Title – Paddy O’Flynn
Verse 1
Now Paddy O’Flynn was a builder
Working hard one summer’s day
Building a small front garden wall
Just up the road away
The lady living next door there
Was Mary O’Shea
And from the moment Paddy saw her
He was lost from that first day
Verse 2
Now Mary stopped beside the wall
And smiled a smile so bright
“I’ve been watching you, Paddy,
You’ve worked from morn till night
I couldn’t help but notice
The care in every line.”
Paddy blushed and scratched his head
And said, “Well… I take my time.”
Verse 3
“This isn’t the only wall I’ve built,
I’ve built quite a few.
There’s one in County Kerry
And another one or two
A church hall over Galway way,
A cottage down in Clare.
You’ll find my work in half the towns
If ever you go there.”
Verse 4
Now Mary seemed quite interested
And listened with a smile
As Paddy stood a little taller
And talked for quite a while
“That church hall wasn’t much,” he said,
“The cottage wasn’t grand.
I’ve worked on bigger projects, Mary,
Right across the land.”
Verse 5
Next morning Paddy came back
To carry on the wall
And Mary waved from up the stairs
As he mixed the sand and mortar all
He looked up with a grin and waved
And nearly dropped his hod
For Mary coming out to chat
Felt like a gift from God
Verse 6
Then Mary brought a cup of tea
And sat beside the wall
Paddy tried to act quite calm
Though he wasn’t calm at all
She said, “You must have built a few
With workmanship like that.”
Paddy took a sip and smiled
And nearly dropped his hat
Chorus
She’d stand beside that garden wall
And listen with a smile
And I’d forget what I came to do
And talk for quite a while
The longer that she stayed with me
The bigger the tales I’d spin
For every time I looked at Mary
I wanted her to grin
Verse 7
“Well Mary, since you’re asking,
There are one or two you know.
A monastery down in Kerry
Some forty years ago
And that lighthouse on the headland
That watches o’er the bay,
I laid the final brick meself,”
He said in a casual way
Verse 8
“You must be very proud of that,”
Said Mary with a smile
Paddy looked towards the sky
And thought a little while
“Well, now that you should mention it,
There was a castle too.
A fine one over Galway way…
Though that was years ago, mind you.”
Verse 9
“You seem to have worked everywhere,”
Said Mary with surprise
Paddy smiled and nodded back
And looked her in the eyes
“Well, pretty much, if truth be told,
I’ve travelled far and wide.
There’s not a county in this land
Where I haven’t worked beside.”
Verse 10
Next morning Paddy came again
To finish off the wall
And Mary smiled when she saw him there
Mixing sand and mortar all
She stepped outside to say hello
And Paddy’s spirits soared
For every minute spent with Mary
Felt like its own reward
Verse 11
Now Mary asked, “Was there a job
You never got to do?”
Paddy smiled and scratched his head
And said, “Well, one or two.”
“They asked me down to Egypt once
To work near old Luxor.
But I was building three extensions then
And couldn’t take on anymore.”
Verse 12
“What’s the biggest thing you’ve built?”
Said Mary with a grin
Paddy paused and rubbed his chin
Before he settled in
“Well now, that’s a difficult one,
Though one job stands out tall.
I laid the last few bricks, you know…
On old Hadrian’s Wall.”
Chorus
She’d stand beside that garden wall
And listen with a smile
And I’d forget what I came to do
And talk for quite a while
The longer that she stayed with me
The bigger the tales I’d spin
For every time I looked at Mary
I wanted her to grin
Verse 13
The wall was finally finished
Not a brick left to lay
Paddy stood beside his work
With Mary O’Shea
She smiled and said, “Well Paddy,
You’ve certainly seen it all.
From castles down to Egypt
And even Hadrian’s Wall.”
Verse 14
Then Mary took his hand and smiled
As evening settled in
“I never quite believed those tales,”
She said with a little grin
“The lighthouse and the castle,
The churches and the rest,
I think you stretched the truth a bit…
Though I must confess
I liked hearing every one of them,
And hoped you’d stay a while.
For I was never watching buildings, Paddy…
I was watching you all the while.”
Lyrics Michael Forty
Voice Michael Forty