Delaney's Donkey Song Lyrics And Guitar Chords
Written by Bill Hargreaves and recorded by Val Doonican.
About The Song.
THIS is a masterpiece of Irish absurdity: a song about the most stubborn, contrary, thick-headed donkey ever to disgrace a racetrack — and the village full of eejits trying to make it move.
It starts with Delaney’s donkey — a creature so lazy it makes cows look energetic. A leg at every corner, tail wagging, eyes rolling — the donkey looks like it’s made for moving…
But don’t be fooled — it’s about as motivated as a teenager asked to do chores.
Then Riley has a bright idea — which in Irish tradition means:
something profoundly stupid but attempted with enthusiasm.
They oil it, they scrub it, they rub it — they treat the donkey like it’s a prize-winning racehorse… except it remains a statue with fur.
The starter drops the flag — and the race begins…
but not for the donkey.
What follows is pure comic mayhem:
When it finally starts moving — just a bit — the crowd thinks it’s a miracle.
But no — the donkey immediately changes its mind again, as stubborn as a priest refusing karaoke.
Even Mary Ann MacGraw tries poking it — and the donkey responds by kicking her in the bustle and laughing “Hee-haw!” Which is donkey for:
“Get stuffed!”
Then the local politicians arrive — Whigs, Conservatives, Liberals, Tories — for once united…
not by patriotism…
but by the sheer determination to shift a donkey.
The jockey gets so fed up he abandons the race for a cup of tea — which is peak Irish coping strategy.
Two students of psychology attempt to move the donkey with TNT — which is a bit extreme, but understandable. The donkey sneezes and blows the dynamite clean away.
At this point, we must acknowledge:
this donkey is not just stubborn — it is a supernatural force.
Finally, the military arrives --
Police, auxiliary, Garrison Artillery, the Second Enniskillen’s, and the Life Guards --
an entire army called in to shift one disgruntled donkey.
They finally lift it up bodily and carry it across the finish line --
cheering it like a hero.
And the bookies? The bookies take one look at this madness — and collectively self-destruct, because no mathematical system can withstand the chaos of Delaney’s donkey.
In short, this song is:
But it can certainly run the town ragged.
As we’d say in Ireland:
When it comes to stubbornness, never underestimate a donkey… or an Irishman determined to move it.
THIS is a masterpiece of Irish absurdity: a song about the most stubborn, contrary, thick-headed donkey ever to disgrace a racetrack — and the village full of eejits trying to make it move.
It starts with Delaney’s donkey — a creature so lazy it makes cows look energetic. A leg at every corner, tail wagging, eyes rolling — the donkey looks like it’s made for moving…
But don’t be fooled — it’s about as motivated as a teenager asked to do chores.
Then Riley has a bright idea — which in Irish tradition means:
something profoundly stupid but attempted with enthusiasm.
They oil it, they scrub it, they rub it — they treat the donkey like it’s a prize-winning racehorse… except it remains a statue with fur.
The starter drops the flag — and the race begins…
but not for the donkey.
What follows is pure comic mayhem:
- Riley pushing,
- Hogan shoving,
- Logan smacking,
- the whole town yelling,
- and the donkey sitting there smirking like an evil potato.
When it finally starts moving — just a bit — the crowd thinks it’s a miracle.
But no — the donkey immediately changes its mind again, as stubborn as a priest refusing karaoke.
Even Mary Ann MacGraw tries poking it — and the donkey responds by kicking her in the bustle and laughing “Hee-haw!” Which is donkey for:
“Get stuffed!”
Then the local politicians arrive — Whigs, Conservatives, Liberals, Tories — for once united…
not by patriotism…
but by the sheer determination to shift a donkey.
The jockey gets so fed up he abandons the race for a cup of tea — which is peak Irish coping strategy.
Two students of psychology attempt to move the donkey with TNT — which is a bit extreme, but understandable. The donkey sneezes and blows the dynamite clean away.
At this point, we must acknowledge:
this donkey is not just stubborn — it is a supernatural force.
Finally, the military arrives --
Police, auxiliary, Garrison Artillery, the Second Enniskillen’s, and the Life Guards --
an entire army called in to shift one disgruntled donkey.
They finally lift it up bodily and carry it across the finish line --
cheering it like a hero.
And the bookies? The bookies take one look at this madness — and collectively self-destruct, because no mathematical system can withstand the chaos of Delaney’s donkey.
In short, this song is:
- a celebration of stubbornness,
- an epic of donkey defiance,
- a roast of human futility,
- and a perfect example of Irish humour:
But it can certainly run the town ragged.
As we’d say in Ireland:
When it comes to stubbornness, never underestimate a donkey… or an Irishman determined to move it.
[C]Now Delaney had a donkey that [F]every[G7]one a[C]dmired
[C]Tempo'rily lazy and permanently [G]tired
A [C]leg at ev'ry cor[F]ner balan[G7]cing [C]his head
[C]And a [C7]tail to let [F]you know which end he[C] wanted [G7]to be [C]fed
[Am]Riley slyly [E]said "We've unde[Am]rrated it
then he [Am]took a rag
They [C]rubbed it, [F]scrubbed [G]it, they oiled [G7]and em[C]brocated[F] it
Got it to the post and when the [C]starter dropped his [G]flag
[C]There was Riley pushing it, [F]shoving it, shushing it
Hogan, Logan and ev'ryone in [G7]town [C]lined up attacking it
And [Am]shoving it and smacking it
[G]They might as well [A7]have tried to push the [G]Town [D7]Hall [G]down
The [C]donkey was eyeing [F]them, openly defying [C]them
Winking, blinking and twisting out of [G]place
[C]Riley reversing [F]it, ev'rybody cursing it
The [C]day Del[G7]aney's donkey [C]ran [F]the halfmile [C]race
The [C]muscles of the migh[F]ty never known [G7]to flinch
They couldn't [C]budge the donkey a quarter of [G]an inch
De[C]laney lay exhaus[F]ted, hang[G7]ing round [C]its throat
With a grip [C7]just [F]like a Scotchman on a [C]five [G7]pound [C]note
[Am]Starter, Carter, he [E7]lined up with the [Am]rest of 'em
When it saw [E7]them, it was willing [Am]then
It [C]raced up, [F]braced [G]up, ready [G7]for the[C] best of [F]'em
They started off to cheer it but it [C]changed its mind [G]again
[G7]There was [C]Riley pushing [F]it, shoving it and shushing[C] it
Hogan, Logan and Mary Ann Mac[G7]graw, [C]she started poking it
[Am]Grabbing it and choking [G]it
It kicked her in [A7]the bustle and it [G]laughed [D7]"Hee - [G]Haw!"
The [C]whigs, the conservatives, [F]radical super[C]latives
Libr'rals and tories, they hurried to the[G] place
[G7]Stood there in unity, [F]helping [C]the community
The day Delaney's donkey ran the [C]half[F]mile [C]race
[C]The crowd began to cheer it, then [F]Raff[G7]ert[C]y, the judge
[C]He came to assist them, but still it [G]wouldn't budge
The [C]jockey who was riding, [F]little [G7]John Ma[C]cGee
Was so [C7]thorough[F]ly disgusted that he [C]went to [G7]have his [C]tea
[Am]Hagan, Fagan was [E7]students of [Am]psychology
Swore they'd [E7]shift it with some [Am]dynamite
They [C]bought it, [F]brought it, [G]then wit[G7]hout a[C]pology
The [F]donkey gave a sneeze and blew the [C]darn stuff out of[G] sight
There was [C]Riley pushing [F]it, shoving it and shushing[C] it
[C]Hogan, Logan and all the bally [G7]crew
P'lice, and auxil'ary, the [Am]Garrison Artillery
[G]The Second [A7]Enniskillen's and [G]the Life[D7] Guards [G]too
They [C]seized it and harried [F]it, they picked it up and carried [C]it
Cheered it, steered it to the winn[G]ing place
[C]Then the Bookies drew a[F]side, they all commited suicide
Well, the day Delaney's [G7]donkey won the [C]half[F]mile [C]race
[C]Tempo'rily lazy and permanently [G]tired
A [C]leg at ev'ry cor[F]ner balan[G7]cing [C]his head
[C]And a [C7]tail to let [F]you know which end he[C] wanted [G7]to be [C]fed
[Am]Riley slyly [E]said "We've unde[Am]rrated it
then he [Am]took a rag
They [C]rubbed it, [F]scrubbed [G]it, they oiled [G7]and em[C]brocated[F] it
Got it to the post and when the [C]starter dropped his [G]flag
[C]There was Riley pushing it, [F]shoving it, shushing it
Hogan, Logan and ev'ryone in [G7]town [C]lined up attacking it
And [Am]shoving it and smacking it
[G]They might as well [A7]have tried to push the [G]Town [D7]Hall [G]down
The [C]donkey was eyeing [F]them, openly defying [C]them
Winking, blinking and twisting out of [G]place
[C]Riley reversing [F]it, ev'rybody cursing it
The [C]day Del[G7]aney's donkey [C]ran [F]the halfmile [C]race
The [C]muscles of the migh[F]ty never known [G7]to flinch
They couldn't [C]budge the donkey a quarter of [G]an inch
De[C]laney lay exhaus[F]ted, hang[G7]ing round [C]its throat
With a grip [C7]just [F]like a Scotchman on a [C]five [G7]pound [C]note
[Am]Starter, Carter, he [E7]lined up with the [Am]rest of 'em
When it saw [E7]them, it was willing [Am]then
It [C]raced up, [F]braced [G]up, ready [G7]for the[C] best of [F]'em
They started off to cheer it but it [C]changed its mind [G]again
[G7]There was [C]Riley pushing [F]it, shoving it and shushing[C] it
Hogan, Logan and Mary Ann Mac[G7]graw, [C]she started poking it
[Am]Grabbing it and choking [G]it
It kicked her in [A7]the bustle and it [G]laughed [D7]"Hee - [G]Haw!"
The [C]whigs, the conservatives, [F]radical super[C]latives
Libr'rals and tories, they hurried to the[G] place
[G7]Stood there in unity, [F]helping [C]the community
The day Delaney's donkey ran the [C]half[F]mile [C]race
[C]The crowd began to cheer it, then [F]Raff[G7]ert[C]y, the judge
[C]He came to assist them, but still it [G]wouldn't budge
The [C]jockey who was riding, [F]little [G7]John Ma[C]cGee
Was so [C7]thorough[F]ly disgusted that he [C]went to [G7]have his [C]tea
[Am]Hagan, Fagan was [E7]students of [Am]psychology
Swore they'd [E7]shift it with some [Am]dynamite
They [C]bought it, [F]brought it, [G]then wit[G7]hout a[C]pology
The [F]donkey gave a sneeze and blew the [C]darn stuff out of[G] sight
There was [C]Riley pushing [F]it, shoving it and shushing[C] it
[C]Hogan, Logan and all the bally [G7]crew
P'lice, and auxil'ary, the [Am]Garrison Artillery
[G]The Second [A7]Enniskillen's and [G]the Life[D7] Guards [G]too
They [C]seized it and harried [F]it, they picked it up and carried [C]it
Cheered it, steered it to the winn[G]ing place
[C]Then the Bookies drew a[F]side, they all commited suicide
Well, the day Delaney's [G7]donkey won the [C]half[F]mile [C]race
The Television Years
An offer of my own T.V. show came as a result of that
faithful evening back in 1964 when I appeared on Sunday
Night At The London Palladium. Once again my astute manager
Eve Taylor showed her special skills for making the right
decisions on important occasions.
Lets see if I can talk them into giving you a single
series rather than signing you up for several years.
if it works everybody will be happy, if not then we can pause
and have a re-think. The B.B.C. kindly gave me that break,
six half hour shows from a small studio in Manchester known
as 'Dicky Road' . It was a converted church in a quiet spot
called Dickenson Road, on the outskirts of the city, in fact
it's where Top Of The Pops had it's beginnings.
The show worked out well and the following year I was
transferred to London, never for a moment suspect ion I was
embarking on a prime time t.v. run of some 24 years
Nowadays as I savoir the autumn season of my entertainment
career it is gratifying to reflect on the great privilege
of sharing the microphone with some of my heroes. Bing Crosby,
Perry Como, Andy Williams, Don Williams, John Williams, James
Galway, Johnny Mathis, Glen Campbell, John Denver and many more.
Year by year the show offered me the perfect shop window for
my recordings to millions each week.
Back to Lyrics An Chords C-F
An offer of my own T.V. show came as a result of that
faithful evening back in 1964 when I appeared on Sunday
Night At The London Palladium. Once again my astute manager
Eve Taylor showed her special skills for making the right
decisions on important occasions.
Lets see if I can talk them into giving you a single
series rather than signing you up for several years.
if it works everybody will be happy, if not then we can pause
and have a re-think. The B.B.C. kindly gave me that break,
six half hour shows from a small studio in Manchester known
as 'Dicky Road' . It was a converted church in a quiet spot
called Dickenson Road, on the outskirts of the city, in fact
it's where Top Of The Pops had it's beginnings.
The show worked out well and the following year I was
transferred to London, never for a moment suspect ion I was
embarking on a prime time t.v. run of some 24 years
Nowadays as I savoir the autumn season of my entertainment
career it is gratifying to reflect on the great privilege
of sharing the microphone with some of my heroes. Bing Crosby,
Perry Como, Andy Williams, Don Williams, John Williams, James
Galway, Johnny Mathis, Glen Campbell, John Denver and many more.
Year by year the show offered me the perfect shop window for
my recordings to millions each week.
Back to Lyrics An Chords C-F
Delany's donkey lyrics
Below is the list of sheet music and tin whistle songs that are in my ebooks. This is the largest collection of tin whistle songs ever put together.[over 900 songs ] Including folk, pop and trad tunes plus German And French songs along with Christmas Carols.
All of the sheet music tabs have been made as easy to play as was possible.
The price of the ebooks is €7.50
Delaney's Donkey Sheet Music / Tin Whistle Notes Included.
All of the sheet music tabs have been made as easy to play as was possible.
The price of the ebooks is €7.50
Delaney's Donkey Sheet Music / Tin Whistle Notes Included.
