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.
