Mr. Connaughton - Ralph McTell

Mr Connaughton my memory’s long, though the years have flown

Though the years have gone

Was your wife’s name Marjorie or Mary?

Were you from Cork or Tipperary?

Mr Connaughton when we lived underneath

Oh you said it was a lucky man had a gap between his teeth

And for a while I had a gap too

But it closed when my big teeth came through

Oh it closed when my big teeth came through

Mr Connaughton you seemed to laugh such a lot

And that would make us smile too, as often as not

Did you have a friend who was a soldier?

Well I’m gonna join the army when I’m older

Well I know you paid a fiver for that old motorbike

And they said it wouldn’t run, but I thought that it might

I was nearly asleep when it spluttered into life

And I clenched my fist and smiled a secret smile of delight

Was your first name Kevin or Mike?

I remember when you built us a soap-box cart

With the wheels off a pram, and a plank out in the yard

And you gave us a bit of string but we steered it with our feet

Oh boy it was the best one on the street

And you said «Jesus, that’s the best one on the street»

I remember when your little girl was born

You brought her downstairs to show us all

And we were allowed to kiss her

And I wished she was my sister

Mr Connaughton, you moved away

With your wife and your baby, but we stayed

Till finally we got re-housed too

And I never will forget you

Mr Connaughton my memory’s long though the years have flown

Though the years have gone

Was your wife’s name Marjorie or Mary?

Were you from Cork or Tipperary?