New York

Danny Cooley always told me That the Irish could change the world Said he’d come back one day to show me Never heard another word Some say he joined the army KIA Afghanistan Last seen alive in San Diego In the company of a Fenian band The demon rum is on the table The bedpost queen is in my hand Now the tiger’s just a fable The saints are dying out in the sand Back in ’23, they landed on the docks Nearly two hundred years only made it twelve blocks Or went up that Harlem line into the heart of the Bronx You’re free as a bird New York It was, Vinegar Hill down to Baltimore We hit every joint, pissed in every bar In that black sedan with the plates expired Singin’ Homeward Bound until the rising sun I hear the cold rain lash the window Drowning sorrows in the square I think I’ll head on down to Pittsburgh I heard a rumour Danny’s there Back in ’23, they landed on the docks Nearly two hundred years only made it twelve blocks Or went up that Harlem line into the heart of the Bronx Were buried with the rosary when the big canals were dug Or fought hard on the fields with Meagher to the Argonne Shouting “Clear the Way”, our time will come You’re free as a bird New York