There Was an Old Woman From Mabou

THE OLD WOMAN FROM MABOU

There was an old woman from Mabou,
In Mabou she did well
She loved her husband dearly,
But another man twice as well

With me right fol lid-der-al ar-yl,
And me right fol low-rel lee

One day she went to the doctor,
Some medicine for to find
Saying "Doctor give me something,
That'll make me ould man blind"

"Oh, feed him eggs and marrow bones,
And make him sup them all
And it won't be so very long after,
That'll he won't see you at all"

So she fed him eggs and marrow bones, And made him sup them all
And it wasn't so very long after,
That'll he couldn't see the wall

"O," says he "I'd go and drown meself,
But that might be a sin"
"Well," says she "I'll go along with you,
And I'll help to push you in"

The old woman she went back a bit,
To get a running go
The old man blithely stepped aside,
And she went in below

Oh, how loudly did she roar,
And how loudly did she bawl
"Arrah hould yer whisht ould woman," says he, "Sure I can't see you at all"

She swam and swam and swam and swam',
Till she came to the further brim
The old man got a long, larch pole,
And he pushed her further in

O eggs are eggs and marrow bones,
Will make your old man blind
But if you want to drown him,
You must creep up close behind

There was an old woman from Mabou,
From Mabou she did dwell
She loved her husband dearly,
But another man twice as well

With me right fol lid-der-al ar-yl,
And me right fol low-rel lee