Mrs McGrath Lyrics

Bruce Springsteen

Music Video

Mrs McGrath

Now, Mrs. McGrath, the sergeant said,
Would you like a soldier of your son Ted?
With a scarlet coat and a big cocked hat,
Now Mrs. McGrath, wouldn't you like that?

With your too-ri-ay, fol-did-dle-di-ay
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-ay
Too-ri-ay, fol-did-dle-di-ay
Too-ri, oo-ri, oo-ri-ay.

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

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

With your too-ri-ay, fol-did-dle-di-ay
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-ay
Too-ri-ay, fol-did-dle-di-ay
Too-ri, oo-ri, oo-ri-ay.

Then 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 you drunk or were you blind,
When you left your two fine legs behind,
Or was it walking upon the sea,
That wore your two fine legs away?"

With a too-ri-ay, fol-did-dle-di-ay
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-ay
Too-ri-ay, fol-did-dle-di-ay
Too-ri, oo-ri, oo-ri-ay.

"Now I wasn't drunk and I wasn't blind
When I left my two fine legs behind,
A cannon ball on the fifth of May,
Tore my two fine legs away."

"My Teddy boy, the widow cried,
"Your two fine legs were your mother's pride.
Stumps of a tree won't do at all,
Why didn't you run from the cannon ball?"

With a too-ri-ay, fol-did-dle-di-ay
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-ay
Too-ri-ay, fol-did-dle-di-ay
Too-ri, oo-ri, oo-ri-ay.

Instrumental

"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!"

With a too-ri-ay, fol-did-dle-di-ay
Too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-ay
Too-ri-ay, fol-did-dle-di-ay
Too-ri, oo-ri, oo-ri-ay... x4

Instrumental...

Song Details

🎶 Music & Lyrics: Traditional

📅 Date: 1876 - The earliest written account in Ireland.

✍️ Other Titles:
Mrs. McGraw,
My Son Ted,
The Sergeant and Mrs. McGrath

📝 Song Brief: The song tells the story of Mrs McGrath is a powerful Irish anti‑war ballad dating back to the early 19th century. The song tells the story of a young man, Ted, who is taken by the British Army to fight abroad. After seven years, he returns home grievously wounded — his legs lost to cannon fire. His mother’s shock and heartbreak form the emotional core of the song, as she condemns the senseless violence that maimed her son.

The most widely known modern recording of the song is Bruce Springsteen’s version from The Seeger Sessions. The Stanfields offer a similar contemporary interpretation, while earlier Irish recordings — such as those by The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers — remain the closest to the traditional lyrics.

🍀 Genre: Irish Folk Song, Anti-war

👥 Covers: Tommy Makem, Burl Ives, Clancy Brothers, Pete Seeger, Fiddler's Green, The Dubliners, The Stanfields, Sean Doyle, Vintage Wine, The Crimson Pirates, O'Svenigan's, Orthodox Celts, An Cat Dubh.

🎤 Featured Artist: Bruce Springsteen - American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist.

💿 Album: Live In Dublin... (June 5th, 2007)
Released: June 5th, 2007
Country: US, UK, Europe
Format: 2 x CD, DVD
Label: Columbia, Sony BMG Music Entertainment

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