Well it seems when he came over
Things were fairly looking up
Played full-forward for Mountbellow
When they won the county cup
Young Barret's gone to Boston
So he has to play in goal
The pied piper's come to Ireland
And he's living on the dole
You can stroll through Cong or Ballinrobe
You can walk the streets of Tuam
Thumb out as far as Headford
On returning pass through Shrule
You won't see many young ones
No matter where you roam
The pied piper's come to Ireland
And he's living on the dole
The pied piper's come to Ireland
And he's living on the dole
Played in Spiddal with the Waterboys
now he loves rock and roll
Now there's just a pile of rubble
Where the workers used to be
Just a stone's throw from the banks
Through which the ould Clare river flows
When the people hear his haunting tune
They pack and leave their homes
The fear of revolution
The pied piper gets the dole
I hear they're raising money
Abroad in New York town
It's not for guns or bombs this time
But to turn the tables round
One last job for the piper
And they'll pay one great amount
To drive them all into the sea
That gang in Leinster House
