Daoiri Farrell - When The Breakers Go Back On Full Time - Lyrics and Chords

Daoiri released this song as a single during Covid. He plays it on his Bass-Bouzouki in C without capo (with D shapes). As I don't own a Bass-Bouzouki I have to play it with capo on 5th fret and G-Shapes. 

This is the Covid Lockdown Version (Sorry for the bad sound, it is as it was )

{t:When The Breakers Go Back On Full Time}

{st:Daoiri Farrell}

Capo 5

 

{soc}

Oh, and it's [G]ah, sure if the news be true,

The store bills the first thing I'll [C]pay,

A [D]Grand parlor suit for the lounge I will [D7]buy

And an [C]organ for Biddy, [D]hurray ([D7]HOORAY)

Me [G]calico skirt I will throw into the dirt

In a new one I'll cut a [C]shine

And the [D]very next chance, I'll put Seamus in [D7]pants

When the [C]breaker goes [D]back on full [G]time

{eoc}

 

Oh, our [G]troubles are over, Mrs. Murphy,

The Dutchman next door tells me strai[C]ght

Oh the [D]mines, they go full time on Monday[D7] 

[C]That's what he says to me any [D]rate    [D7] 

And the [G]boss he told Michael this morning

As he was just enterin the [C]mine

That the [C]coal i[D]s quite scarce around in P[G]hilly [Em] 

And the [C]breaker goes [D]back on full [G]time

 

{soc}

Oh, and it's [G]ah, sure if the news be true,

The store bills the first thing I'll [C]pay,

A [D]Grand parlor suit for the lounge I will [D7]buy

And an [C]organ for Biddy, [D]hurray ([D7]HOORAY)

Me [G]calico skirt I will throw into the dirt

In a new one I'll cut a [C]shine

And the [D]very next chance, I'll put Seamus in [D7]pants

When the [C]breaker goes [D]back on full [G]time

{eoc}

 

I'll [G]ne'er put me hand in the washtub

The Chinaman he'll get me [C]trade

And I'll ne'er [D]pick the coal off the slate bank[D7] 

No I'll [C]buy everything ready-[D]made [D7] 

We'll [G]dress up our children like fairies

And we'll build a house big and [C]fine

And we'll mo[C]ve right aw[D]ay from the [G]round heads [Em] 

When the [C]breaker goes [D]back on full [G]time

 

{soc}

Oh, and it's [G]ah, sure if the news be true,

The store bills the first thing I'll [C]pay,

A [D]Grand parlor suit for the lounge I will [D7]buy

And an [C]organ for Biddy, [D]hurray ([D7]HOORAY)

Me [G]calico skirt I will throw into the dirt

In a new one I'll cut a [C]shine

And the [D]very next chance, I'll put Seamus in [D7]pants

When the [C]breaker goes [D]back on full [G]time

And the [D]very next chance, I'll put Seamus in [D7]pants

When the [C]breaker goes [D]back on full [G]time

{eoc}

If you copy these lyrics and import them into an lyrics and chords app like Songbook you can see the chords above the lyrics, transpose etc. In the Songbook app you can define Bouzouki as instrument and it has chords implemented so you can see how to play them. You even can define your own chords, which is really handy sometimes. The app is available for most platforms.

Here I have collected some videos how this app works.

Here's what AI found out:

🎵 Song & Lyrics Summary

Because the full lyrics aren’t generally available in public sources, what follows is a summary based on reviews, commentary, and what Daoirí has said about the song.

• Theme / Voice: The song is sung from the perspective of a worker (a coal miner or someone connected to mining / the coalfields) who is waiting for better days. The “breakers” here refers to the coal breakers — these are machines or processing plants in coal mines that break coal up and prepare it for transport. When the breaker is “on full time,” it means there’s full work in the mines, seasonal or temporary idleness is over, and full production has resumed.

• Desire & Hope: The narrator is longing for the return of steady work. When production is running full‑time, that means more income, stability, being able to meet obligations (pay store bills), better provisions for the family, maybe improvements to clothing or living standards.

• Relief from hardship: In periods when the breaker is not working “full‑time,” life is harder: irregular pay, worry, perhaps debt, worry about affording basic necessities. The song expresses hope for a change: that soon things will be better.

• Promises & Plans: The lyrics imagine what the narrator will do when work returns — pay the bills, buy a “suit,” dress the kids, improve the house, etc. There is a sense of celebration in anticipation: once the work comes, life will improve.

• Contrast & Tension: There is both hope but also doubt; because often in mining communities, promises of resumption of full work are made and then delayed, or conditions fluctuate. So the song reflects both longing and resignation, mixed with optimism.

---

 Background & Context

Here are important details about the song’s origins, meaning, and how Daoirí Farrell came to record it:

• Traditional / Folk Roots: “When the Breakers Go Back On Fulltime” is a song previously recorded by Frank Harte & Dónal Lunny, two well‑known figures in the Irish folk tradition. Daoirí’s version is a traditional arrangement. 

• Album & Timing: It appears on Daoirí Farrell’s single The Lockdown, released 26 June 2020. It was recorded live from his home during the COVID‑19 pandemic, as part of his weekly “Corner Sessions” live‑streaming performances. 

• Relation to Lockdown Experience: Daoirí has said that When the Breakers Go Back On Fulltime was chosen in part because its theme — longing for the return of steady work — resonated with many people during the lockdowns, when many workers were furloughed, unemployed, or unable to work. The song’s message parallels the experience of uncertainty, waiting for full normality to resume. 

Tom Delaney & Caroline Keane - Munster Buttermilk - Tab

This is a lovely clip from Tom and Caroline playing two Jigs: Munster Buttermilk and Port Mhoss Mhartin (aka Contentment is wealth).

I tried to tab Tom's accompaniment for the Munster Buttermilk. First line melody, second line accompaniment. 

You can download the whole tab here

I also tabbed the second round through the tune which you can download here

Daoiri Farrell - Fergie McCormack - Chords

 “Fergie McCormack,” sung by Daoirí Farrell and written by Marcus Turner, is a darkly comic folk ballad that twists heroism into absurdity. The song tells of a fire in a tall building where a woman, trapped with her baby, refuses to jump. Amid the panic, Fergie McCormack—a rugby player—steps forward and persuades her to throw him the child. He catches the baby safely, to the crowd’s delight, but in a shocking and humorous turn, his sporting instincts take over: he performs “a swift up-and-under” and kicks the baby “forty metres to touch.”

The song’s humour lies in this abrupt shift from tragedy to farce. Farrell delivers it with the lively rhythm of a traditional Irish ballad, making the macabre twist even more striking. Beneath the comedy, the story satirizes how societies glorify heroes and blur the lines between courage, reflex, and performance. Fergie’s act, both brave and ridiculous, exposes the tension between genuine heroism and the instinct for spectacle. Like much of the folk tradition, the tale blends myth, morality, and irony—reminding listeners that even the most heroic legends can end in folly, and that laughter often lurks where solemn praise is expected.

Here's a very old recording of Daori made in Germany by a friend of mine:

{t:Fergie McCormack}

{st:Daoiri Farrell}

Capo 3

 

Oh [D]Fergie McCormack was walking one [G]day

When he [D]noticed a building on [G]fire

And the [D]screams of a lady could plainly be [G]heard

As the [D]building it smoldered even [A]higher

Oh the [G]trembling [D]lady was [G]clutching a [D]baby

And the [D]building was ten stories [G]high

It could [D]plainly be seen that both she and her [G]baby

Were [D]certainly [A]doomed for to [D]die

 

 

Well the [D]firemen were there with their ropes and big [G]ladders

And they were [D]holding a big trampo[G]line

They were [D]trying to entice this young lady to [G]jump

But [D]indeed she wasn't very [A]keen

For her [G]baby was too [D]small to [G]survive such a [D]fall

And [D]she then refused to let [G]go

Oh, well [D]what could they do? They were all in a [G]stew

As they [D]helplessly [A]gazed from be[D]low

 

 

Well [D]along came a hero, bold Fergie Mc[G]Cormack

Says he, “[D]Throw your baby to [G]me!”

"[D]Indeed I will catch it, and from death I will [G]snatch it"

"And [D]safe in me arms he will [A]be”

Oh his [G]masculine [D]arms and the [G]big fullback's [D]charms

Laid [D]down all this young lady's [G]fears

As she [D]cried, “Bless you Fergie!”, she tossed her baby [G]over

The [D]side as her [A]eyes filled with [D]tears

 

 

Well the [D]rest of the story can long be [G]remembered

In [D]history throughout all the [G]land

As that [D]baby came down and the crowd gathered [G]round

Oh it [D]landed safely in Fergie's [A]arms

“Oh, he's [G]rescued the [D]child!” said the [G]crowd going [D]wild

But the [D]excitement was clearly too [G]much

As they [D]all gazed in wonder, with a swift up-and-[G]under

He [D]kicked forty [A]meters to [D]touch

Daoiri Farrell - Sonny's Dream - Lyrics and Chords

“Sonny’s Dream” is a beloved folk song written in 1976 by Newfoundland songwriter Ron Hynes, inspired by his uncle, Sonny O’Neill. Though often mistaken for a traditional ballad due to its timeless feel, the song is a modern classic that has been widely embraced in the folk world.

The story centers on Sonny, a young man tied to a lonely rural life with his mother. His father is away at sea, and Sonny stays home to help on the farm. While he dreams of a wider world beyond the fields and ocean, he remains grounded by a sense of duty and the emotional weight of his mother’s loneliness. The lyrics explore this quiet tension—between responsibility and yearning, family and freedom.

Originally recorded by Hynes’ band, The Wonderful Grand Band, “Sonny’s Dream” has since been covered by artists like Christy Moore, Mary Black, Emmylou Harris, and others. Daoirí Farrell’s recent version, featured on his album The Wedding Above in Glencree, offers a heartfelt, stripped-back rendition that highlights the song’s emotional core. Through Farrell’s voice, the story of Sonny becomes not just a personal tale, but a universal one—about love, sacrifice, and the dreams we leave behind.

(written with ChatGPT)

{t:Sonny's Dream}

{st:Daoiri Farrell - Ron Hynes}

Capo 5

 

(Intro)

[Am]   [G/B]  [C] 

[Am]   [G/B]  [C] 

 

Sonny [G]lives on the farm [C/G]in a [G]wide open space [C]

[G]Take off your sneakers [G/B]and [C]stay out the [G/B]race

And [D]lay down your head [C]by that [D]sweet river bed

[G/B]Sonny al[C]ways remembers the words Mama [G]sai[D]d     

 

{soc}

Sonny [G]don't go away, [C]I'm [G]here all alone [C]

Your [G]daddy's a sailor [G/B]and he [C]never comes [G/B]home

[C]And [D]nights are so long and silence goes on

[G/B]I'm [C]feeling so tired and not all [G/B]that [G]stro[D]ng     

{eoc}

 

Oh, [G]Sonny works the farm though he's barely a man

And there ain't that much to do, but he [C]does what he [G]can

And he [D]watches the sea from his room on the stairs

And the [C]waves keep on rollin', they've done that for [G]years

 

Well, it's one [G]hundred miles to town, Sonny's never been there

so he goes to the highway and he [C]stands and he [G]stares

And the [D]mail comes at four but the mailman is old

Oh, but [C]still he dreams his dreams full of silver and [G]gold    [D] 

 

 

{soc}

Sonny [G]don't go away, I'm here all alone

Your daddy's a sailor and he [C]never comes h[G]ome

And [D]nights are so long and silence goes on

And I'm [C]feeling so tired and not all that [G]strong    [D] 

{eoc}

 

Sonny's [G]dreams can't be real, they're just stories he's read

Stars in his eyes, oh, and [C]dreams in his [G]head

And he's [D]hungry inside for the wide world outside

I [C]know I can't hold him, I've tried and I've [G]tried and I've [Am]tried    [G]    [C] 

 

 

(Outro)

Oh, I've [Am]tried       [G]       [C] 

And I've [Am]tried       [G]       [C]