Sheridan & Flynn's Greatest Hit!
"Down Went
McGinty" (1889)
Dressed in His Best Suit of Clothes
Comic Song.
Words and Music
by
Joseph Flynn.
Song, 40.  Schottische, 40.  Waltz, 40.

Brooklyn, N. Y.
Published by Spaulding & Kornder, 487 Fulton St.
[Source: pages 74-77 from "Favorite Songs of the Nineties"]

VERSE 1.
Sunday morning just at nine,
Dan McGinty dress’d so fine,
Stood looking up at a very high stone wall;
When his friend young Pat McCann,
Says, I’ll bet five dollars, Dan,
I could carry you to the top without a fall;
So on his shoulders he took Dan
To climb the ladder he began,
And he soon commenc’d to reach up near the top;
When McGinty, cute old rogue,
To win the five he did let go,
Never thinking just how far he’d have to drop.

CHORUS 1.
Down went McGinty to the bottom of the wall,
And tho’ he won the five,
He was more dead than alive,
Sure his ribs, and nose, and back were broke
From getting such a fall,
Dress’d in his best suit of clothes.

VERSE 2.
From the hospitle Mc went home,
When they fix’d his broken bones,
To find he was the father of a child;
So to celebrate it right,
His friends he went to invite,
And he soon was drinking whisky fast and wild;
Then he waddled down the street
In his Sunday suit so neat,
Holding up his head as proud as John the Great,
But in the sidewalk was a hole,
To receive a ton of coal,
That McGinty never saw till just too late.

CHROUS 2.
Down went McGinty to the bottom of the hole,
Then the driver of the cart
Gave the load of coal a start,
And it took us half an hour to dig
McGinty from the coal,
Dress’d in his best suit of clothes.

VERSE 3.
Now McGinty raved and swore,
About his clothes he felt so sore,
And so oath he took he’d kill the man or die;
So he tightly grabb’d his stick
And hit the driver a lick,
Then he raised a little shanty on his eye;
But two policemen saw the muss
And they soon join’d in the fuss,
Then they ran McGinty in for being drunk;
And the Judge says with a smile,
We will keep you for a while
In a cell to sleep upon a prison bunk.

CHORUS 3.
Down went McGinty to the bottom of the jail,
Where his board would cost him nix,
And he stayed exactly six,
They were big long months he stopp’d
For no one went to his bail,
Dress’d in his best suit of clothes.

VERSE 4.
Now McGinty then and pale
One fine day got out of jail,
And with joy to see his boy was nearly wild;
To his home he quickly ran
To meet his wife Bedalay Ann,
But she’d skipp’d away and took along the child;
Then he gave up in despair,
And he madly pull’d his hair,
As he stood one day upon the river shore,
Knowing well he couldn’t swim,
He did foolishly jump in,
Although water he had never took before.

CHORUS 4.
Down went McGinty to the bottom of the sea,
And he must be very wet
For they haven’t found him yet
But they say his ghost comes round the docks
Before the break of day,
Dress’d in his best suit of clothes.