Published September 15th, 2024
by Dean Monaghan
Verse 1
Up the scary mountain,
Down the mossy glen,
You're always looking sidewards for fear of tiny men,
We dare not go hunting in case they put you in a spell,
Good fairies, small fairies,
Marching all together,
Verse 2
Trooping along and singing a song,
And it goes like this,
We dig,
We dig,
It isn't that quick, we dig,
To get rich quick, we dig,
Verse 3
Even when you see the million-dollar sign,
We dig,
We dig,
We dig,
From early morning dawn,
Till sunset at night,
Verse 4
We dig up everything in sight,
Such as sapphires,
Sometimes diamonds,
Sometimes two thousand rubies,
And sometimes more,
We sing and work and work and sing,
Verse 5
We dig and dig, dig,
Some of the characters in the work team include,
Mercury, the boss and the leader of the team,
Then there's Venus, who sneezes a lot,
Then there's Earth, who is very bashful and shy,
Then there's Mars, who is always sleeping,
Verse 6
Then there's Jupiter, who is always grumpy, no matter what the weather forecast is,
Then there's Saturn, who is always doing dopey things,
Then there's Uranus, who is posh and is afraid to get his hands dirty,
Then there's Neptune, who is always singing a tune,
And finally, there's Pluto, who is always happy and smiling,
A happy mixture of friends and foes,
Verse 7
Brown jacket, orange cap,
And red robin feather,
Down along the stoney beach,
The fairies make their homes together,
They live on crispy prawns,
And anything else that is edible that floats to the shore,
Verse 8
Some live in the sea reeds,
And some live in the back of Blue Mountain Lake,
With toads as their security watchers,
Watching all day and all night up in the white lighthouse tower,
High up on the mountain top,
The old grey beard King Darby O'Gill of the fairies lives,
Verse 9
He is now old, frail, and moody,
He has lost his marbles and wits, (especially if he has been drinking),
He crosses the bridge of pale, blue, and grey mist,
Over the Lough Neagh,
On his weekly journey,
From Crumlin to Stewartstown,
Verse 10
He is going out to socialize,
On a windy stormy night,
And to sup up with the Queen of the Fairies, (Molly O'Gill),
Under the Northern Lights sky,
On his way back if he is not too drunk,
He may do his magic,
Verse 11
And overlook his neighbour's farm and livestock,
And if you're very lucky, he might flick his fingers and complete your chores,
And complete his good luck charms diary list of the day,
On the other hand, if you offended the fairies,
He may take your good luck away,
He may cause a lot of mischief givens,
Verse 12
Make your livestock wither and die,
Or even steal your children from their beds,
On this particular evening,
They stole Maggie May,
For seven years long and a day,
And when she was returned,
Verse 13
All her friends had gone away,
Then they took her back again,
Between the dawn and the twilight of the day,
They thought she was in a deep sleep,
But instead, she was dead with sorrow and grief,
So they've kept her ever since,
Verse 14
Deep within the Lough Neagh,
On a bed of feather leaves,
With the toads watching until she awakes,
Down the craggy mountainside,
Through the rusty air,
And just for mischief's sake,
Verse 15
They have planted several thorn trees,
For their pleasures and their tricks,
Here and there and everywhere,
Anyone who is brave enough,
Can come right over here,
You can dig them up if you dare,
Verse 16
But be aware as then you shall find a lot of thorns,
In your bed at night,
Up the scary mountain,
Down the mossy glen,
You're always looking sidewards for fear of tiny men,
We dare not go hunting in case they put you in a spell,
Verse 17
Good fairies, small fairies,
Marching all together,
Good people and bad people still believe in fairies,
Who make dreams and wishes come true,
So if you're one of them and believe in the wonderland of fairies,
And the stars and the moon,
Verse 18
And if you believe in magic from the fairies high above,
As they dance on the flower beds,
And sing songs of love, love, love,
As the believer will always stay true,
And in turn, the fairies will always watch over you.
About the Poet
Dean Monaghan resides in Skerries, County Dublin, Ireland.
Read the poet's biography on Dean Monaghan's Artist Page.
This poem is included in Comet #3,
published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Previously published in Dublin Poetry Magazine:
My Friend, the Crow
by Stephen Carragher
Dublin Poetry Magazine is part of the Wax Poetry and Art Network.
- Visit the main Wax Poetry and Art Submissions Page to see all opportunities.
- Visit the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
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