“There once was a man named Michael Finnegan,

He had whiskers on his chin-egan,

they grew off and then grew in-egan

ooh poor Michael Finnegan begin-egan”

Description of Informant: My father, the informant, comes from a very catholic, Irish background. My grandfather, his dad, grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts as the son of two Irish immigrants. Many of the traditions that my grandfather learned as a kid were based on to my father through tradition and thus, were practiced in my family.

Analysis: This song is a form of Folk Music that has been sung in my family since I was born. The song sings a tale about a man named Michael Finnegan who lost his whiskers, or his man-hood, but then regained it and was pitied by the singer. My last name is Finnegan and thus, was often sung in my house. In fact, there was even a big black platter that hung in my house for a very long time with the song on it. Additionally, I have a cousin named Michael Finnegan so the song pertained to my immediate family very much.