Finnegan's Songs

So when we were sitting in class on Friday listening to the Ballad of Tim Finnegan part of an old children's song popped into my head. I remembered that it included the name "Finnegan", repeatedly in fact, but could not remember if it was about Tim Finnegan or not. After doing some online searching I found that it was not about Tim Finnegan, but in fact about an old man named Michael Finnegan. (ring any bells?) Although it is not about Tim, I do believe it is a low brow version of a song that does in fact fit the theme of eternal return to some degree.

Here are one version of the lyrics and a you-tube video of a man singing one version of the song as well:



There once was a man named Michael Finnigin,He grew whiskers on his chinnigin,Shaved them off and they grew innigin,Poor old Michael Finnigin. (Beginnigin)

There once was a man named Michael Finnigin,He got drunk from too much ginniginSo he wasted all this tinnigin,Poor old Michael Finnigin. (Beginnigin)

There once was a man named Michael Finnigin,He went fishing with a pinnigin,Caught a fish but he dropped it innigin,Poor old Michael Finnigin. (Beginnigin)

There once was a man named Michael Finnigin,Climbed a tree and barked his shinnigin,Took off several yards of skinnigin,Poor old Michael Finnigin. (Begirinigin)

There once was a man named Michael Finnigin,He kicked up an awful dinniginBecause they said he must not sinnigin,Poor old Michael Finnigin. (Beginnigin)

There once was a man named Michael Finnigin,He grew fat and he grew thinnigin,Then he died, and had to beginnigin,Poor old Michael Finnigin. (Beginnigin)



Again, this song is most definitely a low brow example of the theme of eternal return, and perhaps not a great one at that, but it does represent that never ending cycle. Although he shaves his whiskers, they grow back again and again. The repetition of "again" over and over seems to indicate that it is an eternal cycle and will not be broken. The last verse of the song seems to indicate a never ending cycle as well: after death one must begin all over again. Tim Finnegan is brought back to life from death, and so must we all be in some form or another just to do the same thing over and over again.