Michael Finnegan is an example of an unboundedly long song, which can continue with numerous variations until the singer decides (or is forced) to stop. Like most other unboundedly long songs, this song tends to be sung by schoolchildren. It is a popular song often sung around a campfire or during scouting

Scouting

Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....

 events. The origin of the words and music is unknown, but the earliest documented reference is The Hackney Scout Song Book

The Hackney Scout Song Book

The Hackney Scout Song Book contains a collection of songs which were popular in the early days of the Scout Movement in the United Kingdom. Although originally intended for the use of Scouts in the Hackney district of East London, it quickly became the standard work of its type in the UK and...

(Stacy & Son Ltd, 1921). It also appears in The Oxford song book, vol.2, collected and arranged by Thomas Wood (Oxford University Press, 1927).

Lyrics

There are many popular versions of this traditional ballad, the common factor seems to be starting with the single verse:

There once was a man named Michael Vinnegan,

He grew whiskers on his chinnegan,

The wind came up and blew them in ag'in,

Poor old Michael Vinnegan (begin ag'in)


There once was a man named Michael Vinnegan,

He grew whiskers on his chinnegan,

Shaved them off and they grew in ag'in,

Poor old Michael Vinnegan (ag'in ag'in ag'in)


Alternative versions replace "Shaved them off" with "Wind blew them off"
or "The wind came out and blew them in ag'in" or "They grew out and they grew in ag'in"

In all popular versions each four-line verses starts with the line "There was an old man named Michael Vinnegan" and ends with the words "Poor old Michael Vinnegan (begin ag'in)", leading to another verse. For example (Merry Ditties, Norman Cazden, 1958):

There once was a man named Michael Vinnegan,

He grew whiskers on his chinnigin,

Shaved them off and they grew in ag'in,

Poor old Michael Vinnegan (begin ag'in)


There once was a man named Michael Vinnegan,

He got drunk from too much ginnigin

So he wasted all this tinnigin,

Poor old Michael Vinnegan (begin ag'in)


There once was a man named Michael Vinnegan,

He went fishing with a pinnigin,

Caught a fish but he dropped it in ag'in,

Poor old Michael Vinnegan (begin ag'in)


There once was a man named Michael Vinnegan,

Climbed a tree and hit his shinnigin,

Took off several yards of skinnigin,

Poor old Michael Vinnegan (begin ag'in)


There once was a man named Michael Vinnegan,

He kicked up an awful dinnigin

Because they said he must not sing ag'in,

Poor old Michael Vinnegan (begin ag'in)


There once was a man named Michael Vinnegan,

He grew fat and he grew thin ag'in,

Then he died, and we have to begin ag'in,

Poor old Michael Vinnegan (begin ag'in)


Although 1921 is the earliest documented reference, in Songs and Slang of the British Soldier: 1914-1918, 2nd ed. (Eric Partridge Ltd. Scholartis Press, 1930) it indicates an earlier (non repeating) First World War version:

Poor old Michael Vinnegan,

He grew whiskers on his chinnigan.

Shaved them off and they grew in ag'in,

And that's the end of poor Michael Vinnegan.


Other verses:

There was a man named Michael Vinnegan,

Had a wife called Biddy Vinnegan,

She chased him out, then chased him in agin--

Which confused Michael Vinnegan, begin agin.


There was a man named Michael Vinnegan,

Had a daughter, Katherine Vinnegan,

She had her a job as a manniquinnagin,

Pretty Katherine Vinnegan, begin agin.


The Complete Children's Songbook (Hansen House, 1975, 1986) has a final verse which mocks its own repetitiveness:

There was an old man named Michael Vinnegan

He grew fat and then grew thin ag'in

then he died, and had to begin ag'in

Poor old Michael, please don't begin ag'in


An alternative ending is:

Poor old Michael Vinnegan! Stop!