英語中的民歌，很多都源於愛爾蘭。其中有一首名為 The Sick Note，請病假的簡訊，也稱為 Why Paddy's not at Work，為什麼愛爾蘭人今天沒有來上班？
The Sick Note 的歌詞，採用短篇書信的形式，作者是一位名叫 Paddy 的愛爾蘭建築工人，收信人工地的老闆。
歌詞中解釋了自己因為在工地搬磚時受傷，因此無法去上班；但就受傷過程的描述和解釋，明顯是憑空編造出來的，如同動畫片貓和老鼠中的情節。
The Sick Note 的大致情節是：
Foreman 工頭要求自己把一堆磚從14層搬下去；自己覺得用 Hod 磚鬥一趟趟地背下去太麻煩，但又不能從高處扔下去；於是打算使用 Pulley 滑輪這個簡單機械，把磚放在桶裡、用繩子吊下去。
結果，在操作滑輪時發生了事故，自己被繩子騰空拉起來、撞在滑輪上，然後摔下去落在碎磚上面、然後又被騰空拉起來，最後終於想起鬆手放開繩子，卻又被落下來的木桶砸中，砸斷了肋骨和胳膊。
The Sick Note 曾被很多歌手和樂隊翻唱，在英國和美國都廣為人知，是愛爾蘭文化中的經典歌曲。
The Dubliners 都柏林人樂隊演唱的版本
Dear Sir, I write this note to you to tell you of me plight
And at the time of writing, I am not a pretty sight;
Me body is all black and blue, me face a deathly gray
And I write this note to say why Paddy's not at work today.
While working on the fourteenth floor some bricks I had to clear;
Now, to throw them down from such a height it was not a good idea.
The foreman wasn't very pleased, he being an awkward sod,
He said I'd have to cart them down the ladders in me hod.
Now, clearing all these bricks by hand it was so very slow,
So I hoisted up a barrel and secured the rope below.
But in me haste to do the job I was too blind to see
That a barrelful of building bricks was heavier than me.
So when I untied the rope the barrel fell like lead
And clinging tightly to the rope I started up instead.
Well, I shot up like a rocket till to my dismay I found
That halfway up I met the bloody barrel coming down.
Well, the barrel broke me shoulder as to the ground it sped,
And when I reached the top I banged the pulley with my head.
Well, I clung on tight through numbed shock from this almighty blow
And the barrel spilled out half the bricks fourteen floors below.
Now, when these bricks had fallen from the barrel to the floor
I then outweighed the barrel and so started down once more;
Still clinging tightly to the rope, I sped towards the ground,
And I landed on the broken bricks that were all scattered round.
Well, I lay there groaning on the ground, I thougth I'd passed the worst,
When the barrel hit the pulley-wheel and then the bottom burst.
Well, a shower of bricks rained down on me, I hadn't got a hope
As I lay there moaning on the ground, I let go of the bloody rope.
The barrel then being heavier, it started down once more,
And landed right across me, as I lay upon the floor.
Well, it broke three ribs and my left arm, and I can only say
That I hope you'll understand why Paddy's not a work today.
歌詞中的 Paddy，是針對愛爾蘭人的 Ethnic Slur 歧視稱呼，雖然熟人之間有時會使用 Paddy 開玩笑，但如果不是親近的朋友，可能會引起反感。
Paddy 有些像中文所說的「搬磚」，可以用來「自嘲」；但如果別人把你的工作描述為「搬磚」，你多半不會感到愉快。
另外，歌詞中的 Sod 也是粗話，是 Sodomy 的簡寫形式，在口語中用來指成年男性，相當於 Guy；Sod 在英國英語中雖然經常使用，但在比較正式的場合會被視為 Taboo 禁忌.
聽英文歌曲最大的好處之一，就是能了解英語的多樣性，尤其是各種方言的詞彙和語法特徵。
The Sick Note 這首歌，就全篇都在用「賓格形式 Me」來代替「所有格形式 My」，例如 Me shoulder、Me body、Me face 等等；除了愛爾蘭英語，很多地區的方言也廣泛存在這種用法。
在過去，Me body 這樣的用法曾被視為 Incorrect，但今天在日常生活中已經被普遍接受，很少會有人大驚小怪地挑毛病。
當然，在考試答題、書面寫作、以及各種正式場合，人們還是會刻意地避免使用這種方言口語用法的，否則可能會被當作沒上過學的文盲。