The T'read on the Tail o' Me Coat - Mush Mush Mush

The traditional Irish-styled song "The T'read on the Tail o' Me Coat," also called "Mush Mush" or "Mush Mush Mush," was written by Patrick Ryan. It's a comic song that highlights the hilarious boastfulness of the narrator, usually sung in a slightly exaggerated Irish accent. It's not generally a pub song (it's written more for performance) but the "too-ra-li-addy" chorus does make for a good sing-along. "The T'read on the Tail o' Me Coat" has been recorded by a number of Irish music artists over the years, and was found on the soundtrack to the classic film The Quiet Man, a sweet (and Academy Award-Winning) romantic comedy which starred John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.

Gossoon - A Boy
Blackguard - A Scoundrel
Forninst - Across
Shillelagh - Walking and/or fighting stick

Oh, 'twas there I larn'd readin' and writin'
At Billy Brackett's where I went to school
And 'twas there I larn'd howlin' and fightin'
With me schoolmaster, Mister O'Toole.
Him and me, we had many a scrimmage
An' divil a copy I wrote
There was ne'er a gossoon in the village
Dar'd t'read on the tail o' me...

Mush, mush, mush, toora-li-addy
Sing mush, mush, mush, toora-li-ah!
There was ne'er a gossoon in the village
Dar'd t'read on the tail o' me coat.

Oh, 'twas there that I larn'd all me courtin'
Oh, the lessons I took in the art
'Til Cupid, the blackguard, while sportin'
Miss Judy O'Connor, she lived just forninst me
And tender lines to her I wrote
If ye dare say one hard word again' her
I'll t'read on the tail o' your...

Mush, mush, mush, toora-li-addy
Sing mush, mush, mush, toora-li-ah!
If ye dare say one hard word again' her
Dar'd t'read on the tail o' your coat.

But a blackguard called Micky Maloney
Came and stole her affections away
For he'd money an' I hadn't any
So I sent him a challenge next day
'Twas in the A.M. we met at Killarney
The Shannon we cross'd in a boat
An' I lathered him with me shillelagh
For he trod on the tail o' me...

Mush, mush, mush, toora-li-addy
Sing mush, mush, mush, toora-li-ah!
There was ne'er a gossoon in the village
Dar'd t'read on the tail o' me coat.

Oh, me fame went abroad through the nation
An' folks came a-flockin' to see
An' they cried without hesitation
"You're a fightin' man, Billy McGee!"
Oh I've clean'd out the Finnegan faction
An' I've licked all the Murphys a-float
If you're in for a row or a raction
Just ye t'read on the tail o' me coat.

Mush, mush, mush, toora-li-addy
Sing mush, mush, mush, toora-li-ah!
There was ne'er a gossoon in the village
Dar'd t'read on the tail o' me coat.

Notable Versions

Barleyjuice - "Mush Mush" (Sample / Purchase Download
Catherine O'Connell - "Mush Mush" (Sample / Purchase Download
Michael O'Duffy - "Medley: The Stone Outside Dan Murphy's Door / My Irish Jaunting Car / Mush Mush / The Stone Outside Dan Murphy's Door (Reprise)" (Sample / Purchase Download)

More Great Irish Song Lyrics

All For Me Grog
The Banks of Claudy
Bold Robert Emmett
Brennan on the Moor
Cockles and Mussels (or Molly Malone)
The Flower of Sweet Strabane
Never Wed an Old Man (or Maids When You Are Young)
The Sash My Father Wore
When I Was Single