Sure he’s five months old, an’ he’s two foot long, Baby Johneen; Watch yerself now, for he’s terrible sthrong, Baby Johneen. An’ his fists ‘ill be up if ye make any slips, He has finger ends like the daisy-tips, But he’ll have ye attend to the words of his lips, Will Johneen. There’ nobody can rightly tell the colour of his eyes, This Johneen; For they’re partly o’ the earth an’ still they’re partly o’ the skies, Like Johneen. So far has he’s thravelled he’s been laughin’ all the way, For the little soul is quare an’ wise, the little heart is gay; An’ he likes the merry daffodils, he thinks they’d do to play With Johneen. He’ll sail a boat yet, if he only has his luck, Young Johneen, For he takes to the wather like any little duck, Boy Johneen; Sure them are the hands now to pull on a rope, An’ nate feet for walkin’ the deck on a slope, But the ship she must wait a wee while yet, I hope, For Johneen. For we couldn’t do wantin’ him, not just yet, Och, Johneen; ‘Tis you that are the daisy, an’ you that are the pet, Wee Johneen. Here’s to your health, an’ we’ll dhrink it to-night, Slainte gal avic machree! live and do right, Slainte gal avourneen! may your days be bright, Johneen!
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Authorship:
- by Agnes Shakespeare Higginson (1864 - 1955), as Moira O'Neill [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Charles Villiers Stanford, Sir (1852 - 1924), "Johneen", op. 77 no. 4, published 1901 [ low voice and piano ], from An Irish Idyll in Six Miniatures, no. 4, London, Boosey & Co. [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Mike Pearson
This text was added to the website: 2016-07-10
Line count: 32
Word count: 228