The Night the Gards Raided Owenys

Lyrics

[Intro] And the music began, in an old fashioned style You would travel to hear it, for many a mile I was drinking' and laughin' away all the while Sure, I thought I was dead and in heaven [Verse 1] One evening of late down to Crow Street I strayed To a bar that's famous for doin' the late trade In vodka and whiskey, and red lemonade Among company that's kindly and jovial The man from Kinawley put me at me ease And he sat me down easy beside a big blaze He poured me a pint, and a half one that blazed And anothеr wee drop came from Oweny [Verse 2] For an hour and a half, I drank liquor so rare "You would swеar it was brewed by the gods" I declare Out of nectars and honeys and lotuses fair And it freshly came over the border At half past eleven, I sadly prepared To return to my lodgings, back where I was reared I packed up my bags, I was filled with dull care And then Oweny put in a big order [Verse 3] So the tipplers relaxed, and returned to their drinks Rejoicing that now they need not feel the pinch Peter Short finished off the last eighth of an inch; He was suckin' since twenty past seven And the music began, in an old fashioned style You would travel to hear it, for manys a mile We were laughin' and dancin' away all the while I thought I was dead and in Heaven [Verse 3] There were lads there from Newry, the Rock and the Hack And some came from Belfast and never went back And more lived convenient, the Carrolls and Blacks And every man Jacks swilling porter Some came from Hill Street, and more from the Quay Some Crossmaglen patriots, tearing away Inniskeen, Donaghmoyne, they were all in array And each one kept themselves in good order [Verse 4] A big dirty Gards, was out on the street; On passing the door, heard the music so sweet And kicked up his heels, for to beat a retreat And to summon up two of his cronies They quickly returned to the scene of the crime And they called on the company to fight or resign "Let them in" cried Pat Murphy, "We'll only be fined" On the night that the Gards raided Owenys [Verse 5] Said the Sergeant on entering, "Well what's this I see? And why are so many of ye on the spree? Could it be that at long last the country is free? Your conduct it is most nefarious" "Oh the country's not free" then Oweny did say "If you want to drink porter, like the rest you must pay We'll stay here if we like till the clear light of day You know in Dundalk we're gregarious" [Verse 6] So the Gards went around and they took all our names And they struggled to spell with their feeble wee brains And of some names in Irish, they made a great hames And more they abandoned forever To the roof of Mulholland's some quickly did climb To gaze on afar at the scene of the crime To watch the auld Gards makin' good overtime As they gathered the rest all together [Verse 7] May the Divil he roast them high up on the ramp The Garda, the sergeant, the lad with the lamp The dirty, mean, miserable, lousy, low tramps From the bog that were dragged up so lowly May they always see suffering and sorrow and pain May their boots never fit and their belts never strain If they interrupt such a grand evenin' again As the night that the Gards raided Owneys [Verse 8] May their motors all stand and their noses all run And their necks now so red, all turn green in the sun And their teeth all turn black and fall out one by one May starvation it make them grow boney May their arses all fester and drop to their heels And their last dying minutes be tempered with squeals May they dance forever, the fastest of reels With the Divil for raiding poor Oweny