The Ballad Of The Ronnie Drew

[Intro: ]D D G A                                        

 D                         G         A       
Here's to the Ronnie, the voice we adore 
      D                        G             A 
Like coals from a coal bucket scraping the floor 
 D                       G         A 
Sing out his praises in music and malt 
    D                         G           D D G A 
And if you're not Irish, that isn't your fault 

 D                        G         A 
Raise up our voices like dogs in a pack 
 D                      G         A 
Thankful for honest men we never lack 
    D                       G         A 
We got ‘em by twenties, we got ‘em by ones 
 D                           G             (D D G A) 2x 
Them and their daughters and all of their sons 

           G            D 
Here's to you, Ronnie Drew 
           G            D 
Here's to you, Ronnie Drew 
         G       F#m              G 
Ronnie Drew, we love you, yes we do 
           D            A              D 
Here's to you, Ronnie Drew, here's to you 

      D                    G         A 
And what's it to any man whether or no' 
  D                   G           A 
Whether I'm easy or whether I'm true 
      D                   G          A 
As I lifted her petticoat easy and slow 
       D                        G           D D G A 
And I tied up me sleeve for to buckle her shoe 

 D                    G          A 
Get up and go at it, five until five 
           D                      G           A 
When the whistle says budge it we come back alive 
       D                          G        A 
He'll sing to the heavens, he's stormy as hell 
        D                       G           (D D G A) 2x 
And wherever he goes, we'll be wishing him well 

           G            D 
Here's to you, Ronnie Drew 
           G            D 
Here's to you, Ronnie Drew 
         G       F#m              G 
Ronnie Drew, we love you, yes we do 
           D            A              D 
Here's to you, Ronnie Drew, here's to you 

     A 
The dawn and the dust, the wise, the unjust 
         Em 
Kids in gambling games 
     A 
The unheard, the unseen, the unwashed and unclean 
             Em 
Where the streets all have names 
 A 
Baggers, street masons, street wagons to Stevens 
      Em 
With lovers and loners who can hear all intoners 
     A 
The goths and the ravers, evil bids and traders 
 Em 
Sing out Ronnie Drew 
   D                    G          A 
A life for a life or a hand for a hand 
  D                       G           A 
Trust in the music and strike up the band 
     D                     G            A 
The more that we sing the less that we fight 
 D                       G           D D G A 
Time and again this is proved to be right 

 D                          G         A 
Build you a statue on St. Stephen's Green 
    D              G          A 
No fairer monument ere to be seen 
      D                    G           A 
The statue of Ronnie Drew holding the hand 
      D                        G           (D D G A) 2x 
Of a girl with her hair in a black velvet band 

           G            D 
Here's to you, Ronnie Drew 
No stranger to devils or angles to tell 
           G            D 
Here's to you, Ronnie Drew 
A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend to you 
         G       F#m              G 
Ronnie Drew, we love you, yes we do 
           D            A              D 
Here's to you, Ronnie Drew, here's to you 
           D            A              D 
Here's to you, Ronnie Drew, here's to you, Ronnie Drew 
           D            A              D 
Here's to you, Ronnie Drew, here's to you, Ronnie Drew 

And what's it to any man whether or no' 
Whether I'm easy or whether I'm true 
As I lifted her petticoat easy and slow 
And I rolled up me sleeve for to buckle her shoe 


By VoLLen Dung