Lawless

[ Verse 1 ] G C G he was lawless by name , lawless by nature G D G G he was trouble right from the start Am D hard as nails , runnin’ wild through the streets G D he was breakin’ his poor mother’s heart Am D nature played a trick on lawless G D and the humour of nature is cruel G C G and he grew up as we all had expected him G D G into a dangerous fool [ Verse 2 ] G C G he was a hard man , a man for all seasons G D G G he was always out for a fight Am D he couldn’t hold drink but still he’d get plastered G D in clark’s every saturday night Am D strip to the vest and challenge the best G D until the guards they were called to come fast G C G and they’d lock him away for the rest of the day G D G and let him out on the sunday for mass [ Verse 3 ] G C G oh one night he went down to the ringsend regatta G D G G where he met up with the bould dolly platts Am D she wasn’t exactly what you’d call beauty G D but she was the belle of her flats Am D a whirlwind romance and dolly took a flier G D with lawless she would settle down G C G and it was pure coincidence three months before G D G there was a yankee destroyer in town [ Verse 4 ] G C G and the couple were blessed with one of god’s miracles G D G G before six months had elapsed Am D dolly gave birth to a nine - pound black baby G D and lawless was fit to collapse Am D she swore she’d never been touched by another G D and lawless took her at her word G C G and the neighbours all say , she’s the spit of her father G D G and the cuckoo is a wonderful bird . ’ [ Verse 5 ] G C G oh now lawless stays in and looks after the family G D G G while dolly goes out for the night Am D the old gossips all say she’s free in her ways G D and its there evil rumours run rife Am D when lawless heard this he waited for dolly G D in the Bridge where the river runs low G C G noone will ever know what happened next G D G but dolly drowned in the dodder below [ Verse 6 ] G C G some say he’s crazy and more say he’s evil G D G G everyone says that he’s mad Am D noone will defend him , he was no angel G D but i’ll tell you he wasn’t all bad Am D they’ve locked him away for the rest of his natural G D never again will he see G down the back of ring’s end C G there’s a lonely child playing G D G where the liffey flows into the sea {Outro} G down the back of ring’s end C G there’s a lonely child playing G D C C C C C G where the liffey flows into the sea