Johnny awoke with an ache in his head
Bad dreams had made him ill
And he grumbled as he dressed despite his duress
As he made his way to the mill
Well he never wanted to work that day,
But the foreman had himself clear
So Johnny dreamed of the eve to come
When he'd drink him beer after beer, singing

"I'll drink from dusk till dawn
I'll drink a toast to day's end
Yes, I'll drink from dusk till dawn
And I'll drink to the health of me friends"

It was a cold morning, went straight to his bones
Oh, he wished that he had him some ale
Just one fine glass of stout Guiness
Would hold him till the end of the trail
Oh his mouth watered with the thought of ale
By the time he arrived he'd decide
That not even Death could keep him away
From his friends and their favorite dive They'd sing

Johnny worked hard all the day
His mind away drinking alone
And he told his friends of the pledge he'd made
And the fantasy that kept him afloat
"Come hell or high water I'll drink with you
Nothing could keep me away"
When the day came to end, he left with a friend Together they walked and they sang

On the road they came to a bridge of rope
And there they met a man
With a scythe in his hand and an evil grin
Twas Old Death who cut Johnny down
Johnny's friend crossed himself, swore it'was the truth
As he retold the scene to the bar
And they raised a glass to Johnny's last words,
"I'll drink with ye come hell or high water!" He said

Well the door swung open, a cold wind blew in
And there stood a man unafraid
He called for a beer They realized when near
It was Johnny come back from the grave
He said, "You could keep me away from work
For there's nothing I live for me there
But I told you today of the pledge I made
You can't keep a man from his beer! They sang