The Charladies Ball
You may talk of your outings, you picnics and parties
Your dinners, your dances, and hoolies and all
But wait 'till I tell you of the gas that we had
On the night that we danced at the Charladies Ball
I went there as Queen Anne and I went me man
He was dressed as a monkey locked up in a cage
There was pirates and pirots and hottentots and whatnots
And stars you might see on the music hall stage
Chorus
At the charladies ball people said one and all
You're the bell of the ball Mrs. Mulligan
We had one steps and two steps and the divil knows what new steps
We swore that we never would be done again, bedad
We had wine, porter and Jameson
We had cocktails and cocoa and all
We had champagne that night but we'd real pain next morning
The night that we danced at the charladies ball
There was cowboys and indians that came from Drumcondra
Sweet Frances St. fairies all diamonds and stars
There was one of the Rooneys as a clock over Mooneys
And a telegram boy with a message from Mars
Mary Moore from the Lotts was the Queen of the Scots
With a crown out of Woolworths perched up on her dome
There was young Jimmy Whitehouse came dressed as a lighthouse
And a Camden St. Garbo that should have stayed home
Chorus
At the charladies ball people said one and all
You're the bell of the ball Mrs. Mulligan
We had one steps and two steps and the divil knows what new steps
We swore that we never would be done again, bedad
We had wine, porter and Jameson
We had cocktails and cocoa and all
We had rumbas and tangos, half sets and fandangos
The night that we danced at the charladies ball
Mary Ellen O'Rourke was the Queen of the dawn
By one thirty she looked like a read dirty night
Mickey Farren the bester came dressed as a jester
He burst his balloon and dropped dead at the fright
Kevin Barr came as Bovril stops that sinking feeling
Astride of a bottle, pyjamas and all
But he bumped into Faust, who was gloriously soused
And the two of them sunk to the end of the hall
Chorus
At the charladies ball people said one and all
You're the bell of the ball Mrs. Mulligan
We had one steps and two steps and the divil knows what new steps
We swore that we never would be done again, bedad
We had wine, porter and Jameson
We had cocktails and cocoa and all
We'd a read stand-up fight but we fell down to supper
The night that we danced at the charladies ball
Available On
The Black Brothers
What a Time
1995
Versions
original version