BINGO LILL (Paul O’Brien)
A song about the latest landmark on the Quays, the Sean O’Casey Bridge. Sean was raised on Hawthorn Terrace I believe, and later lived on Abercorn Terrace. This modern footbridge links the North Wall to the south side and is mainly used by ladies to go to the bingo halls, some nights the south-siders travel north and other evenings it’s the north-siders who travel south. This way it’s possible to play every evening of the week, now that’s what I call progress
Sometime she gets a line across, sometimes she gets f* all
It always makes her heart sink, when someone gets a call
Although it makes her anxious she keeps coming back again
The sweat is pouring out of her before its half past ten
Bingo Lill, Bingo Lill
she’s never had a full house
and I guess she never will
She used to go on a Monday to the bingo on the Strand
And sometimes on a Thursday to the Fairview Grand
But now they’ve built a bridge for her across the Liffey deep
And she can put her eyes down seven days a week
Bingo Lill…..
Thursday’s it’s “as Gailge” down at the Gael Linn Hall
And she doesn’t know a “focail” that the “duine usail” calls
She’s never called out “Tig Lan” she’s never had to roar
But when she gets her “fainne” it’ll all be “ceart go leor”
Once she won a turkey and a plastic Christmas tree
To celebrate she brought her mates for a drink or two or three
She’d quite a few too many and after closing time
On the back seat of the last bus home she left the bloody bird behind
She nearly had a full house with five daughters and four sons
But two of them were put away for possessing guns
She used to go and visit them when they were in Mount Joy
But when the bridge was finished she said, “They can kiss my a* goodbye”
Her husband doesn’t seem to mind her gallivanting ways
Even though from time to time she missing for some days
He never even makes a scene if she comes home too late
Because when she’s out at bingo he plays poker with his mates