Slipjigs and Reels Fairport Convention

He was barely a man in his grandfather's coat
Sewn into the lining a ten shilling note
Goodbye to the family
Farewell to the shore
‘Till I taste good fortune you'll see me no more
Now the boat on the ocean tossed like a cork
Then one fine mornin' they sighted New York
He stood on the gangplank and breathed in the air
A lowland aplenty I've come for my share

And he did like the ladies, their eyes and the fall
Of their ankles and dresses down on the dance floor
Rollin' the dice, and spinnin' the wheels
But he took most delight in the slip jigs and reels

There's talk of a pistol, and some say a knife
But all have agreed there was somebody's wife
Dreadful commotion, a terrible fight
He left a man dead and ran into the night
On a train to St Louis, just one jump ahead
He slept one eye open, a sixgun in bed
He dreamt of the mountains and great fields of home
Crossing the plain where the buffalo roam

CHORUS