teddy boy," the widow cried
"yer two fine legs were yer mother's pride
stumps of a tree won't do at all
Why didn't ye run from the cannonball?"

With your too-ri-aa, fol-ded-dle-di-aa,
too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa,too-ri-aa,
fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With your too-ri-aa, fol-ded-dle-di-aa,
too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa,too-ri-aa,
fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

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

With your too-ri-aa, fol-ded-dle-di-aa,
too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa,too-ri-aa,
fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With your too-ri-aa, fol-ded-dle-di-aa,
too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa,too-ri-aa,
fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With your too-ri-aa, fol-ded-dle-di-aa,
too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa,too-ri-aa,
fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa


Statistics from the KILLING FLOOR (www.brucespringsteen.it) database


Published on the following official releases:

First known live performance: 20/03/2006 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park,NJ ,USA
Last known live performance: 21/11/2006 The Odyssey, Belfast ,Ireland

Song 'history':


Played during the rehearsals for the We shall overcome / The Seeger session tour, in Mar/Apr 2006.
Published on the 'WE SHALL OVERCOME - THE SEEGER SESSIONS' Album, released in April 2006.
Performed every night of the The Seeger Session tour

The song was also played in informal happenings or off-tour appearances
Data from the www.brucespringsteen.it database