▁as ▁" ble ating " ▁and ▁they ▁also ▁regarded ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁lyr ics ▁as ▁" tr uly ▁awful ." ▁ ▁Journal ist ▁Robin ▁D ens el ow ▁critic ized ▁the ▁lyr ics ▁of ▁both ▁of ▁L enn on ' s ▁Irish - th emed ▁songs ▁on ▁Some ▁Time ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁City ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 9 , ▁sing ling ▁out ▁the ▁line ▁that ▁" If ▁you ▁had ▁the ▁luck ▁of ▁the ▁Irish ... you ' d ▁wish ▁you ▁was ▁English ▁instead " ▁as ▁being ▁" down right ▁ins ult ing ." ▁ ▁Wiener ▁described ▁the ▁song ▁as ▁a ▁" fail ure ." ▁ ▁On ▁the ▁other ▁hand , ▁Ur ish ▁and ▁B iel en ▁find ▁the ▁dark ▁hum our ▁to ▁be ▁" cle ver " ▁and ▁feel ▁that ▁song ▁succeed s ▁as ▁" soci opol it ical ▁po lem ic ." ▁ ▁Music ▁critic ▁Tim ▁R iley ▁described ▁" The ▁L uck ▁of ▁the ▁Irish " ▁as ▁" g orge ous ▁and ▁under r ated ." ▁ ▁Rog an ▁takes ▁an ▁intermediate ▁view ▁calling ▁the ▁song ▁" im press ive , ▁if ▁fla wed ," ▁pra ising ▁the ▁clever ness ▁of ▁contrast ing ▁the ▁na ive ▁sent iments ▁in ▁the ▁bridge ▁with ▁the ▁har sh ▁political ▁lyr ics ▁in ▁the ▁vers es , ▁but ▁critic izing ▁the ▁lyr ics . ▁ ▁Beat le ▁historian ▁Bruce ▁Sp izer ▁also ▁critic ized ▁the ▁lyr ics ▁while ▁pra ising ▁the ▁mel ody . ▁ ▁Un cut ▁writer ▁John ▁Lewis ▁also ▁provides ▁a ▁mixed