The Ballad Of Dan Magee

Times were hard and he was poor
In his small farm beside the moor
But he was happy and carefree
The poor, poor farmer Dan Magee.

He kept six cows, two goats and ten sheep
And chestnut brood mare bred to leap
And his favourite creature of the farm
His black and white collie dog named charm.

With twenty nine acres of ground
The poorest man for miles around
The crofter farmer from Mulree
Lived on the verge of poverty.

And worse for him his farm was wet
And he had to live by his own sweat
He sunk drain with shovel in hand
For to take the water from his land.

But all his hard work, sweat and toil
To Dan Magee seemed worth his his while
Shovelling white mud from soggy drain
To him did not seem work in vain.

And the reason for his happy life
Was Rosaleen his beloved wife
His gentle lady kind and fair
With sloe blue eyes and raven hair.

A pleasant woman and serene
Was the delightful Rosaleen
A well bred lady of good stock
Was the farmer's daughter from Castlerock.

They first met on the Ballroom floor
In the dance hall at Rockamore
One warm and tranquil summer night
And for them both it was love at first night.

And after the dance on that night in june
Under the lamp of summer moon
He stole that first memorable kiss
From Rosaleen his blushing Miss.

He loved her and she loved him true
And their love for one another grew
And true, true love  transcend all joy
And love sweet memory never die.

Dan took sweet Rosaleen for spouse
And brought her to live with him in cottage house,
A little cottage by Mulree heath
On land his uncle to him did bequeath.

A present to Dan in his will
From late batchelor uncle Bill
His cottage and farm and all he had
From Bill the brother of his dad.

The land was wet and Dan worked hard
He drained his farm, yard by yard
From blocked up drains he shovelled mud
For to shape a better livelihood.

And Dan felt happy with his lot
Quite satisfied with what he'd got
He had his wife his dearest friend
The one on whom he could depend.

They'd been wed three years and then one day
His Rosie came to him to say
That he'd be a father by the spring
And that good news had joyful ring.

And little then was he to know
That happiness for him would turn to woe
That in less than a month his wife would be
Lying in cold grave in cemetery.

His slated cottage went on fire
Whilst he was milking cows in byre
He heard a frightened woman scream
The dying cries of his Rosaleen.

He tried to reach her through the smoke
But heat and fumes caused him to choke
He tried to reach her tried and tried
But by smoke and flames he was denied.

Flames seemed to touch the very sky
An awesome sight to human eye
The burning smell and the burning sound
And the black smoke seen for miles around.

Towards the burning house some locals ran
For to lend a help to neighbour Dan
But all too late the killer flame
Had human victim to it's name.

And Dan hard hit by shock and grief
Stood trembling like a windblown leaf
Like punished child he wept and wept
Whilst wild flames through his cottage swept.

Since that day he's lived without hope
He's sliding down life's losers slope
He doesn't have the strength of mind
To put the tragic past behind.

He sold his beasts at clearance sale
And sold his land at Mulree vale
And took to wandering on the road
To life of the no fixed abode.

Dan lives in lingering depressed mood
And pines in his own solitude
A hopeless case on suicide brink
Addicted to alcoholic drink.

He's roamed the country up and down
From place to place and town to town
He's wandered near and wandered far
And drunk in many an inn and bar.

He looks the very worst for wear
With gray and grimy uncombed hair
A wrinkled man in shabby dress
He looks the part of hopelessness.

An alcoholic roam about
Unhappy and down in the mouth
For mid age man he looks quite old
From sleeping rough in damp and cold.

And his misery caused by the death
Of the one that he cannot forget
His Rosaleen his beloved wife
So true and dear to him in life.