A Criminal of Me

Y'all's my greats, great My great, great granddad was a king A monarch stout and noble He surveyed this land so green And he said, "She's fair and humble" As far as the eye can see From Carrantuohill to Giant's Causeway Was ours until they went And made a criminal of me Many a Celtic head had rolled And rolled upon the hillside And they bathed their horses hooves In Hibernian blood and their hide In exile, they did flee Set up a church and home there 'Til the landlord and the bailiff Made it criminality Oh, and on the road they came to run Run until the runnin's done Far away from fettered chain The land was ours to barter We succumb from sweat and strain And look they're right behind again If they catch me boys I know they'll make a criminal of me A criminal of me, a criminal of me A wandering forever, hungering eternally A criminal of me, a criminal of me Run, run, before they make a criminal of me Across the sea they sailed To a land both bright and noble For they'd watched their neighbors starve And the bloodline as it fumbled As they reached the safer side Old Papa said to Jimmy To try and live a life So they'd not make a criminal of he "Go be alert", said Da ? Do not perish for the gentry" Tho' poor but proud was he Whenever they called discretely Well, he'd smash their faces in And in jail he died poorly But he said "Don't let them try and make a criminal of ye" On the road they came to run Run until the runnin's done Far away from fettered chain The land was ours to barter We succumb from sweat and strain And look they're right behind again If they catch me, boys I know they'll make a criminal of me A criminal of me, a criminal of me A wandering forever, hungering eternally A criminal of me, a criminal of me Run, run, before they make a criminal of me Oh a criminal of me, a criminal of me A wandering forever, hungering eternally Oh a criminal of me, oh a criminal of me Run, run, before they make a criminal of me Oh, now my boss he steps so gay So gaily up the street While I dull the pain in pubs Still can't afford to eat He is dashing, he is fancy And he'll never want you see Even as the factory shuts His shoes reflect the criminal in me Violent and drunk now in the street With nothing to sustain me I'm gonna die here in this hole The kids I can't take care of with me But it must be taught to let the blame And hatred out of their heads For anger and danger make you Just another pathetic, drunken, violent paddy dead On the road they came to run Run until the runnin's done Far away from fettered chain The land was ours to barter We succumb from sweat and strain And look they're right behind again If they catch me boys I know they'll make a criminal of me Oh a criminal of me, a criminal of me A wandering forever, hungering eternally Oh a criminal of me, oh a criminal of me Run, run, before they make a criminal of me Run, run, before they make a criminal of me Run, run, before they make a criminal of me