Christy Moore - Lawless

^GHe was Lawless by name, ^CLawless by ^Gnature ^GHe was trouble ^Dright from the ^Gstart ^{G Am}Hard as nails, runnin' ^Dwild through the streets ^GHe was breakin' his poor mother's ^Dheart ^AmNature played a ^Dtrick on Lawless ^GAnd the humour of nature is ^Dcruel ^GAnd he grew up as we ^Call had ^Gexpected him ^GInto a ^Ddangerous ^Gfool

^GHe was a hard man, a ^Cman for all ^Gseasons ^GHe was always ^Dout for a ^Gfight ^{G Am}He couldn't hold drink but ^Dstill he'd get plastered ^GIn Clark's every Saturday ^Dnight ^AmStrip to the vest and ^Dchallenge the best ^GUntil the guards they were called to come ^Dfast ^GAnd they'd lock him away for the ^Crest of the ^Gday ^GAnd let him out on the ^DSunday for ^Gmass

^GOh one night he went down to the^C Ringsend ^GRegatta ^GWhere he met up with the ^Dbould Dolly ^GPlatts ^{G Am}She wasn't exactly ^Dwhat you'd call beauty ^GBut she was the belle of her ^Dflats ^AmA whirlwind romance and ^DDolly took a flier ^GWith Lawless she ^Dwould settle down ^GAnd It was pure coincidence ^Cthree months^G before ^GThere was a yankee ^Ddestroyer in ^Gtown

^GAnd the couple were blessed with ^Cone of god's ^Gmiracles ^GBefore six ^Dmonths had ^Gelapsed ^{G Am}Dolly gave birth to a ^Dnine-pound black baby ^GAnd Lawless was fit to ^Dcollapse ^AmShe swore she'd never been ^Dtouched by another ^GAnd Lawless took her at her^D word ^GAnd the neighbours all say, she's the ^Cspit of her ^Gfather ^Gand the cuckoo is a ^Dwonderful ^Gbird.'

^GOh now Lawless stays in and l^Cooks after the f^Gamily ^GWhile Dolly goes o^Dut for the ^Gnight ^{G Am}The old gossips all say she's fr^Dee in her ways ^GAnd its there evil rumours run^D rife ^AmWhen Lawless heard this he ^Dwaited for Dolly ^GIn the bridge where the river runs ^Dlow ^GNoone will ever know ^Cwhat happened ^Gnext ^GBut Dolly drowned in the ^DDodder ^Gbelow

^GSome say he's crazy and ^Cmore say he's^G evil ^GEveryone s^Days that he's ^Gmad ^{G Am}Noone will defend him, ^Dhe was no angel ^GBut I'll tell you he wasn't all ^Dbad ^AmThey've locked him away for the ^Drest of his natural ^GNever again will he ^Dsee ^GDown the back of Ring's End There's a ^Clonely child ^Gplaying ^GWhere the Liffey flows ^Dinto the ^Gsea

Outro

^GDown the back of Ring's End There's a ^Clonely child ^Gplaying ^GWhere the Liffey flows ^Dinto the ^Csea ^{C C C C G}