The Body of an American

Lyrics

[Verse 1] The Cadillac stood by the house And the Yanks, they were within And the tinker boys, they hissed advice 'Hot-wire with her a pin' Well, we turned and shook as we had a look In the room where the dead man lay So big Jim Dwyer made his last trip To the shores where his fathers lay [Verse 2] And fifteen minutes later We had our first taste of whiskey There was uncles giving lectures On ancient Irish history The men all started telling jokes And the women, they got frisky At five o'clock in the evening Every bastard there was piskey [Chorus] Fare thee well, gone away There's nothing left to say Farewell to New York City, boys To Boston and PA He took them out with a well-aimed clout And they often heard him say "I'm a freeborn man of the USA" [Verse 3] He fought the champ in Pittsburgh And he slashed him to the ground He took on Tiny Tartanella And it only went one round He never had no time for reds For drink or dice or whores But he never threw a fight when a fight was right So they sent him to the war [Chorus] Fare thee well, gone away There's nothing left to say With a sláinte Joe and Erin go My love's in Amerikay The calling of the rosary Spanish wine from far away "I'm a freeborn man of the USA" [Verse 4] This morning on the harbour When I said goodbye to you I remembered how I swore That I'd come back to you one day And as the sunset came To meet the evening on the hill I told you I'd always love you I always did, I always will [Chorus] Fare thee well, gone away There's nothing left to say But say adieu to your eyes as blue As the water in the bay To big Jim Dwyer, the man of wire Who was often heard to say "I'm a freeborn man of the USA" [Refrain] I'm a freeborn man of the USA I'm a freeborn man of the USA