The Rumjacks The Reaper and Tam McCorty song lyrics

Tam he woke tae find a shadow by the bed,

Blamed it on the vapors still beleaguerin' his head,

Scrubbed his chops & dragged an oily bug rake through his hair,

And wiped the mirror tae find the bogey mimickin' his stare,

He boilt the jug tae quench his mug & baked a lump o' toast,

Hid behind the racin' pages from the hoary ghost,

"Awfy ghostie if yer here tae make me dead,

Spare me life & bother me wife or Mother-in-law instead!"

"Tam McCorty I'm not here to make you cry,

I know youre just a broken man wi' longing in his eye,

I'll say my say & go my way a-carving through the rye,

Tam McCorty, its not your day to die."

"By the way ye've hung yer tools o' trade & mantle I can tell,

Ye willnae leave until ye've seen me safely intae hell,

So follow me down the 'Horse & Crown' of liquor I'm sae fond,

I'll drink meself tae death & haunt the witches from beyond."

They drank to fallen heroes, they spat & cursed the Queen,

They argued o'er 'Black Caviar' - The finest ever seen?

They smoked cigars & played at cards for pots o' Gilbeys Gin,

Roarin' as the fiery liqour, it spilled all down their chin.

They staggered home along the tracks & pissed against a post,

The dogs a' barkin' madly, all as though they'd seen a ghost,

"Oh take me now I beg you, pick yer mark & pick it well,

I'm tired o' livin' & there I think I hear the hounds o' HELL!"

Death threw his cloak across him where he passed out in his chair,

And whispered in a frosty tone directly in his ear,

"Best you learn to live again, forgive yerself yer past,

For when you see me next Tam, it'll be your last."