29 Nov 2013

Poor Old Michael Finnegan




A friend reminded me of this old nursery song today, and I need to post it here because I have a terrible feeling that I may have forgotten to teach it to Jemimah, and this might just remind me to check. It's an old song, which means that there are lots and lots of different versions, but the one you used to sing is always the correct version, so the words below are the only real ones. Ahem.  The words in the video are wrong, of course, and the tune is not quite perfect, but it's the best I could find tonight on YouTube.
There was an old man called Michael Finnegan,
He grew whiskers on his chinnigin,
The wind came out and blew them in ag'in,
Poor old Michael Finnegan (begin ag'in)

There was an old man called Michael Finnegan,
He went fishing with a pinnigin,
Caught a fish but threw it in ag'in,
Poor old Michael Finnegan (begin ag'in)

There was an old man called Michael Finnegan,
Climbed a tree and barked his shinnigin,
Took off several yards of skinnigin,
Poor old Michael Finnegan (begin ag'in)

There was an old man called Michael Finnegan,
He grew fat and he grew thin ag'in,
Then he died, and had to begin ag'in,
Poor old Michael Finnegan (begin ag'in)

Michael Finnegan is a 'long song', which basically means it goes on and on and on in perpetuity. Did you sing it as a child? What verses can you add? Please, leave them in the comments!

3 comments:

  1. There was an old man called Michael Finnegan
    Bobbed for apples in the binnigin
    Lost his breath pulled out his head ag'in
    Poor old Michael Finnegan

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hastened over to ask whether you have taught Jemimah "That Harlem Goat" (aka Bill Grogan's Goat) and Never Let Your Braces Dingle-Dangle? Not long songs, but definitely to be shared with the young.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I haven't taught her either of them, Susan. I shall rectify that forthwith!

    ReplyDelete

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