"Oh, Mrs. McGrath," the sergeant said
"Would you like to make a soldier of your son Ted
With a scarlet coat and a big cocked hat
Now Mrs. McGrath would you like that?"

With your too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa,
too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, too-ri-aa,
fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

Now Mrs. McGrath lived on the sea shore
And after seven years or more
She spied a ship coming into the bay
With her son from far away


"Oh captain dear, where have ye been?
You been sailing on the Mediterranean?
Have you news of my son Ted?
Is he living or is he dead?"

With your too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa,
too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, too-ri-aa,
fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

Then up came Ted without any legs
And in their place two wooden pegs
She kissed him a dozen times or two
And said "My God Ted is it you"?
Now were ye drunk or were ye blind
When ye left yer two fine legs behind?
Or was it walking upon the sea
That wore your two fine legs away?"

With your too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa,
too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, too-ri-aa,
fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

Now I wasn't drunk and I wasn't blind
When I left my two fine legs behind
A cannonball on the fifth of May
Tore my two fine legs away

"My, Teddy boy," the widow cried
"Yer two fine legs were yer mother’s pride
Stumps of a tree wouldn't do at all
Why didn't ye run from the cannon ball?"

With your too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa,
too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, too-ri-aa,
fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

"All foreign wars I do proclaim
Live on blood and a mother’s pain
I’d rather have my son as he used to be
Than the King of America
And his whole Navy!