Traditional & Folk Songs with lyrics & midi music www.traditionalmusic.co.uk 
The Drunkard 
The Drunkard (Mike Cross, 1983) 
One night some friends and I went out To have us a couple of rounds. When who should appear there at the bar But the drunkard of the town. He came through the door with a rush and a roar, Drinking more than the bar could bring. Then he ordered up another and another and another And he began to sing: 
``Why do I drink, oh, why do I drink? You ask me once again. Well if I didn't drink then how could I stand The drunkard that I am?'' 
The Lord takes care of fools and drunks He said with a smiling face, And I might not be a fool you see So I'm trying to play it safe And he asked me why I don't get sober Well I've tried that before Once I got sober and the old hangover Made me drink that much more 
With that he stumbled out the door With many a crash and crack Tripped head over heels and landed smack In the middle of the railroad track Then flat on his belly he began to crawl Along the old cross ties And as he crawled up the railroad track We could hear him cry: 
We watched him crawl up the railroad track For a hundred yards or so Then all of a sudden we saw him stop And heard him start to moan. ``Could someone help me down,'' he cried. ``I'm drunk out of my mind And this is the tallest ladder That I've ever tried to climb.'' 
Copyright Mike Cross BR