Mrs McGrath – Bruce Springsteen – lyrics and chords

The lyrics in Bruce Springsteen’s version of Mrs McGrath are shorter and more focused than in the traditional version.

Mrs McGrath
Bruce Springsteen
Videos
Lyrics and chords

He also transposes the song into a minor key, which gives it much more melancholic feel in keeping with the tragic theme of the lyrics. Springsteen plays the song in F Minor. He plays the chords of Fm, A Flat Major and E Flat Major and uses a cap to do so.

In some performances, he creates these chords by placing a capo on the eighth fret and playing the first position chord shapes of Am, CMajor and GMajor. In both versions, the effect is that same as the chords of F Minor, A Flat Major and E Flat Major are achieved.

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[chordsandlyrics]
[Fm]”Oh, Mrs. McGrath,” the sergeant [Ab]said

“Would you like a soldier of [Eb]your son Ted

[Eb]With a scarlet coat and a big cocked hat

Oh, Mrs McGrath, wouldn’t [Fm]you like that?”

Chorus

[Fm]With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-[Ab]da,
[Eb]too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a
[Eb]With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-da,
Too-ri, oor-ri, [Fm]oor-ri-a.
[/chordsandlyrics]

Chorus

Now, Mrs. McGrath lived on the shore
And after seven years or more
She spied a ship coming into the bay
With her son from far away.

Chorus

“Oh captain dear, where have you been
You’ve been sailing the Mediterranean
Have you news of my son Ted
Is he living or is he dead?”

Chorus

Up came Ted without any legs
And in their place, two wooden pegs,
She kissed him a dozen times or two
And said “My God, Ted is it you”

Chorus

“Now were you drunk or were you blind
When you left your two fine legs behind
Or was it walking upon the sea
That wore your two fine legs away?”

Chorus

“No, I wasn’t drunk and I wasn’t blind
When I left my two fine legs behind
A cannon ball on the fifth of May
Tore my two fine legs away”

Chorus

“Oh, Teddy boy,” the widow cried,
“Your two fine legs were your mother’s pride
Stumps of a tree won’t do at all
Why didn’t you run from the cannon ball?”

Chorus

“All foreign wars I do proclaim
Live on blood and a mother’s pain.
I’d rather have my son as he used to be
Than the King of America and his whole navy.”

Chorus

Mrs McGrath
Bruce Springsteen
Videos
Lyrics and chords
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics and chords

Mrs McGrath Springsteen lyrics and chords print version

[Fm]”Oh, Mrs. McGrath,” the sergeant [AFlat]said
“Would you like a soldier of [EFlat]your son Ted
With a scarlet coat and a big cocked hat
Oh, Mrs McGrath, wouldn’t [Fm]you like that?”

Chorus

[Fm]With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-[AFlat]da, [EFlat]too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a
With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-da, too-ri, oor-ri, [Fm]oor-ri-a

Now, Mrs. McGrath lived on the shore
And after seven years or more
She spied a ship coming into the bay
With her son from far away”

“Oh captain dear, where have you been
You’ve been sailing the Mediterranean
Have you news of my son Ted
Is he living or is he dead?”

Chorus

Up came Ted without any legs
And in their place, two wooden pegs,
She kissed him a dozen times or two
And said “My God, Ted is it you”

“Now were you drunk or were you blind
When you left your two fine legs behind
Or was it walking upon the sea
That wore your two fine legs away?”

Chorus

“No, I wasn’t drunk and I wasn’t blind
When I left my two fine legs behind
A cannon ball on the fifth of May
Tore my two fine legs away”

“Oh, Teddy boy,” the widow cried
“Your two fine legs were your mother’s pride
Stumps of a tree won’t do at all
Why didn’t you run from the cannon ball?”

Chorus

“All foreign wars I do proclaim
live on blood and a mother’s pain
I’d rather have my son as he used to be
Than the King of America and his whole navy”

Chorus

Mrs McGrath
Bruce Springsteen
Videos
Lyrics and chords
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics and chords