Johnny Jump-Up

Well, I’ll tell you a story that happened

to me, one day as I went out to Youghal by

the sea, the day it was hot, the sun it

was warm, says I “a quick pint wouldn’t do

a-ny harm

I went in and called for a bottle of stout says the barman, “I’m sorry
the beer’s all sold out, try whiskey, young paddy, ten years in the
wood” says I, “I’ll have cider; I’ve heard that it’s good

Chorus:

Oh nev-er, Oh never, Oh never again, If I

live to a hundred or a hundred and ten;

for I fell to the ground and I couldn’t get

up, after drinkin’ a quart of the Johnny

jump up

After leavin the third I came out by the yard, where I walked into
Brophy the civic guard; “come ere to me boy don’t you know I’m the
law?” I upped with me fist and I shattered his jaw

Well he fell to the ground with his knees doubled up ‘twas not I that
hit him, but Johnny Jump-Up, the next thing that I met down by Youghal
by the sea was a cripple on crutches and he said to me

“I’m afraid for me life I’ll be hit by a car, won’t you help me across
to the railwayman’s bar?” but after drinkin’ a quart of the cider so
sweet, he threw down his crutches and danced in the street.

Chorus

Well I went down the Lee road a friend for to see, they call it the
Madhouse in Cork by the sea, but when I got there sure the truth I
will tell, they had a poor bugger locked up in a cell,

said the guard, testing him, “say these word if you can: “Around the
rugged rock the ragged rascal ran.” “Tell them I’m not crazy, tell
them I’m not mad ‘twas only the sup of the bottle I had.

Chorus

A man died in the Union by the name of McNabb, they washed him, they
laid him outside on a slab, and after O’Conner his measurements did
take, his wife took him home for a bloody fine wake

Well, about twelve o’clock and the beer it was high, the corpse he
sits up and says he with a sigh, “I can’t get to heaven, they won’t
let me up ‘till I bring them a quart of Johnny Jump-Up

Chorus

Chorus