[Intro] [Verse 1] Now every mornin’ at seven o’clock There’s twenty tarriers a-workin’ on the rock The boss comes along and he says “Keep still and come down heavy cast iron drill.” [Chorus] And drill ye tarriers drill And drill ye tarriers drill For it’s work all day for the sugar in your tea Down beyond the railway And drill ye tarriers drill And blast and fire [Verse 2] Now the boss was a good man down to the ground And he married a lady six foot ’round She baked good bread and she baked it well But she baked it hard as the holes in hell [Chorus] And drill ye tarriers drill And drill ye tarriers drill For it’s work all day for the sugar in your tea Down beyond the railway And drill ye tarriers drill And blast and fire [Verse 2] Well now our new foreman was Jean McCann By God he was a blamed mean man Last week a premature blast went off And a mile in the air went big Jim Goff [Chorus] And drill ye tarriers drill And drill ye tarriers drill For it’s work all day for the sugar in your tea Down beyond the railway And drill ye tarriers drill And blast and fire [Verse 3] Well the next payday came around Jim Goff a dollar short was found When asked “What for?” came this reply “You was docked for the time you was up in the sky.” [Chorus] And drill ye tarriers drill And drill ye tarriers drill For it’s work all day for the sugar in your tea Down beyond the railway And drill ye tarriers drill And blast and fire DESCRIPTION: Describing in extravagant terms the hard life of the (Irish) railroad workers -- subjected to long hours blast short pay (and that docked for any or no reason). And always the order comes again "Drill ye tarriers drill!" AUTHOR: words: Thomas Casey/music: Charles Connolly EARLIEST DATE: 1888 (play "A Brass Monkey"; sheet music published by Frank Harding of New York seemingly without attribution)