American Old Time Song Lyrics: 25 Maginnis Raffle

Theater, Music-Hall, Nostalgic, Irish & Historic Old Songs, Volume 25

MAGINNIS' RAFFLE.

On Saturday night we'd a bit of a fight,
I was dressed in me best, so genteel,
"While, for company's sake, in me fist I did take
Me ould country blackthorn shillelagh.
Going through Cherry street, there who should I meet?
But me ould countryman, Larry McGaffle;
"Arrah. Mickey" siz he, "will yer take, d'ye see,
A ticket to go "to a raffle?"

"Be me soukins. I swear all the boys will be there,
Wid fat Mrs. Byrnes an' her daughter;
The purpose, 'tis true, is for charity, too,
Take a ticket-it's only a quarter.
The prize, you must know, is a fiddle an' bow,
Twas presented to Misther Tim Whaffle;
The chairman is he iv the grand committee,
On Mickey Maginuis' rattle."

Siz I, "Larry, begor, will you tell me who it's for?
Nor me mind with wild fancies bewildher;"
"'Tis to bring out, " says he, "from the ould counthry,
Window Doyle an' her fourteen small childer.
Her husband, the sol, at sheep stealing was caught,
He'd a narrow escape from the scaffold.
But was sint 'cross the say, out to Bottiny Bay,
An' for his widdy we've got up this raffle."

The quarter I spint, and with Larry I wint,
To Oak street we travelled from Cherry;
At aitch sheebeen we'd stop to take a small dhrop,
Be the time we got there we wor merry.
As the dure we passed thro', what a sight met me view,
All me powers of description 'twould baffle;
In all sorts of dress, full three hundred or less,
Wor at Mickey Maginnis' raffle.

The factions enraged, were in battle engaged,
An' the blood soon began to flow freely,
But the whole iv the crew couldn't lather us two,
That's meself an' me blackthorn shillelagh.
Me stick got excited, it wanted to fight,
It longed to take part in the battle;
It hit Shaughnessy's Ted such a belt on the head
That it knocked him stone blind at the rattle.