St Patrick was a gentleman He came from decent people He built his church in Dublin Town And on it put a steeple His father was a Gallagher His mother was a Grady His aunt was an O’Shaughnessy His uncle was a Brady The Wicklow Hills are very high And so is the Hill of Howth sir There’s a hill much higher still Higher than them both sir On the top of this high hill St Patrick preached his sermon Which drove the frogs into the bogs And banished all the vermin
There’s not a mile in Eireann’s Isle Where dirty vermin musters There he put his dear fore-foot And murdered them in clusters The frogs went hop, the toads went plop Slapdash into the water And the snakes committed suicide To save themselves from slaughter 900.000 reptiles blue He charmed with sweet discourses And dined on them in Killaloe On soups and second courses Where blind worms crawling in the grass Disgusted all the nation Right down to Hell with the Holy Spell He changed their situation
No wonder that these Irish guys Could be so gay and frisky Sure St Pat, He taught them that As well as making whisky No wonder that the Saint himself Should understand distilling His father kept a sheebeen shop In the town of Enniskillen Well was I but so fortunate As to be back in Munster I’d be bound that from that ground I never more would once stir There St. Patrick planted turf cabbages and praties Pigs galore, mo gra mo store, altar boys and ladies
St Patrick was a gentleman He came from decent people He built his church in Dublin Town And on it put a steeple His father was a Gallagher His mother was a Grady His aunt was an O’Shaughnessy His uncle was a Brady The Wicklow Hills are very high And so is the hill of Howth sir There’s a Hill much higher still Higher than them both sir Success to bold St Patrick’s fist He was a saint so clever He gave the snakes an awful twist And banished them forever