Molly Durkin

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Molly Durkin is an Irish Folk song more of jest and folly. The song has a lively tempo and sings whimsically of a man who decides to give up his work as a mortar shoveler (probably an asphalt shoveler as well) to take up shoveling gold in California. The song is not so much a song of leaving Ireland as it ts an Irishman's response to a woman's scorn.

I'm a dacint honest workin' man, as you might understand,

And I'll tell to you the reason why I left old Ireland;

'Twas Molly Durkin did it when she married Tim O'Shea

And to keep my heart from breakin', I sailed to Americay.

chorus: Arragh, goodbye Molly Durkin, I'm sick and tired of workin'

And my heart is nearly broken, but no longer I'll be fooled;

And as sure as my name is Cooney, I'm bound for Califooney

And indtead of diggin' mortar I'll be diggin' lumps of gold.

Well, I landed in Castle Garden, sure I met a man named Burke

And he told me remain in New York until he got me work.

But he hasn't got it for me, so tonight I'll tell him plain,

For San Francisco in the morn I'm going to take a train.