Johnny Jump Up

“Johnny Jump Up” Performed by Marc Gunn From CD: Happy Songs of Death Buy MP3: Amazon or iTunes Words and music Traditional I’ll tell you a story that happened to me One day as I went down to Yore by the sea The sun it was bright and the day it was warm, Says I a quiet pint wouldn’t do me no harm I went in and I called for a bottle of stout Says the barman, “I’m sorry, all the beer is sold out. Try whiskey or paddy, ten years in the wood.” Says I, “I’ll try cider, I’ve heard that it’s good good.” Oh never, Oh never, Oh never again If I live to a hundred or a hundred and ten I fell to the ground and I could not get up After drinking a quart of the Johnny Jump Up Ahhh… After lowering the third I made straight for the yard Where I bumped into Brody, the big civic guard Come here to me boy, don’t you know I’m the law? Well, I up with me fist and I shattered his jaw He fell to the ground with his knees doubled up But it wasn’t I hit him, ’twas the Johnny Jump Up The next thing I met down in Yore by the sea Was a cripple on crutches and says he to me I’m afraid for me life I’ll be hit by a car Won’t you help me on down to the Railway Men’s Bar? After downing a pint of the cider so sweet Well, he threw down his crutches and danced on his feet Well, I went up the lee road, a friend for to see They call it the madhouse in Cork by the Lea And when I got there, sure the truth I will tell, Well, they had the poor bugger locked up in a cell Said the guard, testing him, say these words if you can Around the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran Tell him I’m not crazy, tell him I’m not mad It was only a sip of the bottle I had Well, a man died in the mines by the name of McNabb They washed him and laid him outside on the slab And after the coroners measurements did take Well, his wife took him home to a bloody fine wake About 12 o’clock and the beer it was high And the corpse he sat up and he says with a sigh I can’t get to heaven, they won’t let me up Til I bring them a quart of the Johnny Jump Up KEY Dm verse/chorus: Dm Dm C Dm Am Am Dm Dm Dm Dm C Dm Dm Dm C Dm