The Body of an American

[Verse 1]
The Cadillac stood by the house
And the Yanks, they were within
And the tinker boys, they hissed advice
'Hot-wire with her a pin'
Well, we turned and shook as we had a look
In the room where the dead man lay
So big Jim Dwyer made his last trip
To the shores where his fathers lay

[Verse 2]
And fifteen minutes later
We had our first taste of whiskey
There was uncles giving lectures
On ancient Irish history
The men all started telling jokes
And the women, they got frisky
At five o'clock in the evening
Every bastard there was piskey

[Chorus]
Fare thee well, gone away
There's nothing left to say
Farewell to New York City, boys
To Boston and PA
He took them out with a well-aimed clout
And they often heard him say
"I'm a freeborn man of the USA"

[Verse 3]
He fought the champ in Pittsburgh
And he slashed him to the ground
He took on Tiny Tartanella
And it only went one round
He never had no time for reds
For drink or dice or whores
But he never threw a fight when a fight was right
So they sent him to the war

[Chorus]
Fare thee well, gone away
There's nothing left to say
With a sláinte Joe and Erin go
My love's in Amerikay
The calling of the rosary
Spanish wine from far away
"I'm a freeborn man of the USA"

[Verse 4]
This morning on the harbour
When I said goodbye to you
I remembered how I swore
That I'd come back to you one day
And as the sunset came
To meet the evening on the hill
I told you I'd always love you
I always did, I always will

[Chorus]
Fare thee well, gone away
There's nothing left to say
But say adieu to your eyes as blue
As the water in the bay
To big Jim Dwyer, the man of wire
Who was often heard to say
"I'm a freeborn man of the USA"

[Refrain]
I'm a freeborn man of the USA
I'm a freeborn man of the USA