Irony oh irony upon me it is never lost.
Gather 'round now people, I'm here to tell a tale
About a man who walks among you, a man you each know well.
My name is Simon Keeper I had a wife and three grown kids,
A job in the towers cooking the books for the shills that grease the skids.
Irony oh irony, you are a bitter fruit to eat.
Stripped of all your beauty your flesh is none too sweet.
Now I ain't the most honest man that ever worked a skim.
I was caught with my hand in the cookie jar and brother that was it.
Fifty-four and a big black mark upon my resume,
I found selling off what you don't own might earn you the time of day.
Next it was a letter from my darling one,
"what's yours is mine, what's mine is mine",
Sealed with a hug and kiss.
One by one my children closed their lives to me.
Lesson learned on Daddy's knee,
"give no quarter to the weak".
Irony oh irony, you are the polar seed of truth,
You grow upon the open plain the faithful you uproot.
Kicked around 'bout a year living hand to mouth,
Then one day tryin' to bum a light I felt my will give out.
Sat right down on the corner, started prayin' a little too loud.
Left my troubles far behind
When I saw them emptying their pockets out.
Irony oh irony, you are a treacherous son of a bitch,
Pretending not to care about the heights you'll never reach.
Now I won't start in preaching 'bout reaping what you sow,
This is the story of a half-hearted man,
Half honest as they go.
But sit on down and rest a spell I've got another tale to tell.
About a lost young man in a far away land whose life is just too easy to sell.
Jesus was a carpenter he died nailed to a wooden cross.
Irony oh irony upon me it is never lost.

Cowboy Junkies are an alternative country and folk rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1985 by Alan Anton (bassist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Margo Timmins (vocalist). The three Timminses are siblings, and Anton worked with Michael Timmins during their first couple of bands. John Timmins was a member of the band but left the group before the recording of their debut studio album. The band line-up has never changed since, although they use several guest musicians on many of their studio albums, including multi-instrumentalist Jeff Bird who has performed on every album except the first.
Cowboy Junkies' 1986 debut studio album, produced by Canadian producer Peter Moore, was the blues-inspired Whites Off Earth Now!!, recorded in the family garage using a single ambisonic microphone.
The band gained wide recognition with their second studio album, The Trinity Session (1988), recorded in 1987 at Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity. Their sound, again with Peter Moore using the ambisonic microphone, and their mix of blues, country, folk, rock and jazz earned them both critical attention and a strong fan base. The Los Angeles Times named the recording one of the 10 best albums of 1988.
Cowboy Junkies have gone on to record 16 studio albums and five live albums, with tour dates booked into 2024.
2005 was the last play. BillG—this could use a spin every year or two.