St. Paddy's Day Fast by MMario


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St. Patrick's Day 2000 Special Song Challenge: Bob, Corned Beef and The Devil -- Dateline Boston, USA. Some Irish Catholics may have a beef with the church on St. Patrick's Day. This year, the holiday falls on a Friday in Lent, the period when Roman Catholics are encouraged to abstain from eating meat as an act of penance and a reminder of the sacrifices of Jesus. Many Catholic bishops, including Boston's and New York's, are giving dispensation to parishioners who want to partake of the traditional Irish-American meal of corned beef and cabbage. But some bishops are refusing to let their congregations off the hook, like Bishop Sean O'Malley of Fall River, Massachusetts, has not issued a dispensation. As a result, Catholics with a hankering for corned beef on March 17th may be heading to nearby Boston. But even without a dispensation, there is a possible out for those who don't want to ignore the rules but feel a craving for corned beef: They can travel to another diocese where the meal is deemed OK. "Corned beef and cabbage is a mainstay of our menu," says Jerry Burke, owner of Doyle's Cafe, an Irish pub in Boston's Jamaica Plains neighborhood, "And people are going to do it anyway." Mr. Burke expects to sell thousands of pounds of corned beef and cabbage this Friday. Also included in the no-no parishes are those in Rockville Centre, New York and Brooklyn, New York."

St. Paddy's Day Fast by MMario
(Tune: (roughly) of "The Mermaid")

Twas Friday morn , just two days past the Ides
And the month it was the merry month of March
When we sat down our dinner for to plan
And decide what to eat with our starch

Chorus:
And the Bishop said it's LENT
You cannot eat meat's that red!
I don't care if it IS St. Paddy's day
You will all be eating fish on Friday!

Then up spoke the curate, of our little church,
From where he was a-polishin' the pew
"No corn beef and cabbage? On St. Paddy's day?
Dear God, Whatever will we do?"

Then up spoke the Altar guild, of our little church
And Fine old blue-haired ladies were they
"We know it is a fast, but can't we let it pass?
after all it is for St. Paddy's day!"

Then up spoke the organist, of our little church
And from his pipes he gave a mighty blast
"We must have dispensation, for this holy day
or no longer on the organ shall I play"

Then up sang the choir, of our little church
In a capella four part harmony!
"You know that we love fish, in any kind of dish
but tonite it's not a meal we'd like to see!"

And then up spoke the Priest, of our little church
And mighty long-winded was he.
"Absolution I shall grant, for this sin in Lent
at least until the bishop de-frock's me"

Then up spake the head, of our holy church,
With a Papal Bull clutched tight in either hand
"For Holy Lent and peace, it is my wish
for today ONLY consider corned beef FISH"