I’ll Speak to Gran Songtext
von Derek Warfield & The Wolfe Tones

Greg the miller and the greasy gripper
And what do ye call this man.
She′s a nipper of a Ringsend Skipper
And we all call her Gran.

I'll speak to granny sure she′ll know of times and things gone past
She'd talk to me of days and years and telescope the past.
She told me of the day she thought she'd never see Home Rule
And that anyone thought otherwise was only bein′a fool
She taught me all those simple games and rhymes around the fire
We′d listen to them patiently and never seem to tire
She'd told me of the day she shook De Valera′s hand with pride
And the morning that she knelt and prayed when Michael Collins died

Greg the miller and the greasy gripper
And what do ye call this man.
She's a nipper of a Ringsend Skipper
And we all call her Gran


She told me of the day she saw her first big Motor car
As she walked along be Baggot Street she stood on stepps afar
Her Granny stood beside her bade her hastily move away
For fear that she may stumble off or on ist path might stray
But the thing that she remembered and she said with-out remorse
That the carriage moved along the road with no where near a horse.
Now all the history that she told she used to bring it near
And all the changes that she′d seen right down thru the years.

Greg the miller and the greasy gripper
And what do ye call this man.
She's a nipper of a Ringsend Skipper
And we all call her Gran

Her Father was a Skipper and in Ringsend had a boat
And how she dressed up as a boy
And spent three days afloat
She loved a bit of devilment I suppose all of us do
But you kinda knew the Skipper
And sure all the crew they knew
She was married to me Granda who used to dance and sing
And we′d have the best of hoolies
They were fit now for a King
She raised up seven children a credit to her clan
And five of them were girls now and one of them me Mam

Greg the miller and the greasy gripper
And what do ye call this man.
She's a nipper of a Ringsend Skipper
And we all call her Gran


She always loved the garden and I used to help her there
She'd lots of flowers and veggies and we′d handle them with care
I remember the Laburnum tree she planted in the Spring
When we were young those heafty boughs made for us a swing
And all the chickens that she had were locked up in their pens
She said I was the Devil when I let out the hens
And when the war was raging she had to help some way
Two German boys came to our
House and many years did stay

Greg the miller and the greasy gripper
And what do ye call this man.
She′s a nipper of a Ringsend Skipper
And we all call her Gran