He was a swindler and a drinker The red-haired tinker's son With the pots and pans a'clinker, a man born on the run From the hills of Kerry to Derry, Killarney to Du'lin With a wheelin' and a dealin' And a heart that was made of tin Va Va Va I'm as free as I can be, I'm a tinker and a traveler, you'll never burden me A son of Judas Iscariot, forever on the run If you think that you can chain us You might as well jump at the sun Her father was jailed for stealin' Me mother's black as a witch My sister ran off with the Sheridan clan My brother's drunk in a ditch I fastened horns to a jackass, then selled it as a cow Take my drinkin' over thinkin' And my wagon over the plow Va Va Va I'm as free as I can be, I'm a tinker and a traveler, you'll never burden me A son of Judas Iscariot, forever on the run If you think that you can chain us You might as well jump at the sun Va-a-a-a Va-a-a-a Look at her dancin' from the sunlight Her music from the trees Her manners from the ocean Her schoolin' from the breeze Every lassie is a princess Every laddie born a king Forever by the fireside, you'll hear the tinker sing Va Va Va I'm as free as I can be, I'm a tinker and a traveler, you'll never burden me A son of Judas Iscariot, forever on the run If you think that you can chain us You might as well jump at the sun Va-a-a-a Va-a-a-a Va-a-a-a Va-a-a You might as well jump at the sun