My (G)great-grandmother knew him well,

He asked her to (D)come and (G)call

On (C)him in his flat and she (G)giggled at the thought

Of a young girl's lovely (D)fall.

O (G)he was dangerous,

Fol dol the di do,

He was dangerous,

And (D)I tell (G)you  D-C

 

On (G)Pembroke Road look out for my ghost,

Dishevelled with (D)shoes un(G)tied,

(C)Playing through the railings with (G)little children

Whose children have long since (D)died.

O (G)he was a nice man,

Fol do the di do,

He was a nice man

And (D)I tell (G)you  D-C

 

Go (G)into a pub and listen well

If my voice still (D)echoes (G)there,

(C)Ask the men what their (G)grandsires thought

And tell them to answer (D)fair,

O (G)he was eccentric,

Fol do the di do,

He was eccentric

And (D)I tell (G)you  D-C

 

He (G)had the knack of making men feel

As small as they (D)really (G)were

Which (C)meant as great as (G)God had made them

But as males they disliked his (D)air.

O (G)he was a proud one,

Fol do the di do,

He was a proud one

And (D)I tell (G)you  D-C

 

If (G)ever you go to Dublin town

In a hundred (D)years or (G)so

(C)Sniff for my person(G)ality,

Is it Vanity's vapour (D)now?

O (G)he was a vain one,

Fol dol the di do,

He was a vain one

And (D)I tell (G)you  D-C

 

 

I (G)saw his name with a hundred more

In a book in the (D)librar(G)y,

It (C)said he had never (G)fully achieved

His potentialit(D)y.

O (G)he was slothful,

Fol do the di do,

He was slothful

And (D)I tell (G)you  D-C

 

He (G)knew that posterity had no use

For anything (D)but the (G)soul,

The (C)lines that speak the (G)passionate heart,

The spirit that lives a(D)lone.

O (G)he was a lone one,

Fol do the di do

O he was a lone one,

And (D)I tell (G)you  D-C

 

O (G)he was a lone one,

Fol do the di do

Yet he lived happily

And (D)I tell (G)you