THE HAT MY FATHER WORE

Tune: The Sash my Father Wore

I'm Paddy Kyles, an Irish chap, I come from sweet Fermoy,
The place they sing and dance and fling with merriment and joy,
Well I can sing with any man as in the days of yore,
and on Patrick's Day I love to wear the hat my father wore.

Chorus
It's old but it's beautiful, the best was ever seen,
It was worn for more than 90 years in that little isle of green,
It descended from my ancient sires with harmony galore
It's the relic of old dacency, the hat my father wore.

Twas the wearing of this ancient hat that drove me far away,
That sent me off in exile across the raging the sea,
For the joining of the Brotherhood in the year of '64
They transported me from Ireland in the hat my father wore.

Chorus

When I landed in New York the girls all danced with joy,
Saying, "Welcome Paddy Kyles, from the town of sweet Fermoy!
Saying, "Will you play St. Patrick's Day or dance the Reel of Four
We know that you can do in in the hat your father wore!"

Chorus

So now my friends I leave you, I can no longer stay,
But when I'm on the ocean I hope for me you'll pray,
I'm bound for dear old Ireland, the land I do adore,
To be welcomed by true Irishmen with the hat my father wore.

Transcribed June 24, 2000 by T. M. Carlsen
Notes from transcriber: punctuation and spelling as in original.
Unclear from typing if name was Kyle or Lyle .