Sittin' up in Ranelagh drinkin' guinness in a bar
Heavy metal on the box must have been Top of the Pops
Lizzie's dead and gone in London left us all alone and wonderin'
Paddy Kavanagh on my mind bitterness and wastin' time

Jemmy said I think I'll split, dig some ditches for a bit
London ladies they be waitin', try my hand at emigratin'
No one gave a damn until we kicked the bar in robbed the till
Barman said "I'll see you later - hey don't forget to tip the waiter"

Got to get out of the land of Devalera
Got to get out of the land of Develera

Seven nights on the road, join a showband, see the world
Wear a suit, be a fake, but all the speed you wanta take
Broken heart in Belgrave Square, culchie woman in despair
Accused of causin' future shock, but all I wanta do is rock

RTE won't play my song, said the content is all wrong
"Why don't you stick to old time waltzes, give the public what it wants"
Couldn't take another bit, had it up to here with shit
Bought a ticket to Manhattan - need a fix of somethin' different

Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour's got me on the rails
It never seemed to make no sense, I couldn't tell the difference
Stay married, hate her guts, no no no divorce
Little girls all end up pregnant, hypocrites in every convent

Drunk and rowdy on the bus, take me to the terminus
Another exile on the run, soon to be a Bowery bum
Say goodbye to pessimism, sterile years and religion
No "ifs" or "buts" and no more "maybes"
Slan agut to the Eighties