Gerry Kearns vocal & guitar; John Howarth chorus; Larry Kearns chorus & mandolin
Owd Paddy were an Irishmon,
Drove t’village wayter-cart,
Sunshine on two legs he were,
A pumpkin for a heart,
Each day to him were Christmas,
No one day were set apart,
Refrain
dee dle age de doot an daddy
An’neaw Owd Paddy’s dead.
Childer come from miles areawnd
To watch him cleanin’ t’streets,
He allus had a tale to tell,
An’ pockets full o’ sweets,
His cab a Fairy Grotto
In a land where nob’dy cheats,
dee dle age de doot an daddy
An’neaw Owd Paddy’s dead
He were, by strange coincidence,
Born on Christmas day,
Some say as t’Good Lord planned that,
In His own mysterious way,
But stranger still, last Yuletide gone,
Owd Paddy passed away
dee dle age de doot an daddy
Fancy, Owd Paddy dead !
He’d mow thi lawn, or trim thi hedge,
Cut hair, (his former trade),
Walk thi dog, or feed thi rabbits,
Get thi footpath laid,
No matter how folk pressed him,
Paddy saw as nob’dy paid,
dee dle age de doot an daddy
An’neaw Owd Paddy’s dead
There’s some as gets state funerals,
Like Presidents an’ such,
As started wars, an’ had folk shot,
An’ lacked the human touck,
Dost want see Paddy’s monument ?
It’s my lad’s rabbit hutch !
dee dle age de doot an daddy
Fancy, Owd Paddy dead !
Owd Paddy were an Irishmon,
Drove t’village wayter-cart,
Sunshine on two legs he were,
A pumpkin for a heart,
Each day to him were Christmas,
No one day were set apart,
Refrain
dee dle age de doot an daddy
An’neaw Owd Paddy’s dead.
Childer come from miles areawnd
To watch him cleanin’ t’streets,
He allus had a tale to tell,
An’ pockets full o’ sweets,
His cab a Fairy Grotto
In a land where nob’dy cheats,
dee dle age de doot an daddy
An’neaw Owd Paddy’s dead
He were, by strange coincidence,
Born on Christmas day,
Some say as t’Good Lord planned that,
In His own mysterious way,
But stranger still, last Yuletide gone,
Owd Paddy passed away
dee dle age de doot an daddy
Fancy, Owd Paddy dead !
He’d mow thi lawn, or trim thi hedge,
Cut hair, (his former trade),
Walk thi dog, or feed thi rabbits,
Get thi footpath laid,
No matter how folk pressed him,
Paddy saw as nob’dy paid,
dee dle age de doot an daddy
An’neaw Owd Paddy’s dead
There’s some as gets state funerals,
Like Presidents an’ such,
As started wars, an’ had folk shot,
An’ lacked the human touck,
Dost want see Paddy’s monument ?
It’s my lad’s rabbit hutch !
dee dle age de doot an daddy
Fancy, Owd Paddy dead !
This is Cliff Gerrard at his most sincere. Cliff tells the lads that Paddy, whose second name was Ward, was a ‘real person’, and in Lancashire that term means far more than just a living being. It is a supreme compliment. According to Cliff, Paddy had all the warmth, honesty, willingness and allure that the verses describe –
That Lancashire Band LP 12TS399stereo
The Oldham Tinkers
First published by TOPIC Records 1979 by John Brierley, Cargo Recording Studio, Rochdale, April 1979. Notes by Larry Kearns / Sleeve illustration and design by John Atkinson
Produced by Tony Russell
Re-released on C.D. by Pier Records in 2000 under licence from Topic Records Ltd, England.
The C.D. The Oldham Tinkers, ‘That Lancashire Band’ PIERCD 504
The classic Lancashire folk album from 1979, available for the first time on CD, with three bonus tracks, full song notes and a sleeve note introduction from B.B.C. presenter Andy Kershaw.
The Oldham Tinkers
First published by TOPIC Records 1979 by John Brierley, Cargo Recording Studio, Rochdale, April 1979. Notes by Larry Kearns / Sleeve illustration and design by John Atkinson
Produced by Tony Russell
Re-released on C.D. by Pier Records in 2000 under licence from Topic Records Ltd, England.
The C.D. The Oldham Tinkers, ‘That Lancashire Band’ PIERCD 504
The classic Lancashire folk album from 1979, available for the first time on CD, with three bonus tracks, full song notes and a sleeve note introduction from B.B.C. presenter Andy Kershaw.