The Ballad Of Dan Magee

Times were hard and he was poor In his small farm beside the moor But he was happy and carefree The poor, poor farmer Dan Magee. He kept six cows, two goats and ten sheep And chestnut brood mare bred to leap And his favourite creature of the farm His black and white collie dog named Charm. With twenty nine acres of ground The poorest man for miles around The crofter farmer from Mulree Lived on the verge of poverty. And worse for him his farm was wet And he had to live by his own sweat He sunk drain with shovel in hand For to take the water from his land. But all his hard work, sweat and toil To Dan Magee seemed worth his his while Shovelling white mud from soggy drain To him did not seem work in vain. And the reason for his happy life Was Rosaleen his beloved wife His gentle lady kind and fair With sloe blue eyes and raven hair. A pleasant woman and serene Was the delightful Rosaleen A well bred lady of good stock Was the farmer's daughter from Castlerock. They first met on the Ballroom floor In the dance hall at Rockamore One warm and tranquil Summer night And for them both it was love at first night. And after the dance on that night in June Under the lamp of Summer moon He stole that first memorable kiss From Rosaleen his blushing Miss. He loved her and she loved him true And their love for one another grew And true, true love love transcend all joy And love sweet memory never die. Dan took sweet Rosaleen for spouse And brought her to live with him in cottage house, A little cottage by Mulree heath On land his uncle to him did bequeath. A present to Dan in his will From late batchelor uncle Bill His cottage and farm and all he had From Bill the brother of his dad. The land was wet and Dan worked hard He drained his farm, yard by yard From blocked up drains he shovelled mud For to shape a better livelihood. And Dan felt happy with his lot Quite satisfied with what he'd got He had his wife his dearest friend The one on whom he could depend. They'd been wed three years and then one day His Rosie came to him to say That he'd be a father by the Spring And that good news had joyful ring. And little then was he to know That happiness for him would turn to woe That in less than a month his wife would be Lying in cold grave in cemetery. His slated cottage went on fire Whilst he was milking cows in byre He heard a frightened woman scream The dying cries of his Rosaleen. He tried to reach her through the smoke But heat and fumes caused him to choke He tried to reach her tried and tried But by smoke and flames he was denied. Flames seemed to touch the very sky An awesome sight to human eye The burning smell and the burning sound And the black smoke seen for miles around. Towards the burning house some locals ran For to lend a help to neighbour Dan But all too late the killer flame Had human victim to it's name. And Dan hard hit by shock and grief Stood trembling like a windblown leaf Like punished child he wept and wept Whilst wild flames through his cottage swept. Since that day he's lived without hope He's sliding down life's losers slope He doesn't have the strength of mind To put the tragic past behind. He sold his beasts at clearance sale And sold his land at Mulree vale And took to wandering on the road To life of the no fixed abode. Dan lives in lingering depressed mood And pines in his own solitude A hopeless case on suicide brink Addicted to alcoholic drink. He's roamed the country up and down From place to place and town to town He's wandered near and wandered far And drunk in many an inn and bar. He looks the very worst for wear With gray and grimy uncombed hair A wrinkled man in shabby dress He looks the part of hopelessness. An alcoholic roam about Unhappy and down in the mouth For mid age man he looks quite old From sleeping rough in damp and cold. And his misery caused by the death Of the one that he cannot forget His Rosaleen his beloved wife So true and dear to him in life.