Irene

From the musical “Irene”, 1919
Words by Joseph McCarthy
Music by Harry Tierney

The sheet music:

Irene – Sheet MusicDownload

Accompaniment by Denese Coulbeck:

Irene – MIDIDownload

Lyrics

  1. Once a king of Normandy,
    Wed a queen of Arcadry,
    Then they settled o’er the sea.
    Shamus came then Kathaleen,
    Sham was born, and then Eileen;
    Michael came before Irene.

Chorus
Irene, a little bit of salt and sweetness,
Irene, a dainty slip of rare completeness,
Mannerism, magnetism, eyes of youth inviting,
Dancing by, with glancing eye,
The flush of her exciting, Siren,
The sort who captures hearts to charm them,
Careful, beware!
Now she’s here, now she’s there,
Followed by her set,
Up she goes, down she goes,
Ev’rybody’s pet,
Near or far, there you are,
Captured in the net, of
Tippity witch Irene O’Dare.

  1. Poets, bards and heroes true,
    Fighters,lovers, churchmen too,
    Crowd the chapters we go thru,
    Then they scattered here and there,
    Causing trouble ev’ry where,
    What a lovely name O’Dare

Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: