He was laid in the meadow for his sheep, Tirelirelire He was laid in the meadow for his sheep, Tirelirelire His shepherd was a key-hunter, he played with thieves without reward And had water and bread with pleasure, Tirelirelire He had a cage with trellises for his Tirelirelire He had a cage with trellises for his Tirelirelire And behind it were rabbits, very big and very small They never made it through Christmas, Tirelirelire He married the daughter of a thief, Tirelirelire He married the daughter of a thief, Tirelirelire And he didn't find that to be a complaint, because a thief is not a murderer yet And she knows the fact, that gave a lot of grief, Tirelirelire After fifty years working at the prison, Tirelirelire After fifty years working at the prison, Tirelirelire Fulfilled man's greatest wish, to guard an animal from a man That lived in a well-decorated corridor, Tirelirelire And in the evening he celebrated this, Tirelirelire And in the evening he celebrated this, Tirelirelire He walked singing from cafe to cafe, and drank himself a delirium or two And almost got under a driving bus, Tirelirelaserous And now in a house in a quiet neighborhood, Tirelirelike And now in a house in a quiet neighborhood, Tirelirelike Lies under a roof in an old cedar tree, with around it the stench of your neighbor And beer and the whole family says, look, Tirelirelike Tirelirelike Tirelirelike