When I was a young apprentice and less than compos mentis
I took leave of all my senses, with a maid I fell in love
Her ringlets so entwined me, Aphrodite’s smile did blind me
Cupid’s arrow struck behind me, and her father owned a pub
It was there I met my nemesis in her father’s licensed premises
Like the Seraphim of Genesis, sat Mary Anne Maguire
Arrayed in fine apparel, astride a porter barrel
She looked the kind of girl that would fill you with desire.
I happened to hear this performed by Andy Stewart on PHC this Sunday and was spellbound by the rhyming gymnastics. Sadly, it was not credited or titled on the air. Happily, I was able to unearth it. The link above includes audio, and now I have the song lodged firmly in my ear again.
I’ve heard him perform that one live with Gerry O’Beirne at the Tractor a couple of times. I think it comes from the “Man in the Moon” album…
Because no one seems to have said it yet: This song was written by a man named Bill Watkins who currently resides in Minneapolis.