Darling Girl From Clare

Percy French

We were sitting on the wall upon a Sunday
To watch the girls go by
And a’thinkin’ we’d be marrit to one one day
When a colleen caught our eye
Oh man, she was the makin’s of a fairy
She made each boy’o swear
There’s not one girl in this wide wide world
Like the darling girl from Clare

Now every man has got the finest plan
You’d ever see now, barrin’ me now
Every day there’s one of them will say
That she’ll agree now, Oh you’ll see now
Each night they would fight as to which of them was right
‘Bout the colour of her eyes or hair
But not one word from me was ever heard
About the darling girl from Clare

Sez Sharkey she’ll be coming to the shop now
To buy some sort of thing
And I’ll ask her if she has a mind to stop now
And should I buy her the ring
And when she sees the curtains on the window
And the tall clock on the stair
Keeping time to the minute no-one else will be in it
For the darling girl from Clare

So every man has got the finest plan
You’d ever see now, barrin’ me now
Every day there’s one of them will say
That she’ll agree now, you’ll see now
Thinks I ye may stop till you rot in your shop
And ne’er a hair she’ll care
With all yer gold you’ll never hold a hold
Upon the darling girl from Clare

Sez Fagan ’tis the father I’ll be plaising
I’ll tell him of the land I’ve tilled
I’ll tell him of the cattle that I’m grazing
And the house I mean for to build
And when he sees the arable and pasture
And the fat stock grazing there
And the hens and the chickens you may go to the dickens
For the darling girl from Clare

So every man has got the finest plan
You’d ever see now, barrin’ me now
Every day there’s one of them will say
That she’ll agree now, you’ll see now
Thinks I whither now though I haven’t ere a cow
Of brass I’ve got my share
And so I know the way I ought to go
About the darling girl from Clare

No, I never said a single word about her
But I met that girl that day
And I told her that I couldn’t live without her
And what had she for to say
She told me to go and ask her father
Which I did right then and there
And in less than an hour we were fighting for the dower
Of the darling girl from Clare

So every man had got the finest plan
You’d ever see now, barrin’ me now
Every day there’s one of them will say
That she’ll agree now, Oh you’ll see now
But late last night when the moon was bright
I axed her if she would share
All me joy and me sorra, and begorrah on tomorra
I’ll be married to the girl from Clare

This song was sent to us by Brian Clancy, Australia. It was his father’s favourite song and Brian thinks that this particular version dates back to around 1920. The words are like his father sang it. Thanks Brian, for sharing this!
See also The Darling Girl From Clare.