Uncle Mike
(Frank Hennessy)
Chorus - hopeless!

When I was young I spent some time with my Irish uncle Mike
I must have travelled a hundred miles on the crossbar of his bike
As we rattled down the road Uncle Mike would sing
A song without a single word and the bicycle bell would ring
And he sang

Sometimes when he'd get lonely he would often say to me
Turn down the radio and I'll tell you how things used to be
We had no television then we had no gramophone
And if you required some music then you had to make your own
Like this

Summer nights we gathered round down at the village hall
If there was no fiddle to play for us then it didn't matter at all
When the conversation faltered old Mike brought out his song
And the young ones took their partners and they'd dance the whole night long
To his

And after Mass on Sunday across the road he'd stand
Along with all the other lads in his Sunday suit so grand
The girls would go parading 'twas such a pretty sight
And one would say, Hey Michael who're you taking to the dance tonight
And he'd say

When the hay was gathered in and safe from the winter harm
There would be a celebration in the kitchen at the farm
He'd not get home till daybreak sometimes in a terrible state
His ma would ask him where he'd been he would tell her straight
Down by the

And when Uncle Mikey passed away I was a man myself
He left me the cottage and the land the total of his wealth
But he was loved by everyone in the country and the town
And you never saw a bigger crowd when we laid old Mikey down
And we sang