(traditional Irish song lyrics and chords)
THE JUICE OF THE BARLEY


G7       C                                         G7
In the sweet country Lim'rick, one cold winter's night
           C                                            G7
All the turf fires were burning when I first saw the light;
           C                                       F
And a drunken old midwife went tipsy with joy
            Em                                              F           G7
As she danced round the floor with her slip of a boy,

 CHORUS
             C                              F   G7   
Singing ban-ya-na mo if an-ga-na
              C                 G7            C    G7
And the juice of the barley for me.


G7             C                                       G7
Well when I was a gossoon of eight years old or so
              C                                 G7
With me turf and me primer to school I did go.
        C                                        F
To a dusty old school house without any door,
            Em                                       F                   G7
Where lay the school master blind drunk on the floor,
CHORUS

G7      C                                    G7
At the learning I wasn't such a genius I'm thinking,
         C                                  G7
But I soon bet the master entirely at drinking,
           C                                  F
Not a wake or a wedding for five miles around,
       Em                                  F                G7
But meself in the corner was sure to be found.
CHORUS

G7    C                                           G7
One Sunday the priest thread me out from the altar
                     C                                          G7
Saying you'll end up your days with your neck in a halter;
                 C                                      F
And you'll dance a fine jig between heaven and hell
             Em                                             F                G7
And his words they did frighten me the truth for to tell,
CHORUS

G7        C                                       G7
So the very next morning as the dawn it did break
            C                                   G7
I went down to the vestry the pledge for to take,
       C                                       F
And there in that room sat the priests in a bunch
              Em                                F                 G7
Round a big roaring fire drinking tumblers of punch,
CHORUS

G7            C                                  G7
Well from that day to this I have wandered alone
         C                                   G7
I'm a jack of all trades and a master of none,
                C                                  F
With the sky for me roof and the earth for me floor,
            Em                                       F               G7
And I'll dance out my days drinking whiskey galore,
CHORUS