[Verse]
Before I ever took to teaching,
I was a very decent chap,
Then they gave me fifty weans
And a lovely length of leather strap.

[Chorus]
Rap, tap, tap upon your finger,
Rap, tap, tap upon your palm,
Rap, tap, tap upon your hand,
And I'll leave you with a blister like a Belfast tam.

[Verse]
"Ack" says I, "I'll never use it,
Weans will all respond to talk",
Told them that and turned around,
And a wee lad hit me with a peice of chalk.

[Chorus]
Rap, tap, tap upon your finger,
Rap, tap, tap upon your palm,
Rap, tap, tap upon your hand,
And I'll leave you with a blister like a Belfast tam.

[Verse]
Now the boy who threw the chalk says,
"I'll never grow to be a man,
He's far to feared to show himself",
But he did and he threw another one.

[Chorus]
Rap, tap, tap upon your finger,
Rap, tap, tap upon your palm,
Rap, tap, tap upon your hand,
And I'll leave you with a blister like a Belfast tam.

[Verse]
To strap a boy's awful business,
Everyone's a mother's son,
Take the straps and spare the teacher,
Issue everyone a gun!

[Chorus]
Rap, tap, tap upon your finger,
Rap, tap, tap upon your palm,
Rap, tap, tap upon your hand,
And I'll leave you with a blister like a Belfast tam.