Ballad of Ruby Walsh

Ruby Walsh - Galway Races - Christy Moore

The Ballad of Ruby Walsh

When Christy Moore appeared with Pat Kenny on the Late Late Show, he added extra lyrics about the Irish banking scandal.

"There's Bethlehem and Cheltenham and Lourdes and Limerick Junction,
The trip to Medjagoria or the rub of the Extreme Unction.
Good people climb Croagh Patrick with serenity on their faces,
But Ruby saved me bacon below at the Galway Races.
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the crack and up she'll go.

They're under starters orders, Ted Walsh is commentating,
Oh Ruby's up on the favourite, she'll take some 'batin'.
Oh Necks are craned and eyes are strained there's fear upon the faces.
There's agony and ecstasy below at the Galway Races.
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the crack and up she'll go.

It's there you'll see gentility, sheep dressed up like mutton.
There's double barrelled names with more airs than old melodeons
The talk is all of tillage, of silage and conacre,
And there goes Tracy Piggott to the saddling enclosure.
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the crack and up she'll go.

Sir John Mucksavage-Smythe is there with Smurfits and O'Reillys,
The owners and the trainers, the stable boys and jockeys
With silk around their arses getting up on rich men's horses,
Not to mention wives and daughters and marriages and divorces.
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the crack and up she'll go.

There's Celtic helicopters and land bank speculators,
There's builders, developers, crocodiles and alligators.
They're flocking around the Galway tent like seagulls in a frenzy
Poor Beverley peels the spuds, poor Bertie skims the gravy.
Hey Ruby hold he back, give her the crack and up she'll go.

The little Micky Fingletons and the Seanie Fitzpatricks,
Oh them is the boys to run the bank, their wages are fantastic.
They're hedging their bets in doubles, trebles and accumulators,
And knowing the blinkers have gone on the financial regulators.
Hey Ruby hold her back give her the crack and up she'll go.

Oh Thursday it's the Ladies' Day and the women all look smashing,
They're lashing on the lipstick, Philip Treacy's all the fashion.
You can see the liposuction, botox and augmentation,
Brazilian crewcuts and colonic irrigation.
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the crack and up she'll go.

Then everyone's out to Salthill for the craic and for the porter.
There's bookies laying odds on two flies walking up the wall.
There's fiddles and trad, they're disco mad, karaoke and set dances,
And some of us who'd seen better days were looking to take our chances.
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the crack and up she'll go.

She's galloping down the back straight, Ruby has her in a canter.
Ah look at her lep the jumps, by God, she's like a ballet-dancer.
They're over the last, she hits the front, nothing's going to pass her.
It's 'Winner All Right', 'Up Kildare!', 'Follow Me Up To Carlow',
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the crack and up she'll go.
Hey Ruby Walsh hold her back, give her the crack and up she'll go.

There's Bethlehem and Cheltenham and Lourdes and Limerick Junction,
The trip to Medjagoria, the rub of the extremunction.
Good people climb Croagh Patrick with serenity on their faces,
But Ruby Walsh he saved me life below at the Galway Races.
Ruby hold her back, give her the craic and up she'll go.

They're under starters orders, Ted Walsh is commentating,
Ruby's up on the favourite, she'll take some 'batin'.
Necks are craned and eyes are strained, there's fear upon the faces.
There's agony and ecstasy below at the Galway Races.
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the crack and up she'll go.

It's there you'll see gentility and sheep dressed up like mutton.
There's double barrelled names with more airs than old melodeons.
The talk is all of tillage, of silage and conacre.
I fancy Tracy Piggot in the saddling enclosure.
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the crack and up she'll go.

Sir John Mucksavage-Smythe is there with Smurfits and O'Reillys,
The owners and the trainers, and the stable boys and jockeys
With silk around their arses getting up on rich men's horses
Not to mention wives and daughters and marriages and divorces.
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the craic and up she'll go.

There's Celtic helicopters, land bank speculators,
Builders and developers, crocodiles and alligators.
Soldiers of Destiny, they're in a fevered frenzy.
Them boys would eat the Lamb Of God and come back for the gravy.
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the craic and up she'll go.

Thursday is the Ladies' Day and the women all look smashing,
They're lashing on the lipstick, Philip Tracy's all the fashion.
You can see the liposuction, the botox and augmentation,
Brazilian haircuts, colonic irrigation.
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the craic and up she'll go.

And everyone's out to Salthill for the craic and for the porter,
There's bookies making odds on two flies walking up the wall.
There's folk and trad and they're disco mad, karaoke and set dances,
While some of us who'd seen better days were looking to take our chances.
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the craic and up she'll go.

They're galloping down the back straight, he has her in a canter,
Ah look at her lep the jumps, by God, she's like a ballet-dancer.
They're over the last, she hits the front, no other is going to pass her.
'Winner All Right', it's 'Up Kildare!', 'Follow me up to Carlow'.
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the craic and up she'll go.
Hey Ruby hold her back, give her the craic and up she'll go. "

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