He stood by the door and the sticks shared his weight
Watching the old dog with his arthritic gait;
‘We’re two of a kind Rex’, he said to his friend
‘both of us used up and too ould to mend!’
‘Do you mind the days that we’d both head for the bog
and I’d laugh while you’d loll through me twelve hour slog?
Old Jimmy-Pat Murphy would wander across
and we’d swap all the scandal and argue the toss.
But the turf is near finished and the spade is no more,
it’d take me three days, for to walk to the shore -
and you, ya-ould-divil, sure you’re stiffer than me;
you howl in your sleep, like a feckin’ banshee.
Mary Mills says, that you should be put down
and I should move out; find a flat in the town.
Is that the best way, I says, that you’d find to reward
a loyal old friend that you’ve loved and adored?
The only flat I’ll have, I told her that day,
is the flat o’ me back, in a box, in the clay
and if she had a mind; she could shoot you as well,
then we’d head off together, for heaven or hell.
We’re both nearly banjaxed; meself and yourself
and there’s not many summers left up on the shelf
but we’ll do what we can and give it our best;
when we can do no more, we’ll go to our rest.’
Comments
pinda | August 21, 2009 - 23:03
Do you mind the days that we’d both head for the bog
and I’d laugh while you’d loll through me twelve hour slog?
:)
This supposed to be read in a certain way, accent?
lol
Good stuff.
threeleafshamrock | August 21, 2009 - 23:23
Hi Pin; yea it's kind of Irish colloquial.
The 'Bog' is a peat bog (we call it turf) that is cut and dried and then taken home and burned for fuel. I have spent many a long day there. It's hard work but most of the village would be out, if the day was good (it is cut from about April, depending on weather) and the atmosphere was good 'craic' (pronounced crack and means fun/good time).
Thanks for reading Pin ;)
pinda | August 21, 2009 - 23:28
That something I didn't know, intresting.
lenchenelf | August 22, 2009 - 08:36
There's music in this :-) As delightful as listening to a Saw Doctors' album, really enjoyed, thanks Chris
5th stanza, 4th line, small typo 'cold shoot you'?
atb Lena
threeleafshamrock | August 22, 2009 - 10:38
Thanks Lena for reading and for spotting the typo.
You should see the Saw Doctors live if you get the chance; if you don't have a good night, I'll eat me Sheleighly ;)
lenchenelf | August 22, 2009 - 11:23
Seen them three times, making it a fourth this year, the atmosphere is fantastic :-) Songs with actions :-))
all the very best lenax
threeleafshamrock | August 22, 2009 - 12:03
Brilliant! Seen them a few weeks ago - bunch of lunatics; great craic!
russiandoll | August 22, 2009 - 19:51
Ah fantastic...!
I like this - humour, heart and home all in one. Very Irish indeed. Well done you :)
threeleafshamrock | August 22, 2009 - 20:02
Thanks rd Ah, musha; we do the best we can like... ;)