Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1890-01-23
THE HISTORY OF M'GINrY.


now ne Came 70 BE at the Bottom Of the
sea-A Poetic Gem.
1t is now generally conceded that the
man who can't sing "Down Went Nc
Ginty to the Bottom OF the Sea" has
no right to live. Every one rings it in,
from the mayor to the bootblack.
The verdant youth who answers the
telephone gets it OFF, and subscription
lists are out to aid the family of the
unfortunate man. A New York Mail
reporter determined to run the phrase
to earth, no matter how much water
was in it. No one knows who struck
Billy Patterson, or what DIR. johnson
did with his orange peels, or in what
name the Man in the Iron Mask
chalked up his drinks. 1t would be
hard luck if Mc(;inty were added to
that dismal list. The song is being
sung at the Fourteenth Street theater
Fox and ConrOy do it. Jack Fox
explained the origin of the song in this
way:
1t was in Boston, and ! was going
home rather late and came upon big
lrishman leaning against lamp-post.
"Hello, me lad" said he.
GLOW are ye," said !.
Like u bumble-bay on q daisy"
said he ''an' me bhoy, come an have
"A drink"
"Who are you," said |.
"Faix," said he, "by the great gun
OF Athlone, I'm the bhoy who lives up
to his income"
SO we had Il drink, and, without n
word of IA lie, we had more than one
''ShOre," said the big Irishman, "the
days breakin', and by that same
token, Pm broke"
"And whats your name?" said !.
''Shore, it's McGinty," said he.
And where are you goin2?" said I.
"Down goes Mct;inty to the bottom
Of the sea-" said he.
Jack Fox took his cue from this,
went home and wrote out the song
Since that time it has been sun. from
everywhere to the corner OF O'Grady's
lane in Frisco.
This classic gem OF nineteenth cen
tury literature opens thus:
DAN M'GINTY.
Soonday mornin just at nine,
Dan Met'iuty, dressed fine,
Shtood lookin' up agin high stone wall
Whin his young frind, Pat McCann,
Siz, "Oi'll bet "A fover Dan,
Oi kin carry yez to the top without "A fall,'
so on his shoulders he took Dan,
And to climb the lad began.
An twas very near he did rache the top,
When Ginty, tbinkin thin
That the foiver he would win.
Let go his hould an tux an awful drop,
CnoRus-Down went MeGinty to the bot
tom o the wall,
Aud tho he won the foive,
Twas more dead he was than aloive
Wid ribs an nosean back broke from
the fall
Dressed in his best shoot av clothes,
From the hospital Mct;inty went home
When they'd fixed aich broken bone,
To find lac was the father av "a choild;
So to celebrate il roght
Friends he wint out {. invote,
An soon was drinkin' whisky fast an woild'
AZ he Wandered down the strate,
la his sunday shoot 50 nate,
Wild head held upas proud as.I Ohm theGreat,
In the sidewalk was hole.
For to rcsave a ton av coal
That Mc';inty never saw till ioost too late.
t'HoRrs went Mct;inty to the bot
tom of the hole,
And the driver av the ear rt,
Bedad he gave the e"al- II star-rt.
An il TUX rs an hour to dig Mct'inty
from the coal
Dressed in his best shoot av clothes
After this Mr.. Mct;inty's adventures
take on Il romantic flavor. lie want
to Ice pugilist, and smasheS II truck
mans head with n loaded brick; and
down goes Mc'ilnty to the jail"
THE pENorEMENT.
The denouement is, of course, in the
last stanza of this touching little esong
When Mc'iinty. thin an pale,
Wan foine day got out av jail.
lie wid love to see his bhoy was nearly woil.l
To his house he quickly ran
An to his wiie-hs biriy Ann
But she had skipped the rope an TUX the
choild'
Then hr gave up to despair
And plucked all his rPcst hair
Then in an hour he stood by the river shore
An KNOWN well he cud not swim,
lie did foolishly jump in,
Although water he had never TUX before.
CuoRrs-Down went McGinty to the bot
tom "f the say.
An he must he very wet,
For they haven't got him yet,
But hi, ghost is at the dock livery
morn at break Of day
Dressed in his best shoot av clot hes
This is Mct;inty's sons-and yet peo-
Pile say that America has no poets :,
We have, Mr.. John Chenevix Fox,
who "Dan Mct;inty, "isan Amer
lean by birth.