A BUCKET OF THE MOUNTAIN DEW

Let the grasses grow and waters flow in a free and easy way But give me enough of the rare old stuff that's made near Galway Bay And policemen all from Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim too We'll give them the slip and we'll take a sip of the real old mountain dew There's a neat little still at the foot of the hill Where the smoke curls up to the sky By a whiff of the smell you can plainly tell That there's poteen boys close by For it fills the air with a perfume rare and betwixt both me and you As home we roll, we can drink a bowl Or a bucketful of mountain dew Now learned men as use the pen have writ' the praises high Of the rare poteen from Ireland green Distilled from wheat and rye Away with your pills, it'll cure all ills Be ye pagan, Christian, or Jew So take off your coat and grease your throat With a bucket of the mountain dew.
A BUNCH OF THYME

Where instead of diggin' praties I'll be diggin' lumps of gold

I've courted girls in Blarney in Kinturk and in Killarney In Passage and in Queenstown that is the Cobh of Cork Goodbye to all this pleasure I'll be off to take me leisure And the next time that you hear from me will be a letter from New York Goodbye to the girls at home I'm going far across the foam To try and make me fortune in far America There's gold and jewels in plenty for the poor and for the gentry And when I return again I never more will say
A NATION ONCE AGAIN

How well I remember that terrible day when our blood stained the sand and the water: and how in that hell that they call Suvla Bay, we were butchered like lambs at the slaughter Johnny Turk was ready, Lord he primed himself well; he rained us with bullets and he showered us with shells. In five minutes flat, we were all blown to hell, nearly blew us back home to Australia. And the band played "Waltzing Matilda" as we stopped to bury our slain we buried ours and the Turks buried theirs, then it started all over again. And those who were living just tried to survive In that mad world of blood, death and, fire For ten weary weeks, I kept myself alive While around me the corpses piled higher Then a big Turkish shell knocked me ass over head And when I awoke, in a hospital bed And saw what it had done, I wished I were dead I never knew there were worse things than dying For no more I'll go waltzing Matilda All around the green bush far and near But to hunt and to pace, a man needs both legs No more waltzing Matilda for me They collected the wounded, the crippled, the maimed And they shipped us back home to Australia The armless, the legless, the blind, the insane All us proud wounded heroes from Suvla And as the ship pulled into Circular Quay And I looked at the place where my legs used to be I thanked Christ there was no one there waiting for me To grieve or to mourn or to pity And the band played "Waltzing Matilda" As they carried us down the gangway This time nobody cheered, they just stood there and stared Then they turned their faces away And now every April, I sit on this porch And I watch the parade pass before me I see my old comrades, how proudly they march Reliving their deeds of past glory I see the old men all tired, stiff, and sore The weary old heroes from a forgotten war And the young people ask, "What are they marching for?" And I ask myself the same question And the band played "Waltzing Matilda" And the old men still answer the call But as year follows year, more old men disappear Some day no one will march there at all Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me And their ghosts can be heard, as they march by the billabong "Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"

When boyhood's fire was in my blood I read of ancient freemen, For Greece and Rome who bravely stood, Three hundred men and three men; And then I prayed I yet might see Our fetters rent in twain, And Ireland. long a province, be a nation once again!

Come all ye maidens young and fair and you that are blooming in your prime always beware and keep your garden fair; let no man steal away your thyme

A nation once again, a nation once again, and Ireland, long a province, be a nation once again!
And from that time, through wildest woe, That hope has shown a far light, Nor could love's brightest summer glow outshine that solemn starlight; it seemed to watch above my head in forum, field and fame, its angel voice sang round my bed, a nation once again! It whisper'd too, that freedom's ark, and service high and holy, would be profaned by feeling dark and passions vain or lowly; for, Freedom comes from God's right hand, and needs a godly train; and righteous men must make our land a nation once again!
AND THE BAND PLAYED WALTZING MATILDA

For thyme it is a precious thing and thyme brings all things to my mind. Time with all its labours, along with all its joys thyme, brings all things to my mind.
Once I had a bunch of thyme, I thought it never would decay; then along came a lusty sailor who chanced to pass my way and stole my bunch of thyme away The sailor gave to me a rose, a rose that never would decay. He gave it to me to keep me reminded of when he stole my thyme away
A MUIRSHEEN DURKIN

In the days I went a courtin' I was never tired resortin' To an alehouse or a playhouse and many's the house beside But I told me brother Seamus I'd go off and be right famous And I'd never would return again 'til I'd roam the world wide

Goodbye Muirsheen Durkin sure I'm sick and tired of workin' No more I'll dig the praties and no longer I'll be fooled As sure as me name is Carney I'll be off to California

When I was a young man, I carried my pack and I lived the free life of a rover. From the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback I waltzed my Matilda all over. Then in 1915, my country said, "Son It's time to stop ramblin' for there's work to be done". So they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun and they sent me away to the war. And the band played "Waltzing Matilda" as the ship sailed away from the quay, amid all the tears, flag-waving and cheers, we sailed off for Gallipoli

ARTHUR MCBRIDE

I had a first cousin called Arthur McBride and we went a-walking down by the seaside Seeking good fortune and what might betide for it being on Christmas morning For recreation we went on a tramp where we met Sergeant Harper and Corporal Crump And a little wee drummer intending to camp for the day being pleasant and charming "Good morning, good morning" the sergeant did cry "And the same to you gentlemen" we did reply Intending no harm, we made to pass by For it being on Christmas mornin' Says he, "My fine fellows, if you will enlist it's ten guineas I quickly will shove in your fist And a crown in the bargain to kick off the dust and to drink the king's health in the morning For a soldier he leads a very fine life and he always is blessed with a pretty young wife And he pays all his debts without worry or strife and always is pleasant and charming And a soldier, he always is decent and clean in the finest of clothes he is constantly seen While other poor fellows are dirty and mean and sup on thin gruel in the morning" But says Arthur, I wouldn't be proud of your clothes for you've only the lend of them, as I suppose And you dare not remove them at night for you know if you do, you'll be flogged in the morning And although that we are single and free we take great delight in our own company And we have no desire strange faces to see although your offers are charming And we have no desire to take your advance of hazards and dangers we'll barter our chance For you have no scruples and will send us to France where we'll surely be shot without warning Oh now, says the sergeant, if I hear one more word I instantly then will draw out my sword And run through your bodies as strength can afford So now you gay devils take warning! But Arthur and me we took in the odds and we gave them no chance for to lunge out their swords Our trusty shillaleahs come over their heads and bade them take that as fair warning As for the wee drummer, we rifled his pouch We made a football of his rowdy-dow-dow Threw it in the tide for to rock and to roll and bade it a tedious returning And as for the rapiers that hung at their sides we flung them as far as would could in the tide

To the devil I bid you, cried Arthur McBride and temper their steel in the morning I had a first cousin called Arthur McBride and we went a-walking down by the seaside Seeking good fortune and what might betide For it being on Christmas morning
A STR MO CHROI

Neither wind nor rain cares for bravery 20 years have gone by, I've ended my bond My comrades ghosts walk behind me A rebel I came - I'm still the same On the cold winters night you will find me
THE BARD OF ARMAGH

A Str Mo Chro, when you're far away From the home you will soon be leaving And its many's the time by night and day Your heart will sorely be grieving Though the stranger's land is rich and fair And rich in treasures golden You'll pine I know, for the long, long ago And the love that's never olden A Str Mo Chro, in the stranger's land There is plenty of wealth and earnings Gold and gems adorn the rich and the grand And there are faces with hunger tearing Though the road is weary and hard to thread And the lights of their cities may blind you You'll turn A Str for Erin's shore And the ones you left behind you A Str Mo Chro when evening sun Over mountains meadows is falling Won't you turn away from the throng and listen And maybe you'll hear me calling Though the voice you'll hear is surely mine For someone's speedy returning A roon a roon -- won't you come home soon To the one who will always love you
BACK HOME IN DERRY

Oh list' to the tale of a poor Irish harper And scorn not the string of his old withered hands But remember those fingers they once could move sharper To raise up the strains of his dear native land How I love to muse on the days of my boyhood Though 4 score and 3 years have fled by them It's king's sweet reflection that every young joy For the merry-hearted boys make the best of old men At a fair or a wake I would twist my shillelah And trip through a dance with my brogues tied with straw There all the pretty maidens around me would gather Call me their bold Phelim Brady, the Bard of Armagh In truth I have wandered this wide world over Yet Ireland's my home and a dwelling for me And, oh, let the turf that my old bones shall cover Be cut from the land that is trod by the free And when Sergeant Death in his cold arms doth embrace And lull me to sleep with old Erin go Bragh By the side of my Kathleen, my dear pride, oh place me Then forget Phelim Brady, the Bard of Armagh
BELFAST

In 1803 we sailed out to sea Out from the sweet town of Derry For Australia bound if we didn't all drown And the marks of our fetters we carried In rusty iron chains we sighed for our wains Our good women we left in sorrow As the mainsails unfurled, our curses we hurled On the English, and thoughts of tomorrow

Of all the places I have been there's only one to fill my dreams The place that lingers in my mind is the one I left behind I've been away now for too many years I've read all the papers, they told of your tears Tho' I've left you with a heart thats been torn I'm coming home now to the place I was born

Oh..... I wish I was back home in Derry Oh..... I wish I was back home in Derry
I cursed them to hell as her bow fought the swell Our ship danced like a moth in the firelight White horses rode high as the devil passed by Taking souls to Hades by twilight Five weeks out to sea, we were now forty-three Our comrades we buried each morning And in our own slime we were lost in a time Of endless nights without dawning Van Dieman's land is a hell for a man To live out his whole life in slavery Where the climate is raw and the gun makes the law 2

That's Belfast - you call to me When I am far away I think of thee Your Black Mountain, Cavehill, City Hall Shaw's Bridge, River Lagan, I'm going home to them all
I'll meet friends and relations, each one I'll embrace We'll pass round the pictures which time can erase And it won, it be long now 'til I see them all Then I'll walk round the old streets and good times I'll recall

BELFAST MILL

At the east end of town At the foot of the hill There's a chimney so tall It says Belfast Mill. But there's no smoke at all Coming out of the stack For the mill has shut down And is never coming back. And the only tune I hear Is the sound of the wind As she blows through the town Weave and spin, weave and spin. There's no children playing In the dark narrow streets And the loom has shut down It's so quiet I can't sleep. The mill has shut down 'twas the only life I know Tell me where will I go Tell me where will I go. And the only tune I hear Is the sound of the wind As she blows through the town Weave and spin, weave and spin. I'm too old to work And I'm too young to die Tell me where will I go now My family and I.

As he raised himself up to his elbow As the blood from his wounds ran red He turned to his comrades beside him And these are the words he said: "Won't you bury me out on the mountains So that I can see where the battle was won?" So they buried him out on the mountains 'Neath a cross that stood facing the sun They wrote: Here lies a true Irish soldier who was shot by a Black-and-Tan gun". And now we are back in old Dublin, our victory over and won We think of our comrades we buried under God's rising sun
BLACK IS THE COLOUR

Before the judge and the jury, next morning I had to appear The judge he says to me: Young man, your case it is proven clear I'll give you seven years penal servitude, to be spent faraway from the land Far away from your friends and companions, betrayed by the black velvet band So come all ye jolly young fellows a warning take by me When you are out on the town me lads, beware of them pretty colleens For they feed you with whiskey and porter, 'til you are unable to stand And the very next thing that you'll know you're landed in Van Diemens land

Black is the colour of my true love's hair Her lips are like some roses fair She's the sweetest face and the gentlest hands I love the ground wheron she stands I love my love and well she knows I love the ground whereon she goes But some times I wish the day will come That she and I will be as one I walk to the Clyde for to mourn and weep But satisfied I never can sleep I'll write her a letter just a few short lines And suffer death ten thousand times
BLACK VELVET BAND

THE BOLD FENIAN MEN

'Twas down by the glenside, I met an old woman She was picking young nettles and she scarce saw me coming I listened awhile to the song she was humming Glory O, Glory O, to the bold Fenian men 'Tis fifty long years since I saw the moon beaming On strong manly forms and their eyes with hope gleaming I see them again, sure, in all my daydreaming Glory O, Glory O, to the bold Fenian men Some died on the glenside, some died near a stranger And wise men have told us that their cause was a failure They fought for old Ireland and they never feared danger Glory O, Glory O, to the bold Fenian men I passed on my way, God be praised that I met her Be life long or short, sure I'll never forget her We may have brave men, but we'll never have better Glory O, Glory O, to the bold Fenian men
THE BOLD O'DONOHUE

BELIEVE ME IF ALL THOSE ENDEARING YOUNG CHARMS

Believe me, if all those endearing young charms Which I gaze on so fondly today Were to change by tomorrow and fleet in my arms Like fairy gifts fading away Thou wouldst still be adored as this moment thou art Let thy loveliness fade as it will And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart Would entwine itself verdantly still It is not while beauty and youth are thine own And thy cheeks unprofaned by a tear That the fervour and faith of a soul can be known To which time will but make thee more dear No, the heart that has truly loved never forgets But as truly loves on to the close As the sunflower turns to her God when she sets The same look which she turned when she rose
THE BLACK AND TAN GUN

In a neat little town they call Belfast Apprentice to trade I was bound And many an hour of sweet happiness I spent in that neat little town Till bad misfortune befell me And caused me to stray from the land Far away from my friends and relations To follow the black velvet band Chorus: And her eyes they shone like diamonds You'd think she was queen of the land And her hair hung over her shoulder Tied up with a black velvet band I took a stroll down Broadway, meaning not long for to stay When who should I meet but this pretty fair maid comes a tripping along the highway She was both fair and handsome, her neck it was just like a swans And her hair it hung over her shoulder, tied up with a black velvet band I took a stroll with this pretty fair maid, when a gentleman's passing us by Well I knew she meant the doing of him, by the look in her rougish black eye A goldwatch she took from his pocket and placed it right into my hand And the very first thing that I said was bad luck to your black velvet band

Here I am from Paddy's land, a land of high renown I broke the hearts of all the girls from miles of Keady town And when they hear that I'm away' they raise a hullabaloo When they hear about the handsome lad they call O'Donahue For I'm the boy to please her and I'm the boy to tease her And I'm the boy to squeeze her up and I'll tell you what I'll do I'll court her like an Irishman with me brogue and blarney is me plan With me rollikin', swollikin', gollikin', wollikin', Bold O'Donahue

It was down in the town of old Bantry Where most of the fighting was done It was there that a young Irish soldier Was shot by a Black-and-Tan gun

I wish me love was a red, red rose grown' on yon garden wall And me to be dewdrop and upon her brow I'd fall Perhaps now she might think of me as a rather heavy dew No more she'd love the handsome lad they call O'Donahue They say that Queen Victoria has a daughter fine and grand Perhaps she'd take it into her head for to marry an Irishman And if I could only get the chance to have a word or two Perhaps she'd take a notion in the bold O'Donahue
BOOLAVOGUE

My friends they came and tried in vain, to get me out on bail The Jury found me guilty, the clerk he wrote it down The Judge he passed his sentence I was bound for Charlestown They placed me on an eastbound train One cold December day And every station we passed through You could hear the people say There goes the Boston Burglar, in cold chains he is bound For one crime or another, he is bound for Charlestown So all of you have freedom, take warning if you can And dont go round the streets at night Breaking laws of common man For if you do youll surely rue, and become a man like me Serving up twenty-one long years, in the penitentiary
BOTANY BAY

In an eight hour day for eight bob pay On the shores of Botany Bay
THE BOYS FROM THE COUNTY ARMAGH

There's one fair county in Ireland With memories so glorious and grand Where nature has lavished its beauty In the orchards of Erin's green land I love it's cathedral city Once founded by Patrick so true And it bears in the heart of it's bosom The ashes of Brian Boru

At Boolavogue as the sun was setting O'er the bright May meadows of Shelmalier A rebel hand set the heather blazing and brought the neighbours from far and near Then Father Murphy from old Kilcormack Spurred up the rock with a warning cry: "Arm! Arm!" he cried, "For I've come to lead you for Ireland's freedom we'll fight or die!" He lead us on against the coming soldiers And the cowardly Yeomen we put to flight 'Twas at the Harrow the boys of Wexford Showed Bookey's regiment how men could fight Look out for hirelings, King George of England Search every kingdom where breathes a slave For Father Murphy of County Wexford Sweeps o'er the land like a mighty wave We took Camolin and Enniscorthy And Wexford storming drove out our foes 'Twas at Slieve Coilte our pikes were reeking With the crimson blood of the beaten Yeos At Tubberneering and Ballyellis Full many a Hessian lay in his gore Ah! Father Murphy had aid come over The Green Flag floated from shore to shore! At Vinegar Hill, o'er the pleasant Slaney Our heroes vainly stood back to back and the Yeos at Tullow took Father Murphy and burnt his body upon a rack God grant you glory, brave Father Murphy And open Heaven to all your men the cause that called you may call tomorrow in another fight for the Green again
BOSTON BURGLAR

It's my own Irish home Far across the foam Although I've oft times left it In foreign lands to roam No matter where I wander Through cities near or far My heart is at home in old Ireland In the County of Armagh
I've travelled that part of the County Through Newtown, Forkhill, Crossmaglen Around the Gap of Mount Norris And home by Blackwater again Where the girls are so gay and so hearty None fairer you'll find near or far But where are the boys that can court them Like the boys from the County Armagh
THE BOYS OF KILLYBEGS

Oh I'm on my way down to the quay Where a big ship now does lie For to take a gang of navvies I was told to engage But I thought I would call in for a while Before I went away For to take a trip in an emigrant ship To the shores of Botany Bay

Farewell to your bricks and mortar Farewell to your dirty lime Farewell to your gangway and gang planks And to hell with your overtime For the good ship Ragamuffin She is lying at the quay For to take old Pat with a shovel on his back To the shores of Botany Bay
The best years of our life we spend At working on the docks Building mighty wharves and quays Of earth and ballast rocks Our pensions keep our lives secure But I'll not rue the day When I take a trip on an emigrant ship To the shores of Botany Bay For the boss came up this morning And he said "Well Pat hello If you do not mix that mortar fast Be sure you'll have to go" Of course he did insult me I demanded of my pay And I told him straight I was going to emigrate To the shores of Botany Bay And when I reach Australia I'll go and look for gold Sure there's plenty there for the digging Or so I have been told Or I might go back into my trade Eight hundred bricks I'll lay

There are wild and rocky hills on the coast of Donegal And the fishermen are hearty, brave and free and the big Atlantic swell is a thing they know right well as they fight to make their living from the sea

With a pleasant rolling sea and the herring running free and our ships all gliding gently through the foam when the boats are loaded down there'll be singing in the town when the boys of Killybegs come rolling home
Now you're headed out to sea and the wind is blowing free and you cast your nets as rain begins to fall and the clouds are riding high and the wind will soon blow by and today you'll maybe get your bumper haul Well the weather's very rough and the work gets plenty tough and the ropes will raise the welts upon your hands but you'll never leave the sea for whoever you may be when it's in your blood it's hard to live on land Now there's purple on the hills and there's green down by the shore and the sun has cast it's gold upon the sea and there's silver down below where the herring fishes go if we catch them there'll be gold for you and me

I was born and raised in Boston, a place you all know well Brought up by honest parents, the truth to you Ill tell Brought up by honest parents, and raised most tenderly Till I became a sporting lad, at the age of twenty-three My character was taken, and I was sent to gaol

BOYS OF THE OLD BRIGADE

"Oh father, why are you so sad, on this bright Easter morn when Irishmen are proud and glad of the land where they were born? "Oh, son, I see sad mem'ries view of far-off distant days when, being just a boy like you I joined the I.R.A.

One was an old man, the second a maid and the third was a young boy who smiled as he said:
BROAD BLACK BRIMMER

Where are the lads who stood with me when history was made? Oh, gra mo chroi I long to see the Boys of the Old Brigade
In hills and farms the call to arms was heard by one and all, and from the glens came brave young men to answer Ireland's call. 'Twas long ago we faced the foe the old brigade and me; but by my side they fought and died that Ireland might be free And now, my boy, I've told you why on Easter morn I sigh; for I recall my comrades all from dark old days gone by. I think of men who fought in glens with rifles and grenade; may Heaven keep the men who sleep from the ranks of the old brigade
BREAD AND FISHES

There's a uniform that's hanging In what's known as Father's room A uniform so simple in it's style It has no braid of gold or silk no hat with feathered plumes Yet Mother has preserved it all the while One day she made me try it on a wish of mine for years "In memory of your father, Sean" she said. And when I put the Sam Browne on she was smiling with the tears As she placed the broad black brimmer on my head. Chorus: It's just a broad black brimmer With its ribbons frayed and torn By the careless whisk of many a mountain breeze An old trench coat that's battle stained and worn And breeches almost threadbare at the knees A Sam Browne belt, with a buckle big and strong A holster that's been empty many a day... but not for long! And when men claim Ireland's freedom The one they'll choose to lead 'em Will wear the broad black brimmer of the IRA It was the uniform been worn by my father years ago When he reached me mother's homestead on the run It was the uniform me father wore in that little church below When oul' Father Mac he blessed the pair as one And after Truce and Treaty and the parting of the ways He wore it when he marched out with the rest And when they bore his body down the rugged heather braes They placed the broad black brimmer on his breast
BUACHAILL N IRNE

Buachailleacht b, mo leo, nr chleacht mise riamh Ach ag imirt 's ag l le h-gmhn deasa n sliabh M chaill m mo str, n mide gur chaill m mo chiall Is n m liom do phg n an bhrg atim ag caitheamh le bliain A chisle 's a str, n ps an seanduine liath Ach ps an fear g, mo leo, mura maire s ach bliain N beidh t go fill gan uadh n mac s do chionn A shlfeadh aon deor ort trthnna n ar maidin go trom
CARRICKFERGUS

I wish I was in Carrickfergus, only for nights in Ballygran I would swim over the deepest ocean, the deepest ocean for my love to find But the sea is wide and I cannot swim over and neither have I wings to fly If I could find me a handsome boatman to ferry me over to my love and die My childhood days bring back sad reflections of happy times I spent so long ago My boyhood friends and my own relations have all passed on now like melting snow But I'll spend my days in endless roaming soft sit the grass my bed is free Ah to be back in Carrickfergus on that long road down to the sea And in Kilkenny it is reported there on marble stones as black as ink With gold and silver I would support her, but I'll sing no more now till I get a drink I'm drunk today and I'm seldom sober, a handsome rover from town to town Ah, but I'm sick now, my days are numbered so come all ye young men and lay me down
CITY OF CHICAGO

As I went a walkin' one mornin' in spring I met with some travellers in an old country lane: one was an old man, the second a maid and the third was a young boy who smiled as he said With the wind in the willows and the birds in the sky we've a bright sun to warm us, where ever we lie; we have bread and fishes and a jug of red wine to share on our journey with all of mankind. I asked them to tell me their name and their race So I might remember their kindness and grace "My name is Joseph, this is Mary my wife and this is our young son, our pride and delight" We travel the whole world, by land and by sea to tell all the people how they might be free Sadly, I left them, in an old country lane For I knew that I never would see them again

To the City of Chicago, as the evening shadows fall, there are people dreaming, of the hills of Donegal. 1847, was the year it all began, deadly pains of hunger, drove a million from the land. They journeyed not for glory; their motive wasn't greed, just a voyage of survival, across the stormy sea. Some of them knew fortune, and some them knew fame, more of them knew hardship, and died upon the plain. They spread throughout the nation, rode the railroad cars, brought their songs and music, to ease their lonely hearts.

Buachaill n irne m's bhragfainn cailn deas g N fhiarfainn b spr li, timse fin saibhir go leor 'S liom Corcaigh d mhad , is dh thaobh a' ghleanna, 's Tr Eoghain 'S mura n-aithraigh m basa's m an t-aidhir ar chontae Mhuigheo Rachfaidh m amrach ag danamh leanna fn choill Gan coite, gan bd, gan grinn breac ar bith liom Ach duillir na gcraobh mar adaigh leaba s mo chionn 's r sheacht m'anam dag th, 's t ag fachaint orm anall 5

CLARE ISLAND

THE CURRAGH OF KILDARE

Will you meet me on Clare Island Summer stars are in the sky Well get the ferry out from Roonagh And wave all our cares goodbye And well go dancing at the ceili Well go kissing on the strand Take our clothes of in the moonlight Skinny-dipping hand in hand And well start drinking in the twilight Keep it up until the dawn In both the bars Because theres no guards To take our names and send us home. Will you meet me on Clare Island Gettin weary of the city Seems so many things have changed Lets head off for Nora Dalys home Where shes walked It never rained So will you meet me on Clare Island And if theres wild and tall white horses And the swell rolls in the bay I wont care if the boat cant sail Sure well get home Some other day So will you meet me on Clare Island.
THE CLIFFS OF DONEEN

The winter it has passed And the summer's come at last The small birds are singing in the trees And their little hearts are glad Ah, but mine is very sad Since my true love is far away from me

Saw a train set the night on fire Smelled the spring on the smoky wind Dirty old town, dirty old town I'm going to take a good sharp axe Shining steel tempered in the fire Well chop you down like an old dead tree Dirty old town, dirty old town
DOWN BY THE SALLEY GARDENS

And straight I will repair To the Curragh of Kildare For it's there I'll finds tidings of my dear
The rose upon the briar And the clouds that float so high Bring joy to the linnet and the bee And their little hearts are blessed But mine can know no rest Since my true love is far away from me All you who are in love Aye and cannot it remove I pity the pain that you endure For experience lets me know That your hearts are filled with woe It's a woe that no mortal can cure
DANNY BOY

Down by the Salley Gardens my love and I did meet She passed the Salley Gardens with little snow-white feet She bid me to take love easy, as the leaves grow on the trees But I, being young and foolish, with her did not agree In a field by the river, my love and I did stand And on my leaning shoulder she placed her snow white hand She bid me to take life easy, as the grass grows on the weir But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears
DO YOU WANT YOUR OLD LOBBY WASHED DOWN

You may travel far, far from your own native land Far away o'er the mountains, far away o'er the foam But of all the fine places that I've ever been Sure there's none can compare with the cliffs of Doneen Take a view o'er the mountains, fine sights you'll see there You'll see the high rocky mountains o'er the west coast of Clare Oh the town of Kilkee and Kilrush can be seen From the high rocky slopes round the cliffs of Doneen It's a nice place to be on a fine summer's day Watching all the wild flowers that ne'er do decay Oh the hares and lofty pheasants are plain to be seen Making homes for their young round the cliffs of Doneen Fare thee well to Doneen, fare thee well for a while And to all the kind people I'm leaving behind To the streams and the meadows where late I have been And the high rocky slopes round the cliffs of Doneen

Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling From glen to glen and down the mountain side The summer's gone, and all the leaves are falling 'Tis ye, 'tis ye must go, and I must bide But come ye back when summer's in the meadow Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow 'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow Danny boy, Oh Danny boy, I love you so And when ye come and all the flowers are dying If I am dead, as dead I well may be Ye'll come and find the place where I am lying And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me And I shall hear, 'though soft ye tread around me And all my grave shall warm and sweeter be Then ye will bend and tell me that ye love me And I shall sleep in peace until ye come to me
DIRTY OLD TOWN

I've a nice little cot and a small bit of land In a place by the side of the sea And I care about no one because I believe There's no body cares about me My peace is destroyed and I'm fairly annoyed By a lassie who works in the town She sighs every day as she passes the way: "Do you want your old lobby washed down?"

"Do you want your old lobby washed down, conshine Do you want your old lobby washed down?" She sighs every day as she passes the way: "Do you want your old lobby washed down?"
The other day the old landlord came by for his rent I told him no money I had Beside t'wasn't fair for to ask me to pay The times were so awfully bad He felt discontent at no getting his rent And he shook his be head in a frown Says he: "I'll take half", and says I with a laugh: "Do you want your old lobby washed down?" Now the boys look so bashful when they go out courtin' They seem to look so very shy As to kiss a young maid, sure they seem half afraid But they would if they could on the sly But me, I do things in a different way I don't give a nod or a frown When I goes to court, I says: "Here goes for sport Do you want your old lobby washed down?"

I found my love 'neath the gasworks falls Dreamed a dream by the old canal Kissed my girl by the factory wall Dirty old town, dirty old town Clouds are drifting across the moon Cats are prowling on their beat Springs a girl in the streets at night Dirty old town, dirty old town Heard a siren from the dock 6

EASY AND SLOW

'Twas down by Christchurch that I first met with Annie A neat little girl and not a bit shy She told me her father, who came from Dungannon Would take her back home in the sweet by and by

Peasants in rags, the stand back for they know That El Rico travels fast Over the soul of El Salvador.
FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK

From lovely Enniskillen they were marching us away They put us then on board a ship to cross the raging main To fight in bloody battle in the sunny land of Spain

And what's it to any man whether or no Whether I'm easy or whether I'm true As I lifted her petticoat easy and slow And I tied up my sleeves for to buckle her shoe.
We wandered by Thomas Street down to the Liffey The sunshine was gone and the evening grew dark Along by Kingsbridge and begot in a jiffy Me arms were around her beyond in the park From city or county a girl is a jewel And well made for gripping the most of them are But any young man he is really a fool If he tries at the first time to go a bit far Now if you should go to the town of Dungannon You can search till your eyes are weary or blind Be you lying or walking or sitting or running A girl like Annie, you never will find
EL SALVADOR

It was Christmas Eve babe in the drunk tank An old man said to me, won't see another one And then he sang a song The Rare Old Mountain Dew And I turned my face away and dreamed about you Got on a lucky one Came in eighteen to one I've got a feeling This year's for me and you So happy Christmas I love you baby I can see a better time When all our dreams come true They've got cars Big as bars They've got rivers of gold But the wind goes right through you It's no place for the old When you first took my hand On a cold Christmas Eve You promised me Broadway was waiting for me You were handsome, You were pretty Queen of New York City When the band finished playing The crowd howled out for more Sinatra was swinging All the drunks they were singing We kissed on the corner Then danced through the night The boys of the NYPD choir Were singing 'Galway Bay' And the bells were ringing Out for Christmas day You're a bum, You're a punk You're an old slut on junk Living there almost dead on a drip In that bed You scum bag, You maggot You cheap lousy faggot Happy Christmas your arse I pray God It's our last I could have been someone Well, so could anyone You took my dreams from me when I first found you I kept them with me babe I put them with my own Can't make it all alone I've built my dreams around you
FARE THEE WELL ENNISKILLEN

Fare thee well Enniskillen, fare thee well for a while And all around the borders of Erin's green isle And when the war is over we'll return in full bloom And you'll all welcome home the Enniskillen Dragoons
Oh Spain it is a gallant land where wine and ale flow free There's lots of lovely women there to dandle on your knee And often in a tavern there we'd make the rafters ring When every soldier in the house would raise his glass and sing Well we fought for Ireland's glory there and many a man did fall From musket and from bayonet and from thundering cannon ball And many a foeman we laid low, amid the battle throng And as we prepared for action you would often hear this song Well now the fighting's over and for home we have set sail Our flag above this lofty ship is fluttering in the gale They've given us a pension boys of four pence each a day And when we reach Enniskillen never more we'll have to say
FIDDLER'S GREEN

A girl cries in the early morning Woken by the sound of a gun She knows somewhere somebody's dying Beneath the rising sun Outside the window of her cabaa The shadows are full of her fears She knows her lover is out there somewhere He's been on the run for a year

As I went a walking one evening so rare To view the still waters and taste the salt air I heard an old fisherman singing this song "Take me away boys, my time is not long"

Oh, the soul of El Salvador

Bells ring out in the chapel steeple A priest prepares to say mass The sad congregation come tired and hungry To pray that trouble will pass Meanwhile the sun rises over the dusty streets Where his body is found Flies and mosquitoes are drinking from pools of blood Where the crowd gathers round. Out on the ranch the rich man's preparing To go for his morning ride They've saddled his horse out in the corral He walks out full of pride He looks like a cowboy from one of those pictures A president made in the past

"Wrap me up in me oil skins and blankets No more round the docks I'll be seen Ttell me old shipmates, I'm takin' a trip mates And I'll see you someday on fiddler's green"
Now fiddler's green is a place I've heard tell Where fishermen go if they don't go to hell Where the weather is fair and the dolphins do play And the cold coast of Greenland is far far away I don't need a harp nor a halo not me Just give me a breeze and a good rollin' sea I'll play me old squeeze box as we sail along And the wind in the riggin' will sing me this song..

Our troop was made ready at the dawn of the day

FIELDS OF ATHENRY

By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young girl calling "Michael, they have taken you away, For you stole Trevelyan's corn, So the young might see the morn. Now the prison ship lies waiting in the bay."

Arrah! Tim avourmeen, an why did ye die?' 'Ooh, none of your gab,' sez Billy Magee Chorus: Whack; fol-de-dooh-dah, dance to your partner Welt the floor, yer truthers shake Isn't it the truth I've told ye? Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake Then Peggy O'Connor took up the job 'Aargh! Biddy, says she, 'Ye'r wrong, I'm sure' But Biddy then gave her a belt on the gob And left her sprawling on the floor Each side in war did soon engage 'Twas woman to woman and man to man Shullelah law was all the rage And a row and a rucus soon began Chorus: Whack; fol-de-dooh-dah, dance to your partner Welt the floor, yer truthers shake Isn't it the truth I've told ye? Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake Mikey Mulvaney raised his head When a gallon of whiskey flew at him It missed him -- and hopping on the bed The liquor scattered all over Tim! Bedad he revives! See how he rises! An' Timothy, jumping from the bed Cried, while he lathered round like blazes 'In the name of the devil, d'ye think I'm dead'
FLIGHT OF EARLS

Because it's not the work that scares us we don't mind an honest job and we know things will get better once again So a thousand times adieu we've got Bono and U2 and all we're missing is the Guinness and the rain So switch off your new computers 'cause the writing's on the wall we're leaving as our fathers did before Take a look at Dublin Airport and the boat that leaves North Wall there'll be no youth unemployment any more Because they're over here in Queensland and in parts of New South Wales we're on the seas and airways and the trains And if we see better days don't big airplanes go both ways and we're all be coming home to you again
FLOWER OF SCOTLAND

Low lie the fields of Athenry Where once we watched the small free birds fly Our love was on the wing We had dreams and songs to sing It's so lonely round the fields of Athenry.
By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young man calling "Nothing matters, Mary, when you're free Against the famine and the crown, I rebelled, they cut me down. Now you must raise our child with dignity." By a lonely harbour wall, she watched the last star fall As the prison ship sailed out against the sky For she lived to hope and pray for her love in Botany Bay It's so lonely round the fields of Athenry.
FINNEGAN'S WAKE

O flower of Scotland When will we see your like again That fought and died for Your wee bit hill and glen And stood against him Proud Edward's army And sent him homeward Tae think again The hills are bare now And autumn leaves lie thick and still O'er land that is lost now Which those so dearly held Those days are passed now And in the past they must remain But we can still rise now And be the nation again
THE FOGGY DEW

Tim Finnegan lived in Watling street A gentleman Irishman -- mighty odd He'd a beautiul brogue, so rich and sweet And to rise in the world, he carried the hod But, you see he'd sort of a tipping way With a love for the liquor poor Tim was born And so to help him through with his work each day He'd drop of the craythin' every morn Chorus: Whack; fol-de-dooh-dah, dance to your partner Welt the floor, yer truthers shake Isn't it the truth I've told ye? Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake One morning Tim was rather full His head felt heavy, which made him shake He fell from the ladder and broke his skull So they carried him home a corpse to wake They rolled him up in a nice clean sheet And laid him out upon the bed With fourteen candles round his feet and a gallon of porter at his head Chorus: Whack; fol-de-dooh-dah, dance to your partner Welt the floor, yer truthers shake Isn't it the truth I've told ye? Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake His friends assembled at his wake Missus Finnegan called for the lunch First they laid in tea and cake Then pipes and tobacky and whiskey-punch Miss Biddy O'Brien began to cry 'Such a dacent corpse did you ever see?

I can hear the bells of Dublin in this lonely waiting room and the paper boys are singing in the rain Not too long before they take us to the airport and the noise to get onboard a transatlantic plane We've got nothing left to stay for we have no more left to say and there isn't any work for us to do So farewell you boys and girls another bloody Flight of Earls our best asset is our best export, too.. It's not for fear of famine that makes us leave this time we're not going to join McAlpine's Fusiliers We've got brains and we've got visions we've got education too but we just can't throw away these precious years So we walk the streets of London and the streets of Baltimore and we meet the night in several Boston bars We're the leaders of the future but we're far away from home and we dream of you beneath the Irish stars As we look on Ellis Island and the Lady in the bay and Manhattan turns to face another Sunday We just wonder what you're doing for to bring us all back home as we look forward to another Monday

'Twas down the glen one Easter morn To a city fair rode I When Ireland's line of marching men In squadrons passed me by No pipe did hum, no battle drum Did sound it dread tattoo But the Angelus bell o'er the Liffey's swell Rang out in the foggy dew Right proudly high over Dublin town They hung out a flag of war 'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky Than at Suvla or Sud el Bar And from the plains of Royal Meath Strong men came hurrying through While Brittania's sons with their long-range guns Sailed in from the foggy dew 'Twas England bade our wild geese go That small nations might be free Their lonely graves are by Suvla's waves On the fringe of the grey North Sea But had they died by Pearse's side Or fought with de Valera too Their graves we'd keep where the Fenians sleep 'Neath the hills of the foggy dew

The bravest fell, and the solemn bell Rang mournfully and clear For those who died that Eastertide In the springing of the year And the world did gaze in deep amaze At those fearless men and true Who bore the fight that freedom's light Might shine through the foggy dew
FOLLOW ME UP TO CARLOW

To see again the thatching of straw the women clean I'd walk from Cork to Larne to see the forty shades of green
FOUR GREEN FIELDS

GALWAY BAY

Lift Mac Cahir g your face, brooding o'er the old disgrace That black FitzWilliam stormed your place, and drove you to the fern Grey said victory was sure, soon the firebrand he'd secure Until he met at Glenmalure: Feach Mac Hugh O'Byrne!

What did I have, said the fine old woman What did I have, this proud old woman did say I had four green fields, each one was a jewel But strangers came and tried to take them from me I had fine strong sons, who fought to save my jewels They fought and they died, and that was my grief said she Long time ago, said the fine old woman Long time ago, this proud old woman did say There was war and death, plundering and pillage My children starved, by mountain, valley and sea And their wailing cries, they shook the very heavens My four green fields ran red with their blood, said she What have I now, said the fine old woman What have I now, this proud old woman did say I have four green fields, one of them's in bondage In stranger's hands, that tried to take it from me But my sons had sons, as brave as were their fathers My fourth green field will bloom once again said she
FROM CLARE TO HERE

If you ever go across the sea to Ireland Then maybe at the closing of your day You will sit and watch the moon rise over Claddagh And see the sun go down on Galway Bay Just to hear again the ripple of the trout stream The women in the meadows making hay And to sit beside a turf fire in the cabin And watch the barefoot gosoons at their play For the breezes blowing oer the seas from Ireland Are perfumed by the heather as it blows And the women in the uplands diggin' praties Speak a language that the strangers do not know For the strangers came and tried to teach us their way They scorn'd us just for being what we are But they might as well go chasing after moonbeams Or light a penny candle from a star And if there is going to be a life hereafter And faith I am sure there's going to be I well ask my God to let me make my heaven In that dear land across the Irish sea
THE GARDEN WHERE THE PRATIES GROW

Curse and swear, Lord Kildare! Feach will do what Feach will dare Now FitzWilliam, have a care! Fallen is your star, low! Up with halbert, out with sword! On we'll go, for, by the Lord, Feach Mac Hugh has given the word: "Follow me up to Carlow!"
See the swords of Glen Imayle, flashing o'er the English Pale! See all the children of the Gael beneath O'Byrne's banners! Rooster of a fighting stock, would you let a Saxon cock Crow out upon an Irish rock? Fly up and teach him manners! From Tassagart to Clonmore, there flows a stream of Saxon gore Och, great is Rory g O'More at sending loons to Hades! White is sick and Grey is fled, now for black FitzWilliam's head! We'll send it over, dripping red, to queen Liza and her ladies!
40 SHADES OF GREEN

Well there's four of us who share the room, we work hard for the brass And getting up late on Sunday, I never get to mass

Have you ever been in love, me boys? Oh! have you felt the pain? I'd rather be in jail, me boys/myself Than be in love again For the girl I loved was beautiful I'd have you all to know And I met her in the garden Where the praties grow She was just the sort of creature, boys That nature did intend To walk right through the world, me boys Without a Grecian Bend Nor did she wear a chignon I'd have you all to know And I met her in the garden Where the praties grow Said I, "My pretty/lovely colleen I hope you'll pardon me/hope that you agree" And she wasn't like the city girls Who'd say "You're making free" She looked at me right modestly/honestly And curtsied very low "Sure, you're welcome in the garden Where the praties grow" Says I, "My lovely darling/pretty Colleen I'm tired of single life And if you've no objections I will make you my sweet wife." Says she, "I'll ask my parents And tomorrow I'll let you know If you'll meet me in the garden/ and i mmet you in the garden

I close my eyes and picture the emerald of the sea From the fishing boats at Dingle to the shores of Donaghadea I miss the River Shannon, the folks at Skibbereen The moorlands and the meadows and the forty shades of green

It's a long long way from Clare to here It's a long long way from Clare to here Oh, it's a long long way, it gets further day by day It's a long long way from Clare to here.
When Friday night comes around Im only in the fighting My ma would like a letter home but I'm too tired to write them. The only time I feel aright is when Im into drinking; It eases off the pain a bit and levels out my thinking. Well it almost breaks my heart when I think of Josephine I promised I'd be coming back with pockets full of green I dream I hear a piper playing maybe it's emotion I dream I see white horses dance upon that other ocean 9

But most of all I miss a girl in Tipperary town And most of all I miss her lips as soft as eiderdown Again I want to see and do the things we've done and seen Where the breeze is sweet as Shalamar And there's forty shades of green.
I wish I could spend an hour at Dublin churning stuff I'd love to watch the farmer drain the bog and spade the turf

Where the praties grow" Her parents they consented And we're blessed with children three: Two girls just like their mother And a boy the image of me We'll train them up in decency The way they ought to go And we'll send them to the garden Where the praties grow
GIVE ME YOUR HAND (TABHAIR DOM DO LMH)

Chorus: Did they beat the drum slowly, did they play the fife lowly Did they sound the dead march as they lowered you down? And did the band play the 'Last post' and chorus? Did the pipes play the 'Flowers of the forest'? Did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind In some faithful heart is your memory enshrined? Although you died back in nineteen sixteen In that faithful heart are you forever nineteen? Or are you a stranger without even a name Enclosed and forever behind the glass frame In a old photograph, torn and battered and stained And faded to yellow in a brown leather frame? Chorus The sun now it shines on the green fields of France There's a warm summer breeze, makes the red poppies dance And look how the sun shines from under the clouds There's no gas, no barbed wire, there's no guns firing now But here in this graveyard it's still no-man's land The countless white crosses stand mute in the sand To man's blind indifference to his fellow man To a whole generation that were butchered and damned Chorus Now young Willie McBride I can't help wonder why Do those who lie here know why did they die? And did they believe when they answered the call Did they really believe that this war would end wars? For the sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain The killing, the dying was all done in vain For young Willie McBride, it all happened again And again, and again, and again, and again
I'LL TELL MY MA

Rings on her fingers, and bells on her toes, Old Jenny Murphy says she'll die, If she doesn't get the fellow with the roving eye. Let the wind and the rain and the hail blow high, And the snow come traveling from the sky, She's as nice as apple pie, And she'll he own lad by and by, When she gets a lad of her own, She won't tell her Ma when she comes home, Let them all come as they will, But it's Albert Mooney she loves still.
THE IRISH ROVER

Just give me your hand, Tabhair dom do lmh Just give me your hand and I'll walk with you Through the streets of our land Through the mountains so grand If you give me your hand Just give me your hand a And come along with me Will you give me your hand And the world it can see That we can be free In peace and harmony? From the north to the south From the east to the west Every mountain, every valley Every bush and birds nest!

In the year of our Lord, 1806 we set sail from the coal quay of Cork We were bound far away with a cargo of bricks for the fine city hall of New York In a very fine craft, she was rigged fore-andaft and oh, how the wild winds drove her She had twenty-three masts and withstood several blasts and we called her the Irish Rover There was Barney McGee from the banks of the Lee there was Hogan from County Tyrone And Johnny McGurk who was scared stiff of work and a chap from West Meath called Malone There was Slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a rule and fighting Bill Casey from Dover There was Dooley from Claire who was strong as a bear and was skipper of the Irish Rover We had one million bales of old nanny goats' tails we had two million barrels of stones We had three million sides of old blind horses hides we had four million packets of bones We had five million hogs, and six million dogs and seven million barrels of porter We had eight million bags of the best Sligo rags in the hold of the Irish Rover We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out and the ship lost her way in a fog (BIG FOG!) And the whole of the crew was reduced down to two 'Twas myself and the captain's old dog Then the ship struck a rock, Oh Lord what a shock and then she heeled right over Turned nine times around, and the poor dog was drowned I'm the last of the Irish Rover
IRISH SOLDIER LADDIE

By day and night Through all struggle and strife Here beside you, to guide you forever, my love For love's not for one But for both of us to share For our country so fair For our world and what's there
Just give me your hand Tabhair dom do lmh Just give me your hand for the world it is ours All the sea and the land To destroy or command If you give me your hand Just give me your hand In a gesture of peace Will you give me your hand And all troubles will cease For the strong and the weak For the rich and the poor? All peoples and creeds Let's meet their needs With a passion, we can fashion A new world of love!
THE GREEN FIELDS OF FRANCE

Well how do you do, young Willie McBride Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside And rest for a while 'neath the warm summer sun I've been walking all day and I'm nearly done I see by your gravestone you were only nineteen When you joined the great call-up in nineteensixteen I hope you died well and I hope you died clean Or Willie McBride, was it slow and obscene

I'll tell my ma, when I go home, The boys won't leave the girls alone, They pull my hair and stole my comb, And that's alright till I go home, She is handsome, she is pretty, She is the belle of Belfast city, She is courtin', one two three, Please won't you tell me who is she?
Albert Mooney says he loves her, All the boys are fighting for her, They rap at the door and ring at the bell, Saying 'Oh my true love, are you well? Out she comes as white as snow,

'Twas a morning in July, I was walking to Tipperary

10

When I heard a battle cry from the mountains over head As I looked up in the sky I saw an Irish soldier laddie He looked at me right fearlessly and said:

Will ye stand in the band like a true Irish man And go and fight the forces of the crown? Will ye march with O'Neill to an Irish battle field? For tonight we go to free old Wexford town!
Said I to that soldier boy, "Won't you take me to your captain T'would be my pride and joy for to march with you today My young brother fell in Cork and my son at Innes Carthay!" Unto the noble captain I will say: As we marched back from the field in the shadow of the evening With our banners flying low to the memory of our dead We returned unto our homes but without my soldier laddie Yet I never will forget those words he said:
IRISH WAYS AND IRISH LAWS

And I've no doubt there's truth in what they say But sure a body's bound to be a dreamer When all the things he loves are far away And precious things are dreams unto an exile they take him o'er a land across the sea Especially when it happens you're an exile from that dear lovely Isle of Innishfree And when the moonlight peeps across the roof tops of this great city, wondrous though it be I scarcely feel it's wonder or it's laughter I'm once again back home in Inishfree I wander o'er green hills, through dreamy valleys And find a peace no other land could know I hear the birds make music fit for angels And watch the rivers laughing as they flow But dreams don't last though dreams are not forgotten And soon I'm back to stern reality But though they pave the footpaths here with gold dust I still would choose my Isle of Inishfree
JAMES CONNOLLY

The spirit of freedom they tried hard to quell For above all the din rose the cry "No Surrender," 'Twas the voice of James Connolly, the Irish Rebel
JUG OF PUNCH

Twas very early in the month of June As I was sitting with my glass and spoon A small bird sat on an ivy bush And the song he sang was the jug of punch

Too-rah-loo-rah-loo Too-rah-loo-rah-lay Too-rah-loo-rah-loo Too-rah-loo-rah-lay A small bird sat on an ivy bunch And the song he sang was the jug of punch.
If I were sick and very bad And was not able to go or stand I would not think it at all amiss To pledge my shoes for a jug of punch What more diversion can a man desire Than to sit him down by a snug coal fire Upon his knee a pretty wench And upon the table a jug of punch And when I'm dead and in my grave No costly tomb stone will I have I'll dig a grave both wide and deep With a jug of punch at my head and feet
KELLY OF KILLANE

Once upon a time there was Irish ways and Irish laws Villages of Irish blood Waking in the morning Waking in the morning Then the Vikings came around Turned us up and turned us down Started building boats and towns They tried to change our living They tried to change our living Cromwell and his soldiers came Started centuries of shame But they could not make us turn We are a river flowing We're a river flowing Again, again the soldiers came Burnt our houses, stole our grain Shot the farmers in their fields Working for a living Working for a living Eight hundred years we have been down The secret of the water sound Has kept the spirit of the man Above the pain descending Above the pain descending Today the struggle carries on I wonder will I live so long To see the gates being opened up To a people and their freedom A people and their freedom
ISLE OF INISHFREE

A great crowd had gathered outside of Kilmainham With their heads all uncovered they knelt on the ground For inside that grim prison lay a brave Irish soldier His life for his country about to lay down He went to his death like a true son of Ireland The firing party he bravely did face Then the order rang out: "Present Arms, Fire!" James Connolly fell into a ready-made grave The black flag was hoisted the cruel deed was over Gone was the man who loved Ireland so well There was many a sad heart in Dublin that morning When they murdered James Connolly, the Irish Rebel! God's curse on you, England, you cruel-hearted monster Your deeds they would shame all the devils in hell There are no flowers blooming but the shamrock is growing On the grave of James Connolly, the Irish Rebel! Many years have rolled by since that Irish rebellion When the guns of Britannia they loudly did speak The bold I.R.A. they stood shoulder to shoulder And the blood from their bodies flowed down Sackville Street The 4 Courts of Dublin the English bombarded

What's the news, what's the news, oh my bold Shelmalier With your long barrelled gun of the sea? Say what wind from the south blows his messenger here With a hymn of the dawn for the free Goodly news, goodly news, do I bring youth of forth Goodly news shall you hear, Bargy man For the boys march at morn from the south to the north Led by Kelly the boy from Killane Tell me who is that giant with gold curling hair He who rides at the head of your band? 7 feet is his height, with some inches to spare And he looks like a king in command Ah my lads that's the pride of the bold shelmaliers 'Mong our greatest of heroes, a man! Fling your beavers aloft and give three ringing cheers For John Kelly, the boy from Killane Enniscorthy's in flames, and old Wexford is won And the Barrow tomorrow we cross On ahill o'er the town we have planted a gun That will batter the gateway of Ross All the Forth men and Bargy men march o'er the heath With brave Harvey to lead on the van But the foremost of all in the grim Gap of Death Will be Kelly, the boy from Killane

I've heard some folks who say that I'm a dreamer

11

But the gold sun of freedom grew darkened at Ross And it set by the Slaneys red waves And poor Wexford stript naked hung high on a cross And her heart pierce by traitors and slaves Glory O! Glory O! to her brave sons who died For the cause of long down-trodden man! Glory O! to Mount Leinster's own darling and pride Dauntless Kelly, the boy from Killane
KEVIN BARRY

LAKES OF PONTCHARTRAIN

learning to dance for Lanigan's Ball

Myself to be sure got free invitation For all the nice girls and boys I might ask And just in a minute both friends and relations Were dancing 'round merry as bees 'round a cask Judy O'Daly, that nice little milliner She tipped me a wink for to give her a call And I soon arrived with Peggy McGilligan Just in time for Lanigan's Ball There were lashings of punch and wine for the ladies Potatoes and cakes; there was bacon and tea There were the Nolans, Dolans, O'Gradys Courting the girls and dancing away Songs they went 'round as plenty as water "The harp that once sounded in Tara's old hall," "Sweet Nelly Gray" and "The Rat Catcher's Daughter," All singing together at Lanigan's Ball Chorus They were doing all kinds of nonsensical polkas All 'round the room in a whirligig Julia and I, we banished their nonsense And tipped them the twist of a reel and a jig 'Och mavrone, how the girls got all mad at me Danced 'til you'd think the ceiling would fall For I spent three weeks at Brooks' Academy Learning new steps for Lanigan's Ball She stepped out and I stepped in again I stepped out and she stepped in again She stepped out and I stepped in again Learning new steps for Lanigan's Ball Boys were all merry and the girls they were hearty And danced all around in couples and groups 'Til an accident happened, young Terrance McCarthy Put his right leg through miss Finnerty's hoops Poor creature fainted and cried, "Meelia murther" Called for her brothers and gathered them all Carmody swore that he'd go no further 'Til he had satisfaction at Lanigan's Ball In the midst of the row miss Kerrigan fainted Her cheeks at the same time as red as a rose Some of the lads declared she was painted She took a small drop too much, I suppose Her sweetheart, Ned Morgan, so powerful and able When he saw his fair colleen stretched out by the wall Tore the left leg from under the table And smashed all the Chaneys at Lanigan's Ball Boys, oh boys, 'twas then there were runctions Myself got a lick from big Phelim McHugh I soon replied to his introduction And kicked up a terrible hullabaloo Old Casey, the piper, was near being strangled They squeezed up his pipes, bellows, chanters and all

T'was on one bright March morning I bid New Orleans adieu And I took the rode to Jackson town, me fortune to renew I cursed all foreign money, no credit could I gain Which filled me heart with longin' for the Lakes of Pontchartain I stepped on board of a railroad car beneath the morning sun And I rode the roads 'til evening and I laid me down again All strangers here, no friends to me 'til a dark girl towards me came And I fell in love with a Creole girl from the Lakes of Pontchartrain I said my pretty Creole girl, me money here's no good If it weren't for the alligators I'd sleep out in the wood You're welcome here kind stranger, our house it's very plain But we never turn a stranger out at the Lakes of Pontchartrain She took me to her mummy's house and she treated me quite well The hair upon her shoulders in jet black ringlets fell To try and paint her beauty I'm sure t'would be in vain So handsome was my Creole girl from the Lakes of Pontchartrain I asked her if she'd marry me, she'd said it could never be For she had got another and he was far at sea She said that she would wait for him and true she would remain 'Til he returned for his Creole girl by the Lakes of Pontchartrain So fair thee well me bonny o' girl I never see no more But I'll ne'er forget your kindness and the cottage by the shore And at each social gathering a flowin' glass I'll raise And drink a health to me Creole girl from the Lakes of Pontchartrain
LANIGAN'S BALL

In Mountjoy jail one Monday morning High upon the gallows tree Kevin Barry gave his young life For the cause of liberty But a lad of eighteen summers Still there's no one can deny As he walked to death that morning He proudly held his head on high Just before he faced the hangman In his dreary prison cell The Black and Tans tortured Barry Just because he wouldn't tell The names of his brave comrades And other things they wished to know "Turn informer and we'll free you" Kevin Barry answered, "no" "Shoot me like a soldier Do not hang me like a dog For I fought to free old Ireland On that still September morn" "All around the little bakery Where we fought them hand to hand Shoot me like a brave soldier For I fought for Ireland" "Kevin Barry, do not leave us On the scaffold you must die!" Cried his broken-hearted mother As she bade her son good-bye Kevin turned to her in silence Saying, "Mother, do not weep For it's all for dear old Ireland And it's all for freedom's sake" Calmly standing to attention While he bade his last farewell To his broken hearted mother Whose grief no one can tell For the cause he proudly cherished This sad parting had to be Then to death walked softly smiling That old Ireland might be free Another martyr for old Ireland Another murder for the crown Whose brutal laws to crush the Irish Could not keep their spirit down Lads like Barry are no cowards From the foe they will not fly Lads like Barry will free Ireland For her sake they'll live and die

In the town of Athy one Jeremy Lanigan Battered away 'til he hadn't a pound His father he died and made him a man again Left him a farm and ten acres of ground He gave a grand party to friends and relations Who didn't forget him when it comes to the will And if you'll but listen I'll make your eyes glisten Of the rows and the ructions of Lanigan's Ball

Six long months I spent in Dublin six long months doing nothing at all Six long months I spent in Dublin
12

The girls, in their ribbons, they got all entangled And that put an end to Lanigan's Ball
THE LEAVING OF LIVERPOOL

Farewell to you, my own true love I am going far away I am bound for California But I know that I'll return some day So fare thee well, my own true love And when I return, united we will be It's not the leaving of Liverpool that grieves me But my darling, when I think of thee I have shipped on a Yankee sailing ship Davy Crockett is her name And Burgess is the captain of her And they say she is a floating hell

As children you and I spent endless days of fun In winter's snow or summer's golden sun We fished in silver streams, the fabric of our dreams Was fashioned by your loveliness and so I have to say: The difference time has made, to travellers on their way Seeking out the beauty of our lands At shrines the children play, and bells ring out to say Thank God we're living just to feel the freedom of each day While walking in the arms of distant waters A new day finds me far away from home
MC ALPINE'S FUSILIERS

'Twas not her soft magic of streamlet or hill Oh, no! It was something more exquisite still 'Twas that friends, the belov'd of my bosom were near Who made every dear scene of enchantment more dear And who felt how the best charms of nature improve When we see them reflected from looks that we love Sweet vale of Avoca! How calm could I rest In thy bosom of shade, with the friends I love best Where the storms that we feel in this cold world should cease And our hearts, like thy waters, be mingled in peace
THE MEN BEHIND THE WIRE

Oh the sun is on the harbour love And I wish I could remain For I know it will be some long time before I see you again
THE LEGION OF THE REARGUARD

As down the glen came McAlpine's men with their shovels slung behind them It was in the pub that they drank their sub or down in the spike you'll find them We sweated blood and we washed down mud with quarts and pints of beer But now we're on the raod again with McAlpine's Fusiliers I stripped to the skin with Darky Finn down upon the Isle of Grain With Horseface Toole I learned the rule, no money if you stop for rain For McAlpine's god is a well filled hod with your shoulders cut to bits and seared And woe to he who looks for tea with McAlpine's Fusilers I remember the day that the Bear O'Shea fell into a concrete stair What Horseface said, when he saw him dead, well it wasn't what the rich call prayers "I'm a navvy short" was his one retort that reached into my ears When the going is rough, well you must be tough with McAlpine's Fusiliers I've worked till the sweat near had me beat with Russian, Czech and Pole At shuttering jams up in the hydro dams or underneath the Thames in a hole I grafted hard and I got me cards and many a ganger's fist across me ears If you pride your life, don't join, by Christ, with McAlpine's Fusiliers
THE MEETING OF THE WATERS

Armoured cars and tanks and guns came to take away our sons! But every man must stand behind the men behind the wire!
In the little streets of Belfast, in the dark of early morn British soldiers came a-running, wrecking little homes with scorn Hear the sobs of crying children, dragging fathers from their beds Watch the scenes as helpless mothers watch the blood fall from their heads Not for them a judge or jury, nor for them a crime at all Being Irish means they're guilty, so they're guilty one and all Around the world the truth will echo: Cromwell's men are here again! England's name again is sullied in the eyes of honest men Proudly march behind our banner; proudly march behind our men! We will have them free to help us build a nation once again! Come the people, step together, proudly, firmly on your way Never fear and never falter, till the boys come home to stay!
THE MINSTREL BOY

Up the Republic, they raise their battle cry Pearse and McDermott will pray for you on high Eager and ready, for love of you they die Proud march the soldiers of the Rearguard

The Legion of the Rearguard, answering Ireland's call Hark their martial tramp is heard from Cork to Donegal Wolfe Tone and Emmett guide you, though your task be hard De Valera leads you, soldiers of the Legion of the Rearguard
Glorious the morning, through flame and shot and shell Now rally Ireland, your sons who love you well Pledged, they'll defend you, through death or prison cell Wait for the soldiers of the Rearguard Crimson the roadside, the prison wall, the cave Proof of their valour, go sleep in peace ye brave Comrade tread lightly, you're near a hero's grave Proud die the soldiers of the Rearguard
LIMERICK YOU'RE A LADY

Limerick you're a lady your Shannon waters tears of joy that flow The beauty that surrounds you Ill take it with me love where-e'er I go While waking in the arms of distant waters a new day finds me far away from home And Limerick you're my lady the one true love that I have ever known

There is not in the wide world a valley so sweet As that vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet Oh! The last rays of feeling and life must depart Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart Yet it was not that nature had shed o'er the scene Her purest of crystal and brightest of green 13

The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone In the ranks of death you will find him His father's sword he hath girded on And his wild harp slung behind him "Land of Song!" said the warrior bard "Tho' all the world betrays thee One sword, at least, they rights shall guard One faithful harp shall praise thee!" The minstrel fell! But the foeman's chain Could not bring that proud soul under The harp he lov'd ne'er spoke again For he tore its chords asunder

And said "No chains shall sully thee Thou soul of love and brav'ry! Thy songs were made for the pure and free, They shall never sound in slavery!"
MISSING YOU

Seinntear stair ar chlairsigh cheoil 's lontair tinte crt ar bord Le hinntinn ard gan chaim, gan che Chun saoghal is slinte d' fhaghil dom lemhan Ghile mear 'sa seal faoi chumha 's Eire go lir faoi chlcaibh dubha Suan n san n bhfuaireas fin luaidh i gcin mo Ghile Mear
MOLLY MALONE

Don't be startin' them fashions now, Mary Macree Where the mountains of Mourne sweep out to the sea You remember young Peter O'Loughlin, of course Well, now he is here at the head of the force I met him today, I was crossing the Strand And he stopped the whole street with a wave of his hand And there we stood talkin' of days that are gone While the whole population of London looked on But for all these great powers he's wishful like me To be back where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea There's beautiful girls here, oh, never you mind With beautiful shapes nature never designed And lovely complexions all roses and cream But O'Loughlin remarked with regard to the same That if at those roses you ventured to sip The colors might all come away on your lip So I'll wait for the wild rose that's waitin' for me Where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea
MY LAGAN SOFTLY FLOWING

in nineteen hundred and eighty six there's not much for a chippie or swing'in a pick and you can't live on love and on love alone so you sail cross the ocean away cross the foam to where your a paddy your a biddy your a mick good for nothin but stackin a brick your best mate's a spade and he carries a hod two work horses heavily shod oh i'm missing you i'd give all for the price of a flight oh i'm missing you under picadilly's neon who did you murder or are you a spy i'm just fond of a drink help's me laugh help's me cry now i just drink red biddy for a permanent high i laugh a lot less and i'll cry till i die all ye young people now take my advice before crossing the ocean you'd better think twice cause you can't live without love , without love alone the proof is around london in the nobody zone where the summer is fine but the winter's a fridge wrapped up in old cardboard under charing cross bridge and i'll never go home now because of the shame of a misfits reflection in a shop window pane
MO GHILE MEAR

In Dublin's fair city where the girls are so pretty I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone As she wheels her wheel barrow through the streets broad and narrow Crying cockles and mussels, alive alive-o

Alive alive-o, alive alive-o Crying cockles and mussels, alive alive-o
She was a fishmonger but sure 'twas no wonder For so were her father and mother before And they both wheeled their barrows through streets broad and narrow Crying cockles and mussels, alive alive-o She died of a fever and no one could save her And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone Now her ghost wheels her barrow through streets broad and narrow Crying cockles and mussels, alive alive-o
MOUNTAINS OF MOURNE

Early in the morning the sun begins to rise Reflected on her waters the movement of the skies Slowly she flows onward disturbed I cannot see Through fields and rolling meadows past local industry My Lagan she flows softly from Slieve Croob down to the sea Through Dromore and Dromara then close to Aghalee From Lisburn down to Hilden, Lambeg and then Shaw's Bridge To Belfast's salty waters where her lonesome journey ends The years pass slowly onward changes soon unfold No more horses pulling the barges filled with coal The old lock gates have rotted, the pathways overgrown But still I love to see her as slowly she grows old Now memories are precious and they are brought to life As you walk along the towpath in the evenings fading light But even now the nightlife begins a brand new day Some ripples on the surface and a trout moves on her way

Seal da rabhas im' mhaighdean shimh 'S anois im' bhaintreach chaite thrith Mo chile ag treabhadh na dtonn go tran De bharr na gcnoc is i n-imigcin 'S mo laoch, mo Ghile Mear 'S mo Chaesar, Ghile Mear Suan n san n bhfuaireas fin chuaigh i gcin mo Ghile Mear Bmse buan ar buaidhirt gach l Ag caoi go cruaidh 's ag tuar na nder Mar scaoileadh uaim an buachaill be 'S n romhtar tuairisc uaidh, mo bhrn N labhrann cuach go suairc ar nin Is nl guth gadhair i gcoillte cn N maidin shamhraidh i gcleanntaibh ceoigh d'imthigh uaim an buachaill be Marcach uasal uaibhreach g Gas gan gruaim is suairce sndh Glac is luaimneach, luath i ngleo Ag teascadh an tslua 's ag tuargain treon

Oh, Mary, this London's a wonderful sight With people here working by day and by night They don't sow potatoes, nor barley, nor wheat But there' gangs of them digging for gold in the streets At least when I asked them that's what I was told So I just took a hand at this diggin' for gold But for all that I found there I might as well be Where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea I believe that when writin' a wish you expressed As to how the fine ladies in London were dressed Well, if you believe me, when asked to a ball Faith, they don't wear a top to their dresses at all. Oh, I've seen them myself and you could not in truth Say if they were bound for a ball or a bath 14

NANCY SPAIN

Of all the stars that ever shone, not one does twinkle like your pale blue eyes Like golden corn at harvest time your hair Sailing in my boat the wind gently blows and fills my sail Your sweet-scented breath is everywhere Daylight peeping through the curtain of the passing night time is your smile and the sun in the sky is like your laugh. Come back to me my Nancy, linger for just a little while; since you left these shores I've known no peace, nor joy No matter where I wander I'm still haunted by your name. The portrait of your beauty stays the same. Standing by the ocean wondering where you've gone, if you'll return again. Where is the ring I gave to Nancy Spain? On a day in spring when snow starts to melt and streams to flow, with the birds I'll sing this song. In a while I'll wander down by bluebell grove where the wild flowers grow; and I'll hope that lovely Nancy will return.
NATIVES

On the eighth day of March, in Dublin city fair from his stand of stones and mortar he fell crashing through the quarter where once he stood so stiff and proud and rude! So let's sing our celebration as a service to the nation so poor aul' admiral Nelson, toodle-oo! Of fifty pounds of gelignite it sped him on his way and the lad that laid the charge, we're in debt to him today! In Trafalgar Square it might be fair to leave aul' Nelson standing there but no one tells the Irish what they'll view! So the Dublin Corporation can stop deliberations for the boys of Ireland showed them what to do A hundred and fifty-seven years it stood up there in state to mark aul' Nelson's victory o'er the French and Spanish fleet But 1:30 in the morning without a bit of warning aul' Nelson took a powder, and he blew! So at last the Irish nation had Parnell in higher station than good old admiral Nelson, toodle-oo! Oh the Russians and the Yanks with their lunar probes they play and I hear the French are trying hard to make up lost headway But now the Irish join the race we have an astronaut in space! Ireland, boys, is now a world power, too! So let's sing our celebration as a service to the nation so poor aul' admiral Nelson, toodle-oo! The Night Visit / As I Roved Out Who are you, me pretty fair maid Who are you, me honey? Who are you, me pretty fair maid Who are you, me honey? She answered me modestly, "Well I am me mammy's darling." With your too-ry-ah Fol-de-diddle-dah Me Day-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh. And will you come to me mammy's house When the moon is shining clearly. And will you come to me mammy's house When the moon is shining clearly. I'll open the door and I'll let you in And divil the one will hear us. So I went to her house in the middle of the night When the moon was shining clarely. So I went to her house in the middle of the night When the moon was shining clarely. 15

Shc opened the door and she let me in And divil the one did hear us. CHORUS She took me horse by the bridle and the bit And she led him to the stable She took me horse by the bridle and the bit And she led him to the stable Saying "There's plenty of oats for a soldier's horse, To eat it if he's able." CHORUS She took me by the lily-white hand And she led me to the table She took me by the lily-white hand And she led me to the table Saying "There's plenty of wine for a soldier boy, Drink it if you're able." CHORUS She got up and she made the bed And she made it nice and aisy She got up and she made the bed And she made it nice and aisy Then she took me by the hand Saying "Blow out the candle!" CHORUS There we lay till the break of the day And divil the one did hear us There we lay till the break of the day And divil the one did hear us She arose and put on her clothes Saying "Darling, you must leave me." CHORUS When will I return again When will we get married When will I return again When will we get married When broken shells make Christmas bells We might well get married.
NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE RIVER

For all of our languages we can't communicate For all of our native tongues we're all natives here Sons of their fathers' dream the same dream The sound of forbidden words becomes a scream Voices in anger, victims of history Plundered and set aside, grow fat on swallowed pride With promises of paradise and gifts of beads and knives Missionaries and pioneers are soldiers in disguise Saviours and Conquerers, they make us wait Like fishers of men they wave their truth like bait But with the touch of a stranger's hand innocence turns to shame The spirit that dwelt within now sleeps out in the rain For all of our languages we can't communicate, For all of our native tongues, we're all natives here The scars of the past are slow to disappear The cries of the dead are always in our ears And only the very safe can talk about wrong and right Of those who are forced to choose, some will choose to fight
NELSON'S FAREWELL

I want to reach out over the lough And feel your hand across the water Walk with you along an unapproved road Not looking over my shoulder I want to see I want to hear To understand your fears But we're north and south of the river I've been doing it wrong all of my life This holy town has turned me over A young man running from what he didn't understand As the wind from the lough just blew colder and colder There was a badness that had its way

Oh well, poor aul' Admiral Nelson is no longer in the air

But love was not lost it just got mislaid North and south of the river Can we stop playing these old tattoos? Darling I don't have the answer I want to meet you where you are I don't need you to surrender There is no feeling so alone as when the one you're hurting is your own North and south of the river Some high ground is not worth taking Some connections are not worth making There's an old church bell no longer ringing And some old songs not worth singing North and south of the river North and south of the river
O'DONNELL ABU

I never will forget him For he made me "what I am" Though he may be gone Memories linger on And I miss him, the old man As a boy he'd take me walking By mountain field and stream And he showed me things not known to kings And secret between him and me Like the colours of the pheasant As he rises in the dawn And how to fish and make a wish Beside the Holly Tree Chorus I thought he'd live forever He seemed so big and strong But the minutes fly And the years roll by For a father and a son And suddenly when it happened There was so much left unsaid No second chance To tell him thanks For everything he's done
ONLY OUR RIVERS RUN FREE

Tonight they're going to shut this factory down Then they'll tear it d-o-w-n I never missed a day nor went on strike for better pay For twenty years I served them best I could Now with a handshake and a cheque it seems so easy to forget Loyalty through the bad times and through good The owner says he's sad to see that things have got so bad but the captains of industry won't let him lose He still drives a car and smokes his cigar And still he takes his family on a cruise, he'll never lose Well it seems to me such a cruel irony He's richer now then he ever was before Now my cheque is spent and I can't afford the rent There's one law for the rich, one for the poor Every day I've tried to salvage some of my pride To find some work so's I might pay my way Oh but everywhere I go, the answer's always no There's no work for anyone here today, no work today Break - 1st four lines And so condemned I stand just an ordinary man Like thousands beside me in the queue I watch my darling wife trying to make the best of life And God knows what the kids are going to do Now that we are faced with this human waste A generation cast aside And as long as I live, I never will forgive You've stripped me of my dignity and pride, you've stripped me bare You've stripped me bare, You've stripped me bare
RIDE ON

Proudly the note of the trumpet is sounding Loudly the war cries arise on the gale Fleetly the steed by Lough Swilly is bounding To join the thick squadrons on Saimiers green vale! On every mountaineer! Stranger to flight or fear! Rush to the standard of dauntless Red Hugh! Bonnaught and Gallowglass, throng from each mountain pass! Onward for Erin! O'Donnell abu! Princely O'Neill to our aid is advancing With many a chieftain and warrior clan! A thousand proud steeds in his vanguard are prancing Neath the Borderers brave from the banks of the Bann! Many a heart shall quail under its coat of mail Deeply the merciless foeman shall rue When on his ear shall ring, borne on the breezes wing TyrConnell's dread war cry O'Donnell abu! Wildly o'er Desmond the warwolf is howling Fearless the eagle sweeps over the plain The fox in the streets of the city is prowling And all who would conquer them are banished, or slain! On with O'Donnell then! Fight the good fight again! Sons of TyrConnell are valiant and true! Make the proud Saxon feel Erin's avenging steel! Strike! For your Country! O'Donnell abu!
THE OLD MAN

When apples still grow in November When blossoms still bloom from each tree When leaves are still green in December It's then that our land will be free I've wandered her hills and her valleys And still through her valleys I see A land that has never known freedom And only her rivers run free I drink to the death of her manhood Those men who'd rather have died Than to live in the cold chains of bondage To bring back their rights were denied Oh, where are you know when we need you What burns where the flames used to be Are you gone like the snows of last winter And will only our rivers run free How sweet is life but we're crying How mellow the wine but we're dry How fragrant the rose but it's dying How gentle the wind but it sighs What good is in youth when it's aging What joy is in eyes that can't see When there's sorrow in sunshine and flowers And still only our rivers run free
ORDINARY MAN

True, you ride the finest horse I have ever seen. Standing sixteen one or two, with eyes wild and green. And you ride the horse so well, hands light to the touch. I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to.

The tears have all been shed now We've said our last goodbyes His souls been blessed He's laid to rest And it's now I feel alone He was more than just a father A teacher my best friend He can still be heard In the tunes we shared When we play them on our own Chorus:

I'm an ordinary man, nothing special nothing grand I've had to work for everything I own I never asked for a lot, I was happy with what I got Enough to keep my family and my home Now they say that times are hard and they've handed me my cards They say there's not the work to go around And when the whistle blows, the gates will finally close 16

Ride on, see you: I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to. (x2)
When you ride into the night, without a trace behind. Run your claw along my gut, one last time. I turn to face an empty space where once you used to lie. And look for the spark that lights my night through the teardrop in my eye.

P STANDS FOR PADDY

P stands for Paddy, I suppose. J for my love John. W stands for the false William but Johnny is the fairest man. Johnny is the fairest man my love, Johnny is the fairest man. And I don't care what anybody says for Johnny is the fairest man. As I walked out on a May morning, to take a pleasant walk. I sat myself down on an old stonewall, to hear two lovers talk. For to hear what they might say my dear, to hear what they might say. So that I might learn a little more about love before I go away. Come and sit beside me sit together on the green. For it's been 3/4 of a year or more since together we have been. I'll not sit by you she said, not now or any other time For I hear you own another little girl and your heart's no longer mine. Your heart's no longer mine my love, your heart's no longer mine. It's just been 3/4 of a year or more yet your heart's no longer mine. I'll go and climb a tall, tall tree, and I'll rob the wild bird's nest. When I'll come down I'll give a little thought to the girl that I love best. To the girl that I love best my dear, to the girl that I love best. When I'll come down I'll go straight home to the girl that I love best. I think I'll learn a little about love before I travel on.
PADDY'S GREEN SHAMROCK SHORE

Until the day I can make my way back to Paddy's green shamrock shore And now the ship is on the waves may heaven protect us all With the wind in the sail we surely can't fail on this voyage to Baltimore But my parents and friends did wait till the end, till I could see them no more I then took a chance for to glance at Paddy's green shamrock shore
PEGGY GORDON

The pretty little girl from Omagh In the county from Tyrone
THE RAGGLE-TAGGLE GYPSY

Am There were three auld gypsies came to our hall door. Am G Em They came brave and boldly-o. Am Em F And one sang high and the other sang low Am G Am And the other sang a raggle taggle gypsy-o. It was upstairs, downstairs the lady went, Put on her suit of leather-o, And it was the cry all around her door; "She's away with the raggle taggle gypsy-o" It was late that night when the lord came in, Enquiring for his lady-o, And the servant girl's reply to him was; "She's away with the raggle taggle gypsy-o" "Then saddle for me my milk-white steed Me big horse is not speedy-o And I will ride and I'll seek me bride, She's away with the raggle taggle gypsy-o" He rode east and he rode west He rode north and south also, And when he rode to the wide open field It was there that he spied his lady-o. "Arra, why did you leave your house and your land, Why did you leave your money-o? Why did you leave your only wedded lord All for the raggle taggle gypsy-o?" "Yerra what do I care for me house and me land? What do I care for money-o? What do I care for me only wedded lord? I'm away with the raggle taggle gypsy-o" "It was there last night you'd a goose feather bed, Blankets drawn so comely-o. But tonight you lie in a wide open field In the arms of the raggle taggle gypsy-o" "Yerra, what do I care for me goose feather bed? Yerra, what do I care for blankets-o? What do I care for me only wedded lord? I'm away with the raggle taggle gypsy-o" "Oh, for you rode east when I rode west, You rode high and I rode low. I'd rather have a kiss of the yellow gypsy's lips Than all the cash and money-o"
RAGLAN ROAD

Oh, Peggy Gordon, you are my darling Come sit you down upon my knee And tell me the very reason Why I am slighted so by thee I'm so in love that I can't deny it My heart lies smothered in my breast But it's not for you to let the world know it A troubled mind can know no rest I put my head to a glass of brandy It was fancy I do declare For when I'm drinkin', I'm always thinkin' And wishing Peggy Gordon was here I wish I was in some lonesome valley Where womankind cannot be found Where the little birds sing upon the branches And every moment a different sound I wish I was away in Ingo Far away across the briny sea Sailing over deepest waters Where love nor care never trouble me
PRETTY LITTLE GIRL FROM OMAGH

Oh fare-thee-well, Ireland, my own dear native land It breaks my heart to see friends part, for it's then that the teardrops fall; I'm on my way to Amerikay, will I e'er see my home once more? For now I leave my own true love on Paddy's green shamrock shore Our ship she lies at anchor, she's standing by the quay May fortune bright shine down each night, as we sail over the sea Many ships were lost, many lives it cost on the journey that lies before With a tear in my eye I'm bidding good-bye to Paddy's Green shamrock shore So fare thee well my own true love, I'll think of you night and day And a place in my mind you surely will find, although I am so far away Though I'll be alone far away from my home, I'll think of the good times once more

Way up in the north of old Tyrone There's a pretty little girl I called my own The sweetest rose Ireland ever known And it's true as the moon and stars above I falling head over heels in love with the pretty little girl from Omagh In the county of Tyrone There's cute little girls in old Strabane There's just as pretty in Monaghan Same as any other place I've known But I guess that I'd be out of bounds For there between those northern town Is the pretty little girl from Omagh In the county of Tyrone

She wears my ring and tells her friend She's gonna marry me And best of all, she tells them all She happy as can be, oh, lucky me, well I don't know what she done to me There's nothing else my eyes can see But the pretty little girl from Omagh In the county of Tyrone
Way down in the south of old Tramore I recall that yellow dress she wore As she stood there on the shore all alone And I know it was my lucky day She came there on holiday 17

On Raglan Road of an autumn day I saw her first and knew That her dark hair would weave a snare That I might someday rue

I saw the danger and I passed Along the enchanted way And I said, "Let grief be a fallen leaf At the dawning of the day" On Grafton Street in November, We tripped lightly along the ledge Of a deep ravine where can be seen The worth of passion play The Queen of Hearts still making tarts And I not making hay Oh, I loved too much and by such and such Is happiness thrown away I gave her gifts of the mind I gave her the secret signs That's known to the artists who have known The true gods of sound and stone And her words and tint without stint I gave her poems to say With her own name there and her own dark hair Like clouds over fields of May On a quiet street where old ghosts meet I see her walking now And away from me so hurriedly My reason must allow That I had loved, not as I should A creature made of clay When the angel woos the clay, he'll lose His wings at the dawn of day
THE RARE OUL' TIMES

Fare thee fell sweet Anna Liffey, I can no longer stay And watch the new glass cages, that spring up along the Quay My mind's too full of memories, too old to hear new chimes I'm part of what was Dublin, in the rare old times
RED IS THE ROSE

As he danced to the reel in the flickering light Oh round we go, heel to the toe And the daddy longlegs jumpet sprite As he danced to the reel in the flickering light On his thin and wispy spindles He was deft and he was nimble His eyes were scientific And his dancing was terrific And the rats and worms they made a din And the nettles in the corners took it in "Oh God" says I, "Tonight's the night" "We'll dance to the reel in the flickering light" Oh round we go, heel to the toe "Oh God" says I "tonight's the night We'll dance to the reel in the flickering light" Then he looked at me directly With a gaze that could dissect me Then he asked me in a whisper "Have you got any sisters?" "Oh God almighty" says I to him "What sort of a man d'you think I am? I've only one she's not your type She wouldn't dance the reel in the flickering light" So round we go, heel to the toe "I've only one she's not your type She wouldn't dance a reel in the flickering light" Says he: "Does she come from another planet? Does she got a bee in her bonnet? Does she do her daily duties You never know we might be suited" And the rats and the worms began in to laugh And some of them started shufflin' off We're goin' to have some fun tonight Getting ready for the reel in the flickering light Oh round we go, heel to the toe We're goin' to have some fun tonight Getting ready for the reel in the flickering light I could see he had no scruples When I looked into his pupils They were purple or magenta Like a statue during lent I said "I'll get her right away" "Good man" says he "now don't delay" We're going to have some fun tonight And he flicked his legs in the flickering light. Oh round we go, heel to the toe We're goin' to have some fun tonight And he flicked his legs in the flickering light. Then up stepped a red carnation And they gave her an ovation She was warm and enchatin' As she slowly started dancin' And the wise old pigeon peeled his eye. And the nettles and the weeds began to sigh. Daddy longlegs said "my-oh-my

Come over the hills, my bonnie Irish lass Come over the hills to your darling You choose the rose, love, and I'll make the bower And I'll be your true love forever

Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows Fair is the lily of the valley Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne But my love is fairer than any
'Twas down by Killarney's green woods that we strayed When the moon and the stars they were shining The moon shone its rays on her locks of golden hair And she swore she'd be my love forever It's not for the parting that my sister pains It's not for the grief of my mother 'Tis all for the loss of my bonny Irish lass That my heart is breaking forever
RED ROSE CAFE

Raised on songs and stories, heroes of renown Are the passing tales and glories, that once was Dublin town The hallowed halls and houses, the haunting children's rhymes That once was Dublin city in the rare old times

Ring a-ring a-Rosie, as the light declines I remember Dublin city in the rare oul' times
My name it is Sean Dempsey, as Dublin as can be Born hard and late in Pimlico, in a house that ceased to be By trade I was a cooper, lost out to redundancy Like my house that fell to progress, my trade's a memory And I courted Peggy Dignan, as pretty as you please A rogue and child of Mary, from the rebel Liberties I lost her to a student chap, with skin as black as coal When he took her off to Birmingham, she took away my soul The years have made me bitter, the gargle dims my brain 'cause Dublin keeps on changing, and nothing seems the same The Pillar and the Met have gone, the Royal long since pulled down As the great unyielding concrete, makes a city of my town

They come from the farms and the factories too, And they all soon forget who they are The cares of the day are soon washed away as they sit on a stool by the bar The girl with green eyes and the rolling Stones shirt doesn't look like she works on the land The man at the end is a very good friend of a man who sells cars second-hand

Down at the Red Rose Cafe in the harbour, There by the port just outside Amsterdam Everyone shares in the songs and the laughter Everyone there seems so happy to be there
The salesmen relaxed with a few pints of beer drive at the speed of our train The poet won't write any verses tonight but he may sing a sweet serenade So pull up a chair and forget about life,it's a good thing to do now and then And if you like it here I have an idea, tomorrow let's do it again
THE REEL IN THE FLICKERING LIGHT

As I was walking home one evenin' I know this takes some believin' I met a group of creatures With the strangest lookin' features A poor old dove and a worm in the weed And a fine old pigeon, yes indeed A daddy longlegs jumpet sprite 18

Are we ready for the reel in the flickering light?" Oh round we go, heel to the toe Daddy longlegs said "my-oh-my Are we ready for the reel in the flickering light?" She was gentle, she was charmin' And I heard him call her "darlin' He was graceful as a whisper On his delicate legs of silver And the rats and worms were still as mice And the poor old pigeon said "That's nice" As shimmering there, ah, the lovely bride As they danced to the reel in the flickering light Oh round we go, heel to the toe As shimmering there, ah, the lovely bride As they danced to the reel in the flickering light Oh round we go, heel to the toe As shimmering there, ah, the lovely bride As they danced to the reel in the flickering light
ROCKY ROAD TO DUBLIN

Something crossed my mind, then I looked behind No bundle could I find upon me stick awobblin' Enquiring for the rogue, they said my Connacht brogue Wasn't much in vogue on the rocky road to Dublin From there I got away my spirits never failing Landed on the quay as the ship was sailing Captain at me roared, said that no room had he When I jumped aboard, a cabin found for Paddy Down among the pigs, I played some funny rigs Danced some hearty jigs, the water round me bubblin' When off to Holyhead I wished myself was dead Or better far, instead, on the rocky road to Dublin The boys of Liverpool, when we safely landed Called myself a fool, I could no longer stand it Blood began to boil, temper I was losin' Poor old Erin's isle they began abusin' "Hurrah my soul!" sez I, my shillelagh I let fly Some Galway boys were by, saw I was a hobble in Then with a loud Hurrah, they joined in the affray We quickly cleared the way, for the rocky road to Dublin
RODDY MCCORLEY

As young Roddy McCorley goes to die on the bridge of Toome today

RISIN DUBH

A Risn, n bodh brn ort n chs anois t do phrdn 'n Rimh agus 'n bPpa agat t na brithre ag teacht thar sile agus ag trall thar muir 'S ni ceilfear fon Spinneach ar mo Risn Dubh T gr agam i mo lr dhuit le blain anois gr crite, gr csmhar, gr ciapaithe gr a d'fhg m gan slinte, gan ran, gan ruith is go brth, brth, gan aon fhil a leagadh ar mo Risn Dubh Beidh an irne ina tuilte dearga 's an spir 'na fuil beidh an saol ina choghadh craorach is radfar chnoic beidh gach gleann slibhe ar fuid ireann agus minte ar crith, la eigin sula n-eagfaidh mo Risn Dubh
THE ROSE OF MOONCOIN

In the merry month of May from my home I started Left the girls of Tuam - nearly brokenhearted Saluted Father dear, kissed my darlin' Mother Drank a pint of beer my grief and tears to smother Then off to reap the corn, and leave where I was born I cut a stout blackthorn to banish ghosts and goblins In a bran' new pair of brogues I rattled o'er the bogs And frightened all the dogs on the rocky road to Dublin One, two, three, four five, hunt the hare and turn her Down the rocky road, and all the ways to Dublin Whack fol-lol-de-ra In Mullingar that night I rested limbs so weary Started by daylight next morning light and airy Took a drop of the pure, to keep my heart from sinking That's an Irishman's cure, whene'er he's on for drinking To see the lasses smile, laughing all the while At my curious style, 'twould set your heart abubbling They ax'd if I was hired, the wages I required Till I was almost tired of the rocky road to Dublin In Dublin next arrived, I thought it such a pity To be so soon deprived a view of that fine city Then I took a stroll out among the quality My bundle it was stole in a neat locality

Oh, see the fleet-foot hosts of men who speed with faces wan From farmstead and from thresher's cot along the banks of the Bann They come with vengeance in their eyes too late, too late are they For young Roddy McCorley goes to die on the bridge of Toome today Up the narrow streets he stepped smiling proud and young About the hemp rope around his neck his golden ringlets clung Oh, there is never a tear in his blue eyes both sad and bright are they As young Roddy McCorley goes to die on the bridge of Toome today When he last stepped up that street his shining pike in hand Behind him marched in grim array a stalwart earnest band For Antrim town, for Antrim town, he led them to the fray As young Roddy McCorley goes to die on the bridge of Toome today There is never a one of all your dead, more bravely fell in fray Than he who marches to his fate on the Bridge of Toome today True to the last! True to the last! He treads the upward way

How sweet is to roam by the sunny Shure stream And hear the doves coo 'neath the morning sunbeam Where the thrush and the robin their sweet notes entwine On the banks of the Shure that flows down by Mooncoin Flow on, lovely river, flow gently along By your waters so sweet sounds the lark's merry song On your green banks I wander where first I did join With you, lovely Molly, the rose of Mooncoin Oh Molly, dear Molly, it breaks my fond heart To know that we two forever must part I'll think of you Molly while sun and moon shine On the banks of the Shure that flows down by Mooncoin Then here's to the Shure with its valley so fair As oftimes we wandered in the cool morning air Where the roses are blooming and lilies entwine On the banks of the Shure that flows down by Mooncoin Flow on, lovely river, flow gently along By your waters so sweet sounds the lark's merry song On your green banks I wander where first I did join With you, lovely Molly, the rose of Mooncoin
THE ROSE OF TRALEE

The pale moon was rising above the green mountain

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The sun was declining beneath the blue sea When I strayed with my love to the pure crystal fountain That stands in beautiful vale of Tralee

But tobacco in a tin whistle sure I never saw before And as I went home on Thursday night As drunk as drunk could be I saw two boots beneath the bed Where my old boots should be Well I called me wife and I said to her Will you kindly tell to me Who owns them boots beneath the bed Where my old boots should be Oh you're drunk you're drunk you silly old fool Still you cannot see They're two lovely geranium pots me mother sent to me Well it's many a day I've travelled A hundred miles or more But laces in geranium pots I never saw before And as I went home on Friday night As drunk as drunk could be I saw a head upon the bed Where my old head should be Well I called me wife and I said to her Will you kindly tell to me Who owns that head upon the bed Where me old head should be Oh you're drunk you're drunk you silly old fool Still you cannot see That's a baby boy that me mother sent to me Well it's many a day I've travelled A hundred miles or more But a baby boy with whiskers on sure I never saw before As I went home on Saturday night As drunk as drunk could be I saw two hands upon her breasts Where me two hands should be Well I called my wife and I said to her Will you kindly tell to me Who owns that hands upon your breasts Were me two hands should be Oh you're drunk you're drunk you silly old fool Still you cannot see That's a lovely night gown that me mother sent to me Well it's many a day I travelled A hundred miles and more But fingers in a night gown sure I never saw before As I went home on Sunday night As drunk as drunk could be I saw a thing in her thing Where me old thing should be Well I called my wife and I said to her Will you kindly tell to me Who owns that thing in your thing Where me old thing should be Oh you're drunk you're drunk you silly old fool Still you cannot see That's that lovely tin whistle that me mother sent to me Well it's many a day I travelled A hundred miles and more 20

But hair on a tin whistle sure I never saw before

THE SHORES OF AMERIKAY

She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer Yet, 'twas not her beauty alone that won me Oh no! 'Twas the the truth in her eye ever dawning That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee
The cool shades of evening their mantle were spreading And Mary all smiling was listening to me The moon through the valley her pale rays was shedding When I won the heart of the Rose of Tralee
7 DRUNKEN NIGHTS (1)

I'm bidding farewell to the land of my youth and the home I love so well And the mountains so grand round my own native land I'm bidding them all farewell With an aching heart I'll bid them adieu for tomorrow I'll sail far away O'er the raging foam for to seek a home on the shores of Amerikay It's not for the want of employment I'm going It's not for the love of fame That fortune bright, may shine over me and give me a glorious name It's not for the want of employment I'm going o'er the weary and stormy sea But to seek a home for my own true love on the shores of Amerikay And when I am bidding my last farewell the tears like rain will blind To think of my friends in my own native land and the home I'm leaving behind But if I'm to die in a foreign land and be buried so far far away No fond mother's tears will be shed o'er my grave on the shores of Amerikay
SLANE (BE THOU MY VISION)

As I went home on Monday night As drunk as drunk could be I saw a horse outside the door Where my old horse should be Well I called me wife and I said to her Will you kindly tell to me Who owns that horse outside the door Where my old horse should be Oh you're drunk youre drunk you silly old fool Still you cannot see That's a lovely sow that me mother sent to me Well it's many a day I've travelled A hundred miles or more But a saddle on a sow sure I never saw before And as I went home on Tuesday night As drunk as drunk could be I saw a coat behind the door Where my old coat should be Well I called me wife and I said to her Will you kindly tell to me Who owns that coat behind the door Where my old coat should be Oh you're drunk you're drunk you silly old fool Still you cannot see Thats a woolen blanket that me mother sent to me Well it's many a day I've travelled A hundred miles or more But buttons on a blanket sure I never saw before And as I went home on Wednesday night As drunk as drunk could be I saw a pipe upon the chair Where my old pipe should be Well I called me wife and I said to her Will you kindly tell to me Who owns that pipe upon the chair Where my old pipe should be Oh you're drunk you're drunk you silly old fool Still you cannot see That's a lovely tin whistle that me mother sent to me Well it's many a day I've travelled A hundred miles or more

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart Naught be all else to me save that thou art Thou my best thought by day or by night Waking or sleeping thy presence my light Be thou my wisdom, thou my true word I ever with thee, thou with me, Lord Thou my great Father, I thy true Son Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one Be thou my battle shield, sword for the fight Be thou my dignity, thou my delight Thou my soul's shelter, thou my high tower Raise thou me heavenward, O power of my power Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise Thou mine inheritance, now and always Thou and thou only, first in my heart High King of heaven, my treasure thou art High King of heaven, after victory won May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's sun Heart of my own heart, whatever befall Still be my vision, O ruler of all
SLIEVENAMON

Alone, all alone, by the wave-washed strand All alone in the crowded hall The hall it is gay, and the waves they are grand But my heart is not here at all It flies far away, by night and by day

To the times and the joys that are gone But I never will forget the sweet maiden I met In the valley of Slievenamon It was not the grace of her queenly aire Nor her cheek of the rose's glow Nor her soft black eyes, not her flowing hair Nor was it her lily white brow Twas the soul of truth, and of melting ruth And the smile like a summer dawn That sold my heart away on a soft summer day In the valley of Slievenamon In the festival hall, by the star-washed shore Ever my restless spirit cries "My love, oh, my love, shall I ne'er see you more And my land, will you never uprise?" By night and by day, I ever, ever pray While lonely my life flows on To see our flag unfurled and my true love to enfold In the valley of Slievenamon
SONNY'S DREAM

It being the 23rd of June The day before the fair Where Ireland's sons and daughters In crowds assembled there The young, the old, the brave and the bold They came for sport and kill There were jovial conversations At the cross near Spancil Hill I went to see my neighbours To hear what they might say The old ones were all dead and gone The others turning grey I met with tailor Quigley He's as bold as ever still Sure he used to make my britches When I lived in Spancil Hill I paid a flying visit To my first and only love She's white as any lily And gentle as a dove She threw her arms around me Saying Johnny I love you still She's Meg the farmers daughter And the pride of Spancil Hill I dreamt I stooped and kissed her As in the day of 'ore She said Johnny you're only joking As many the times before The cock crew in the morn' He crew both loud and shrill And I woke in California Many miles from Spancil Hill
THE SPANISH LADY

I stopped to look but the watchman passed says he "young fella now the night is late Along with you now or I will wrestle you Straight way throught the Bride-well Gate" I blew a kiss to the Spanish LAdy Hot as a fire of my angry coals In all my life I ne'er did see a maid so sweet about the soul As I went out through Dublin City as the hour of dawn was over Who shoul I see but the Spanish Lady I was lonely and footsore First she coaxed me then she chide me Then she laughed at my sad plight In all my life I ne'er did see a maid so sweet as on that night I've wandered north and I've wandered south through Stoneybatter and Patrick's Close Up and around by the Gloucester Diamond Round by Napper Tandy's house Old age had laid her hand on me Cold as fire of ashey coals But were is the lovely Spanish Lady, neat and sweet about the soul.
THE SPINNING WHEEL

Sonny lives on a farm, in a wide open space Take off your shoes, stay out of the race Lay down your head, on a soft river bed Sonny always remembers the words Mamma says.

Sonny don't go away, I'm here all alone Your Daddy's a sailor, never comes home, Nights are so long, silence goes on, I'm feeling so tired and not all that strong.
Sonny works on the land, though he's barely a man There's not much to do but he does what he can Sits by his window in his room by the stairs Watching the waves drifting soft on the pier. Many years have rolled on, Sonny's old and alone His Daddy the sailor, never came home Sometimes he wonders what his life might have been But from the grave Mamma still haunts his dreams.
SPANCIL HILL

Mellow the moonlight to shine is beginning Close by the window young Eileen is spinning Bent o'er the fire her blind grandmother sitting Crooning and moaning and drowsily knitting

As I went out through Dublin City at the hour of twelve at night, Who would I see but the Spanish Lady Washing her feet by candle light First she washed them then she dried them O'er a fire of amber coals In all my life I ne'er did see a maid so sweet about the sole.

Merrily cheerily noiselessly whirring Spins the wheel, rings the wheel while the foot's stirring Sprightly and lightly and merrily ringing Sounds the sweet voice of the young maiden singing
Eileen, a chara, I hear someone tapping 'Tis the ivy dear mother against the glass flapping Eileen, I surely hear somebody sighing 'Tis the sound mother dear of the autumn winds dying What's the noise I hear at the window I wonder? 'Tis the little birds chirping, the holly-bush under What makes you be shoving and moving your stool on And singing all wrong the old song of the "Coolin"? There's a form at the casement, the form of her true love And he whispers with face bent, I'm waiting for you love Get up from the stool, through the lattice step lightly And we'll rove in the grove while the moon's shining brightly The maid shakes her head, on her lips lays her fingers

Whack fol de turalura ladie Whack fol de turalureley Whack fol de turalura ladie Whack fol de turalureley
As I came back through Dublin City at the time of half past eight Who would I see but the Spanish Lady Brushing her hair so trim and neat First she teased it then she brushed it On her lap was a silver comb In all my life I ne'er did see so fair a maid since I did roam As I went round old Dublin City when the sun began to set Who would I spy but the Spanish Lady Catching a moth in a golden net When she saw me quick she fled me Lifting her petticoats over her knee In all my life I ne'er did see a maid so shy as the Spanish Lady

Last night as I lay dreamin' Of pleasant days gone by Me mind bein' bent on travelin' To Ireland I did fly I stepped aboard a vision and followed with my will 'Til next I came to anchor At the cross near Spancil Hill Delighted by the novelty Enchanted with the scene Where in my early boyhood Where often I had been I thought I heard a murmur And think I hear it still It's the little stream of water That flows down Spancil Hill

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Steps up from the stool, longs to go and yet lingers A frightened glance turns to her drowsy grandmother Puts her foot on the stool spins the wheel with the other Lazily, easily, now swings the wheel round Slowly and lowly is heard now the reel's sound Noiseless and light to the lattice above her The maid steps, then leaps to the arms of her lover Slower and slower and slower the wheel swings Lower and lower and lower the reel rings Ere the reel and the wheel stop their ringing and moving Through the grove the young lovers by moonlight are roving
STAR OF THE COUNTY DOWN

And will you give this wee note to me brother" At the time Uncle Benjy was a policeman in Brooklyn And me father the youngest looked after the farm When a phone call from America said 'Send the lad over' And the ould fella said sure it wouldn't do any harm For I spoent my life working this dirty old ground For a few pints of porter and the smell of a pound And sure maybe there's something you'll learn or you'll see And you can bring it back home, make it easy on me So I landed at Kennedy and a big yellow taxi Carried me and my bags through the streets and the rain Well my poor heart was pumping around with excitement And I hardly even heard what the driver was saying We came in the short parkway to the flatlands in Brooklyn To my uncle's apartment on East 53rd I was feeling so happy I was humming a song And I sang you're as "Free as a bird" Well to shorten the story what I found out that day Was that Benjy got shot in a downtown foray And while I was flyng my way to New York Poor Benjy was lying in a cold city morgue Well I phoned up the ould fella, told him the news I could tell he could hardly stand up in his shoes And he wept as he told me, go ahead with the plan And not to forget to be a proud Irishman So I went up to Nelly's beside Fordham Road And I started to learn about lifting the load But the healthiest thing that I carried that year Was the bitter sweet thoughts of my home town so dear I went home that December 'cause the old fella died Had to borrow the money from Phil on the side And all the bright flowers and grass couldn't hide The poor wasted face of my father I sold up the old farmyard for what it was worth And into my bag stuck a handful of earth Then I boarded a train and I caught me a plane And I found myself back in the U.S. again It's been twenty-two years since I set foot in Dublin The kids know to use the correct knife and fork But I'll never forget the green grass and the rivers 22

As I keep law and order in the streets of New York

SUMMER IN DUBLIN

Take me away from the city And lead me to where I can be on my own I wanted to see you but now that I have I just want to be left alone I'll always remember your kind words And I'll still remember your name But I've seen you changing and turning And I know that things won't be the same

Near to Banbridge town, in the County Down one morning in July Down a boreen green came a sweet colleen and she smiled as she passed me by Oh she looked so neat from her two white feet to the sheen of her nut-brown hair Such a coaxome elf, I'd to shake myself to make sure I was standing there

I remember that summer in Dublin And the Liffey it stank like hell And the young people walking along Grafton Street And everyone looking so well I was singing a song I heard somewhere Called Rock and Roll Never Forgets When my hum it was smothered by a 46A And the scream of a low-flying Jet So I jumped on a bus to Dun Laoghaire Stopping off to pick up my guitar And a drunk on the bus told me how to get rich I was glad we weren't going too far
So I'm leaving on Wednesday morning Tryin' to find a place where I can hear Where the wind and the birds and the sea and the rocks And where open roads always are near And if sometimes I tire of the quiet and I want to walk back up that hill I'll just get on the road and I'll stick out my thumb I know that you'll be there still
TARA'S HARP

Oh from Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay and from Galway to Dublin town No maid I've seen like the sweet colleen that I met in the County Down
As she onward sped I shook my head and I gazed with a feeling queer And I said, says I, to a passer-by "Who's the maid with the nut-brown hair?" Oh, he smiled at me and with pride says he: "That's the gem of Ireland's crown She's young Rosie McCann, from the banks of the Bann she's the Star of the County Down" At the harvest fair she'll be surely there and I'll dress in my Sunday clothes With my shoes shined bright and my hat cocked right To win a smile from the nut-brown Rose No pipe I'll smoke, no horse I'll yoke though my plough with rust turns brown Till a smiling bride by my own fireside sits the Star of the County Down
THE STREETS OF NEW YORK

The harp that once through Tara's Hall the soul of music shed Now hangs as mute on Tara's wall as if that soul were fled So sleeps the pride of former days so glory's thrill is o'er And hearts that once beat high for praise now feel that pulse no more No more to chiefs and ladies bright, the harp of Tara swells The chord alone, that breaks at night, its tale of ruin tells This freedom now so seldom wakes, the only throb she gives Is when some heart indignant breaks, to show that still she lives
THE TOWN I LOVED SO WELL

I was eighteen years old, when I went down to Dublin with a fistful of money and a cartload of dreams "Take your time", said me father "stop rushing like hell And remember all is not what it seems to be For there's fellows would cut you for the coat on your back Or the watch that you got from your mother So take care me young buck-o and mind yourself well

In my memory I will always see The town that I have loved so well Where our school played ball by the gasyard wall And we laughed through the smoke and smell Going home in the rain running up the dark lane Past the jail and down beside the fountain Those were happy days in so many many ways In the town I loved so well

THE VOYAGE

In the early morn the shirt factory horn Called women from Creggan, the Moor and the Bog While the men on the dole played a mothers role Fed the children and then walked the dog And when times got rough, there was just about enough But they saw it through without complaining For deep inside was a burning pride for the town I loved so well There was music there in the Derry air Like a language that we could all understand I remember the day when I earned my first pay as I played in a small pickup band There I spent my youth and to tell you the truth I was sad to leave it all behind me For I'd learned about life and I'd found a wife In the town I loved so well But when I returned how my eyes were burned To see how a town could be brought to it's knees By the armoured cars and the bombed out bars And the gas that hangs on to every breeze Now the army's installed by that old gasyard wall And the damned barbed wire gets higher and higher With their tanks and guns Oh my God, what have they done To the town I loved so well Now the music's gone but they carry on For their spirit's been bruised, never broken Oh, they'll not forget still their hearts are set On tomorrow and peace once again Now what's done is done and what's won is won And what's lost is lost and gone forever I can only pray for a bright brand new day In the town I loved so well
VAN DIEMEN'S LAND

I am a sailor, you're my first mate We signed on together, we coupled our fate Hauled up our anchor, determined not to fail For the hearts treasure, together we set sail With no maps to guide us we steered our own course Rode out the storms when the winds were gale force Sat out the doldrums in patience and hope Working together we learned how to cope Life is an ocean and love is a boat In troubled water that keeps us afloat When we started the voyage, there was just me and you Now gathered round us, we have our own crew Together we're in this relationship We built it with care to last the whole trip Our true destination's not marked on any charts We're navigating to the shores of the heart
THE WATER IS WIDE

whack for the daddio There's whiskey in the jar

He counted out his money and it made a pretty penny I put it in my pocket and I took it home to Jenny She sighed and she swore that she never would deceive me But the Devil take the women for you never can believe them I went into my chamber all for to take a slumber I dreamt of gold and jewels and for sure it was no wonder But Jenny took my charges and she filled them up with water And sent for Captain Farrell to be ready for the slaughter 'Twas early in the morning before I rose to travel Up come a band of footmen and likewise Captain Farrell I first produced my pistol for she stole away my rapier But I couldn't shoot the water so a prisoner I was taken If anyone can aid me it's my brother in the army If I could learn his station in Cork or in Killarney And if he'd come and join me we'd go rovin' in Kilkenny I'll engage he'd treat me fairer than my darlin' sportin' Jenny
WHISTLING GYPSY

The water is wide, I can't cross o'er And neither have I wings to fly Give me a boat that can carry two And both shall row, my love and I There is a ship and she sails the sea She's loaded deep as deep can be But not as deep as the love I'm in I know now how I sink or swim For love is gentle, and love is kind The sweetest flower when first it's new But love grows old and waxes cold And fades away like morning dew
WHEN YOU WERE SWEET 16

When I first saw the love-light in your eyes I thought the world held naught but joy for me And even though we've drifted far apart I never dream, but what I dream of thee

A gypsy rover came over the hill, Down through the valley so shady He whistled and he sang till the green woods rang and he won the heart of the lady

Hold me now, hold me now Till this hour has gone around And I'm gone on the rising tide For to face Van Diemen's land It's a bitter pill I swallow here To be rent from one so dear We fought for justice not for gain But the magistrate sent me away Now kings will rule and the poor will toil And tear their hands as they tear the soil But a day will come in the dawning age When an honest man sees an honest wage Still the gunman rules and the widows pay A scarlet coat and a black beret They thought that blood and sacrifice Could out of death bring forth a life

I love you as I've never loved before Since I first saw you on the village green Come to me in my dreams of love astoir I love you as I loved you , when you were sweet When you were sweet sixteen
WHISKEY IN THE JAR

Ah-dee-doo Ah-dee-doo-dah-day Ah-dee-doo Ah-dee-day-dee He whistled and he sang till the green woods rang and he won the heart of the lady
She left her father's castle gate She left her own fond lover She left her servants and her estate He came at last to a mansion fine To follow the gypsy rover Down by the river Culadee And there was music and there was wine Her father sent up his fastest steed With the gypsy and his lady Roamed the valleys all over Sought his daughter at great speed He is no gypsy, my father, she said, And the whistling gypsy rover. But lord of these lands all over And I will stay till my dying day With the whistling gypsy rover

As I was going over the Cork and Kerry Mountains I met with Captain Farrell and his money he was counting I first produced my pistol and then produced my rapier Saying "Stand and deliver! For I am the bold deceiver!"

Mursha-ring-a-ma-doo-a-ma-dah Whack for the daddio

23

THE WILD COLONIAL BOY

There was a wild colonial boy, Jack Dugan was his name He was born and raised in Ireland, in a place called Castlemaine He was his father's only son, his mother's pride and joy And dearly did his parents love the wild colonial boy At the early age of sixteen years, he left his native home And to Australia's sunny shores he was inclined to roam He robbed the rich and he helped the poor, he stabbed James McEvoy A terror to Australia was the wild colonial boy For two long years this daring youth ran on his wild career With a heart that knew no danger, and their justice he did not fear He robbed the lordly squatters, their flocks he would destroy A terror to Australia was the wild colonial boy He bade the judge "Good morning!" and he told him to beware For he never robbed an honest judge who acted "on the square" "Yet you would rob a mother of her son and only joy And breed a race of outlaws like the wild colonial boy!&uot; One morning on the prairie while Jack Dugan rode along While listening to the mocking bird singing a cheerful song Out jumped three troopers fierce and grim Kelly, Davis, and Fitzroy They all set out to capture him, the wild colonial boy Surrender now, Jack Dugan, for you see there's three to one Surrender in the Queen's name, sir, you are a plundering son Jack drew two pistols from his side and glared upon Fitzroy I'll fight but not surrender cried the wild colonial boy He fired a shot at Kelly, which brought him to the ground And turning round to Davis he received his fatal wound But a bullet pierced his brave young heart from the pistol of Fitzroy And that was how they captured him the wild colonial boy
THE WILD ROVER

And it no, nay, never No, nay, never, No more Will I play the wild rover No, never, no more
I went into an ale house that I used to frequent And I told the lady my money was spent I asked her for credit and she answered me nay Such a custom as yours I can get day And out of my pocket and pulled sovereigns bright The landlady's eyes opened wide with delight She said I have whiskey and wines of the best And the words that I said were only in jest I'd go home to my parents confess what I've done And ask them to pardon their prodigal son And if theyll caress me as oft times before Then I never will play the wild rover no more
WILL YOU COME TO THE BOWER

You can visit New Ross, gallant Wexford and Gorey, Where the green was last seen by proud Saxon and Tory, Where the soil is sanctified by the blood of each true man, Where they died satisfied their enemies they would not run from Will you come, will you, will you, will you come to the bower Will you come and awake our dead land from its slumber, And her fetters we will break links that long are encumbered, And the air will resound with hosannas to greet you, On the shore will be found gallant Irishmen to meet you. Will you come, will you, will you, will you come to the bower I Useta Lover Lyrics I have fallen for another she can make her own way home And even if she asked me now Id let her go alone I useta see her up the chapel when she went to Sunday mass And when shed go to receive, Id kneel down there And watch her pass The glory of her ass I useta to love her, I useta love her once A long, long time ago I useta to love her, I useta love her once A long long time ago Its gone , all my lovin is gone Its gone , all my lovin is gone Dyou remember her collecting for concern on Christmas eve She was on a forty eight hour fast just water and black tea I walked right up and made an ostentatious Contribution And I winked at her to tell her Id seduce her in the future When shes feelin looser So now you know the truth of it shes no longer my obsession Though the thoughts and dreams i had of her would take six months in confession See i met this young one Thursday night and shes inta free expression And her mission is to rid the world of this sinful repression Then we had a session Its gone , long , long gone I have fallen for another and she can make her own way home N17 Lyrics Well I didnt see much future When I left the Christian brothers school So i waved it goodbye with a wistful smile And I left the girls of Tuam Sometimes when Im reminiscing I see the prefabs and my old friends

Will you come to the bower o'er the free boundless ocean Where stupenduous waves roll in thunder and motion Where the fair maids are seen and the wild tempest gathers To loved Erin the green the dear land of our fathers? Will you come, will you, will you, will you come to the bower Will you come to the land of O'Neill and O'Donnell, Of Lord Lucan of old and the immortal O'Connell Where Brian chased the Dane and St Patrick the vermin, And those valleys remain still most beautiful and charming? Will you come, will you, will you, will you come to the bower You can visit Benburb and the stormy Blackwater, Where Owen Roe met Munroe and his chieftains did slaughter, Where the lambs sport and play on the mossy all over, From those bright golden views to enchanting restrover. Will you come, will you, will you, will you come to the bower You can see Dublin City and the fine groves of Blarney, The Baun, Boyne, and Liffey, and the lakes of Killarney, You can ride on the tide o'er the broad Majestic Shannon, You can sail round Loch Neagh and see storied Dungannon. Will you come, will you, will you, will you come to the bower

I've been a wild rover for many a year I've spent all my money on whiskey and beer Now I'm returning with gold in great store And I swear that I'll play the wild rover no more

24

And I know that theyll be changed or gone By the time I get home again. And I wish I was on the n17 Stone walls and the grass is greener Travelling with just my thoughts and dreams Well the ould fella left me to shannon Was the last time I traveled that road And ass we turned left at claregalway I could feel a lump in my throat As I pictured the thousands of times That I traveled that well worn track And I know that things will be different If I ever decide to go back Now as I tumble down highways Or on filthy overcrowded trains Theres no one to talk to in transit So I sit there and daydream in vain Behind all those muddled up problems Of living on a foreign soil I can still see the twists and the turns on the road From the square to the town of the tribes
FISHERMAN'S BLUES

I wondered out in the world for years while you just stayed in your room I saw the crescent you saw the whole of the moon! The whole of the moon! You were there at the turnstiles with the wind at your heels You stretched for the stars and you know how it feels To reach too high too far Too soon you saw the whole of the moon! I was grounded while you filled the skies I was dumbfounded by truths you cut through lies I saw the rain-dirty valley you saw Brigadoon I saw the crescent you saw the whole of the moon! I spoke about wings you just flew I wondered, I guessed, and I tried you just knew I sighed but you swooned I saw the crescent you saw the whole of the moon! The whole of the moon! With a torch in your pocket and the wind at your heels You climbed on the ladder and you know how it feels To reach too high too far Too soon you saw the whole of the moon! The whole of the moon! Unicorns and cannonballs, palaces and piers, Trumpets, towers, and tenements, wide oceans full of tears, Flag, rags, ferry boats, scimitars and scarves, Every precious dream and vision underneath the stars You climbed on the ladder with the wind in your sails You came like a comet blazing your trail Too high too far Too soon you saw the whole of the moon! A man is in love Lyrics A man is in love, how do I know? He came and walked with me, and he told me so In a song he sang, and then I knew A man is in love with you

A man is in love, how did I hear? I heard him talk too much whenever you're near He whispered your name when his eyes were closed A man is in love and he knows A man is in love, how did I guess? I figuered it out while he was watching you dress He'd give you his all, if you'd but agree A man is in love and he's me And a bang on the ear Lyrics Lindsay was my first love she was in my class I would have loved to take her out but I was too shy to ask The fullness of my feeling was never made clear but I send her my love with a bang on the ear Nora was my girl when I first was in a group I can still see her to this day, stirring chicken soup Now she's living in Australia working for an auctioneer but I send her my love with a bang on the ear Deborah broke my heart and I the willing fool I fell for her one summer on the road to Liverpool I thought it was forever but it was over in a year (oh dear) but I give her my love with a bang on the ear The home I made with Bella became a house of pain we weathered it together bound by a ball and chain Is started up in Fife, and ended up in tears (oh dear) but I send her my love with a bang on the ear Krista was a rover from Canada she hailed we crossed swords in San Francisco we both lived to tell the tale I dont know now where she is oh but if I had her here I'd give her my love with a bang on the ear So my woman of the hearthfire, harbour of my soul I watch you lightly sleeping and sense the dream that does unfold (like gold) You to me are treasure, you to me are dear so I'll give you my love with a bang on the ear
FIELDS OF GOLD

I wish I was a fisherman tumblin' on the seas Far away from dry land and its bitter memories Casting out my sweet line with abandonment and love No ceiling bearin' down on me Save the starry sky above With light in my head you in my arms Woo! I wish I was the brakeman on a hurtlin' fevered train Crashing a-headlong into the heartland like a cannon in the rain With the beating of the sleepers and the burnin' of the coal Counting the towns flashing by in a night that's full of soul With light in my head you in my arms Woo! Tomorrow I will be loosened from bonds that hold me fast That the chains all hung around me will fall away at last And on that fine and fateful day I will take thee in my hands I will ride on the train I will be the fisherman With light in my head you in my arms Light in my head You in my arms (repeat) The whole of the moon Lyrics I pictured a rainbow you held in your hands I had flashes but you saw then plan

You'll remember me when the west wind moves Upon the fields of barley You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky As we walk in fields of gold So she took her love for to gaze awhile Upon the fields of barley In his arms she fell as her hair came down Among the fields of gold Will you stay with me, will you be my love

25

Among the fields of barley? We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky As we lie in fields of gold See the west wind move like a lover so Upon the fields of barley Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth Among the fields of gold I never made promises lightly And there have been some that I've broken But I swear in the days still left We'll walk in fields of gold We'll walk in fields of gold Many years have passed since those summer days Among the fields of barley See the children run as the sun goes down Among the fields of gold You'll remember me when the west wind moves Upon the fields of barley You can tell the sun in his jealous sky When we walked in fields of gold
POINT OF RESCUE

And it is a holy thing, and it is a precious time And it is the only way Forget-me-nots among the snow, it's always been and so it goes To ponder his death and his life eternally

Chorus
For all of you who must discover For all who seek to understand, For having left the path of others You find a very special hand And it is a holy thing And it is the only way Forget-me-nots among the snow, it's always been and so it goes To ponder his death and his life eternally One bright blue rose outlives all those Two thousand years and still it goes To ponder his death and his life eternally

And the old pedal Singer just don't sing no more You can roll the reels for hours From the movie of this book It's a question mark on this heart of mine sends an elder back to look.

Chorus
Now I'm looking through a tunnel Back into the room With the genius of a druid when the sunlight floods the tomb And I'm never going back there, and I couldn't anyway 'Cause though I made the great escape I never got away.

NO FRONTIERS

Last night I dreamed you were back again Larger than life again, holding me tight again Placing those same kisses on my brow Sweeter than ever now, Lord I remember how Couldn't get enough of kissing Do you know how much I'm missing? No you don't, but I do Days like a slow train trickle by Even the words that I write refuse to fly All that I can hear is your song haunting me Can't get the melody out of my head you see Distractions I've been using Do you know how much I'm losing? No you don't, but I do But I do and I wonder if I'm past the point of rescue An is no word from you at all the best that you can do Never meant to push or shove you Do you know how much I love you? No you don't, but I do.
BRIGHT BLUE ROSE

Stories never end 'til you come to conclusions: Carolina ruadh has a hand in my confusion. Waits for me to choose which quarter to bend in. To Susie-Make-Me-Blue, or the redhead I'm attending. Oh Carolina ruadh has my heart and all I want to do's Go down the windy road where my Carolina goes: Down the crooked road where Carolina goes to school Mo Charolina ruadh, do you love me? Tell me true, tell me...... Standing on three queens, thought the game was over. Then, from the blue, Carolina's at my shoulder: Laughter in her eyes and a smile That touches all the guys On down the crooked road where Carolina goes to school --Mo Charolina ruadh, do you love me? Tell me true, tell me..
KATIE

If life is a river and your heart is a boat And just like a water baby, born to float, And if life is a wild wind that blows way on high, And your heart is Amelia dying to fly, Heaven knows no frontiers and I've seen heaven in your eyes And if life is a bar room in which we must wait, 'round the man with his fingers on the ivory gates, Where we sing until dawn of our fears and our fates, And we stack all the dead men in self addressed crates, In your eyes faint as the singing of a lark, That somehow this black night, Feels warmer for the spark, Warmer for the spark, To hold us 'til the day, When fear will lose its grip, And heaven has its way, Heaven knows no frontiers, And I've seen heaven in your eyes If your life is a rough bed of brambles and nails, And your spirit's a slave to man's whips and man's jails, Where you thirst and you hunger for justice and right, And your heart is a pure flame of man's constant night, In your eyes faint as the singing of a lark, That somehow this black night, Feels warmer for the spark, Warmer for the spark, To hold us 'til the day when fear will lose its grip, And heaven has its way, And heaven has its way, When all will harmonise, And know what's in our hearts, The dream will realise Heaven knows no frontiers, And I've seen heaven in your eyes,

I skimmed across black water, without once submerging Onto the banks of an urban morning That hungers the first light, much much more Than mountains ever do. And she like a ghost beside me, goes down with the ease of a dolphin And emerges unlearned, unshamed, unharmed For she is the perfect creature, natural in every feature And I am the geek with the alchemists' stone

Tumbling curls of green by stainglass streaming light And a yellow coloured lampshade used to keep us up all night And the smile upon her face, the tears upon your cheek And the night sky on the window Your heart calling out to me.

Chorus
Come running home again, Katie Come running home again Cross my heart and hope to die Shall I cause another tear from your eye The mirror that won't talk and your nightgown on the door

Chorus
For all of you who must discover, For all who seek to understand, For having left the path of others You find a very special hand

26

Heaven knows no frontiers, And I've seen heaven in your eyes

ONLY A WOMAN

My heart is low, My heart is so low As only a woman's heart can be As only a woman, as only a woman's As only a woman's heart can know The tears that drip from my bewildered eyes Taste of bittersweet romance You're still in my hopes You're still on my mind oh And even though I manage on my own My heart is low, My heart is so low As only a woman's heart can be As only a woman, only a woman's As only a woman's heart can know When restless eyes reveal my troubled soul And memories flood my weary heart I mourn for my dreams I mourn for my wasted love And while I know that I'll survive alone My heart is low, My heart is so low As only a woman's heart can be As only a woman, only a woman's As only a woman's heart can know Walking all the day, near tall towers where falcons build their nests Siver winged they fly, they know the call of freedom in their breasts Saw Black Head against the sky with twisted rocks that run down to the sea Living on your western shore, saw summer sunsets, asked for more I stood by your Atlantic sea and sang a song for Ireland Talking all the day with true friends who try to make you stay Telling jokes and news, singing songs to pass the night away Watched the Galway salmon run like silver dancing darting in the sun Living on your western shore saw summer sunsets, asked for more I stood by your Atlantic sea and sang a song for Ireland Drinking all the day in old pubs where fiddlers love to play Someone touched the bow, he played a reel it seemed so fine and gay Stood on Dingle beach and cast in wild foam we found Atlantic bass Living on your western shore, saw summer sunsets asked for more I stood by your Atlantic sea and sang a song for Ireland Dreaming in the night I saw a land where no man had to fight Waking in your dawn

I saw you crying in the morning light Lying where the falcons fly, they twist and turn all in you e'er blue sky Living on your western shore, saw summer sunsets asked for more I stood by your Atlantic sea and sang a song for Ireland Farewell my lovely Johnny, a thousand times adieu You are going away from the holy ground And the ones that love you true You will sail the salt seas over And then return for sure To see again the ones you love And the holy ground once more Youre on the salt sea sailing And I am safe behind Fond letters I will write to you The secrets of my mind And the secrets of my mind, my love Youre the one that I adore Still I live in hopes youll see The holy ground once more I see the storm a risin And its coming quick and soon And the nights so dark and cloudy You can scarcely see the moon And the secrets of my mind, my love Youre the one that I adore And still I live in hopes youll see The holy ground once more But now the storms are over And you are safe and well We will go into a public house And well sit and drink our fill We will drink strong ale and porter And well make the rafters roar And when our money it is all spent Youll go to sea once more Youre the one that I adore And still I live in hopes that youll see The holy ground once more My love said to me My Mother won't mind And me Father won't slight you For you lack of kind Then she stepped away from me And this she did say It will not be long love Till our wedding day She stepped away from me And she moved through the Fair And fondly I watched her Move here and move there And she went her way homeward With on star awake As the swans in the evening Move over the lake The people were saying No two e'er were wed But one has a sorrow That never was said And she smiled as she passed me 27

With her goods and her gear And that was the last That I saw of my dear I dreamed last night That my true love came in So softly she entered Her feet made no din She came close beside me And this she did say It will not be long love Till our wedding day The moon was bright, the night was clear No breeze came over the sea When Mary left her highland home And wandered forth with me The flowers be-decked the mountainside And fragrance filled the vale But by far the sweetest flower there Was the Rose of Allendale Oh the Rose of Allendale Sweet Rose of Allendale By far the sweetest flower there Was the Rose of Allendale Where e'er I wandered east or west Though fate began to lour A solace still was she to me In sorrow's lonely hour When tempests lashed our lonely barque And rent her quivering sail One maiden's form withstood the storm 'Twas the Rose of Allendale Oh sweet Rose of Allendale Sweet Rose of Allendale One maiden's form withstood the storm 'Twas the Rose of Allendale And when my fever'd lips were parched On Afric's burning sands She whispered hopes of happiness And tales of distant lands My life has been a wilderness Unblessed by fortune's wheel Had fate not linked my love to hers The Rose of Allendale Oh sweet Rose of Allendale Sweet Rose of Allendale Had fate not linked my love to hers The Rose of Allendale I found your letter in my mailbox today You were just checking if I was okay And if I miss you, well you know what they say Just once in a very blue moon Just once in a very blue moon Just once in a very blue moon And I feel one coming on soon No need to ask me if we can be friends And help me right back on my feet again And if I miss you, well just now and then Just once in a very blue moon Just once in a very blue moon Just once in a very blue moon

And I feel one coming on soon There's a blue moon shining When I am reminded of all we've been through Such a blue moon shining Does it ever shine down on you? You act as if it doesn't hurt you at all Like I'm the only one who's getting up from a fall Don't you remember now don't you recall Just once in a very blue moon Just once in a very blue moon Just once in a very blue moon And I feel one coming on soon Just once in a very blue moon

And I got a worried and a jealous mind How can a love thatll last forever Get left so far behind Repeat chorus: Its a mighty mean and a dreadful sorrow Its crossed the evil line today Well, how can you ask about tomorrow We aint got one word to say Repeat chorus: Ending: Youre out there running just to be on the run Youre out there running just to be on the run Youre out there running just to be on the run
LAS VEGAS IN THE HILLS OF DONEGAL

Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 60, my dear and loving son John Your good friend the schoolmaster Pat McNamara's so good As to write these words down. Your brothers have all gone to find work in England, The house is so empty and sad The crop of potatoes is sorely infected, A third to a half of them bad. And your sister Brigid and Patrick O'Donnell Are going to be married in June. Your mother says not to work on the railroad And be sure to come on home soon. Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 70, dear and loving son John Hello to your Mrs and to your 4 children, May they grow healthy and strong. Michael has got in a wee bit of trouble, I guess that he never will learn. Because of the dampness there's no turf to speak of And now we have nothing to burn. And Brigid is happy, you named a child for her And now she's got six of her own. You say you found work, but you don't say What kind or when you will be coming home. Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 80, dear Michael and John, my sons I'm sorry to give you the very sad news That your dear old mother has gone. We buried her down at the church in Kilkelly, Your brothers and Brigid were there. You don't have to worry, she died very quickly, Remember her in your prayers. And it's so good to hear that Michael's returning, With money he's sure to buy land For the crop has been poor and the people Are selling at any price that they can. Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 90, my dear and loving son John I guess that I must be close on to eighty, It's thirty years since you're gone. Because of all of the money you send me, I'm still living out on my own. Michael has built himself a fine house And Brigid's daughters have grown. Thank you for sending your family picture, They're lovely young women and men. You say that you might even come for a visit, What joy to see you again. Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 92, my dear brother John I'm sorry that I didn't write sooner to tell you that father passed on. He was living with Brigid, she says he was cheerful And healthy right down to the end. Ah, you should have seen him play with The grandchildren of Pat McNamara, your friend. And we buried him alongside of mother, Down at the Kilkelly churchyard. He was a strong and a feisty old man,

Its taste was sweet like summer wine The heart that beats in double time So he waltzed right in and bowled you over And you're still reeling from the feeling when he's gone The door is closed the lock is turned And all the memories and letters have been burned

Chorus
So when you pick the handsome flower Don't forget the thron upon the rose It's cut is deep and the scar lasts forever It follows love whereever love goes Just how we fall it's hard to know When what we feel we seldom show So we show the parts we feel are best We squirm around the edges trying to cover up the rest And you think you know him and he thinks the same When underneath it all it's just a crazy guessing game

You may talk about Atlantis, how its lost beneath the sea Or the grave of the unknown soldier and the cry of the old banshee Who was the man in the iron mask, was Jack the ripper set free? But ask them all wheres Donegal, and its still a mystery

And if I could Id build a wall around old Donegal The north and south to keep them out, my god Id build it tall Casinoes, chicken ranches, Id legalize them all Wed have our own Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal Yeah!! Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal
Lay by clubs and all night pubs, black jack and roulette Mel Gibson, Brigitte Nilsen, Mike Tyson having a bet (bite) Iniseoghain would then be known for its multimillionaires Where Donald Trump would have a chunk to live in solitaire And if I could Id build a wall around old Donegal The north and south to keep them out, my god Id build it tall Casinoes, chicken ranches, Id legalize them all Wed have our own Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal Yeah!! Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal To stand on top of fairy hill would give me such a thrill Ive heard them say in Dublin theres gold in them there hills So dont despair, cos if you dare, the answer lies with me Theres a wall thats steep and its going cheap somewhere in Germany

Chorus
Win or lose it's just the same Tears of joy tears of pain They're hand in hand they come as one You'll never see the moon without the promise of the sun For all the bruises for all the blows I'd rather feel the thorn than to never see the rose

You come home late and you come home early You come on big when youre feeling small You come home straight and you come home curly Sometimes you dont come home at all Chorus: So what in the worlds come over you And what in heavens name have you done Youve broken the speed of the sound of loneliness Youre out there running just to be on the run Well I got a heart that burns with a fever

KILKELLY

Peter Jones

28

Considering his life was so hard. And it's funny the way he kept talking about you, He called for you in the end. Oh, why don't you think about coming to visit, We'd all love to see you again.
LEAVING NANCY

They sent my love across the sea ten thousand miles away. All around my hat, I will wear the green willow, All around my hat for a year and a day And if anyone should question me the reason for my wearing it I'll tell them that my own true love is ten thousand miles away. I bought my love a golden ring to wear upon her finger A token of our own true love and to remember me And when she returns again, we never will be parted We'll marry and be happy for ever and a day. All around my hat, I will wear the green willow, All around my hat for a year and a day And if anyone should question me the reason for my wearing it I'll tell them that my own true love is ten thousand miles away. Seven, seven long years my love and I are parted Seven, seven long years my love is bound to stay Seven long years I'll love my love and never be false-hearted And never sigh or sorrow while she's far, far away. All around my hat, I will wear the green willow, All around my hat for a year and a day And if anyone should question me the reason for my wearing it I'll tell them that my own true love is ten thousand miles away. Some young men there are who are preciously deceitful, A-coaxin' of the fair young maids they mean to lead astray As soon as they deceive them, so cruelly they leave them I'll love my love forever though she's far, far away,
CROPPY BOY, THE

"At the siege of Ross did my father fall, And at Gorey my loving brothers all; I alone am left of my name and race, I will go to Wexford and take their place. "I cursed three times since last Easter day At Mass-time once I went to play. I passed the churchyard one day in haste And forgot to pray for my mother's rest. With fiery glare and with fury hoarse, Instead of a blessing he breathed a curse: "Twas a good thought, boy, to come here and shrive, For one short hour is your time to live." "Upon yon river three tenders float, The priest's in one - if he isn't shot We hold this house for our lord and King, And, Amen, say I, may all traitors swing!" At Geneva Barracks that young man died, And at Passage they have his body laid. Good people, who live in peace and joy, Breathe a prayer, shed a tear for the Croppy Boy.
SAM HALL

Eric Bogle In comes the train and the whole platform shakes It stops with a shudder and a screaming of brakes The parting has come and my weary soul aches I'm leaving my Nancy, oh But you stand there so calmly determinedly gay You talk of the weather and events of the day And your eyes tell me all that your tongue doesn't say Goodbye my Nancy, oh And come a little closer Put your head upon my shoulder And let me hold you one last time Before the whistle blows My suitcase is lifted and stowed on the train And a thousand regrets whirl around in my brain The ache in my heart is a black sea of pain I'm leaving my Nancy, oh But you stand there beside me so lovely to see The grip of your hand is an unspoken plea You're not fooling yourself and you're not fooling me Goodbye my Nancy, oh And come a little closer Put your head upon my shoulder And let me hold you one last time Before the whistle blows But our time has run out and the whistle has blown Here I must leave you standing alone We had so little time and now the time's gone Goodbye my Nancy, oh And as the train starts gently to roll And as I lean out to wave and to call I see the first tears trickle and fall Goodbye my Nancy, oh And come a little closer Put your head upon my shoulder And let me hold you one last time Before the whistle blows And let me hold you one last time Before the whistle blows
ALL AROUND MY HAT

Oh my name it is Sam Hall chimney sweep, chimney sweep Oh my name it is Sam Hall chimney sweep Oh my name it is Sam Hall and I've robbed both great and small And my neck will pay for all when I die, when I die And my neck will pay for all when I die I have twenty pounds in store, that's not all, that's not all I have twenty pounds in store, that's not all I have twenty pounds in store and I'll rob for twenty more For the rich must help the poor, so must I, so must I For the rich must help the poor, so must I Oh they took me to Cootehill in a cart, in a cart Oh they took me to Cootehill in a cart Oh they took me to Cootehill where I stopped to make my will Saying the best of friends must part, so must I, so must I The best of friends must part, so must I Up the ladder I did grope, that's no joke, that's no joke Up the ladder I did grope, that's no joke Up the ladder I did grope and the hangman pulled the rope And ne'er a word I spoke, tumbling down, tumbling down And ne'er a word I spoke tumbling down
IRISH MOLLY O

"Good men and true! in this house who dwell. To a stranger bouchal I pray you tell, Is the priest at home? or may he be seen? I would speak a word with Father Green." "The priest's at home, boy, and may be seen; 'Tis easy speaking with Father Green; But you must wait till I go and see If the holy father alone may be." The youth has entered an empty hall What a lonely sound has his light foot-fall! And the gloomy chamber's chill and bare. With a vested priest in a lonely chair. The youth has knelt to tell his sins. "Nomine Dei," the youth begins At "Mea cupla," be beats his breast, And in broken murmurs he speaks the rest.

My love she was fair, and my love she was kind And cruel the judge and jury that sentenced her away For thieving was a thing that she never was inclined to

Molly dear now did you hear the news that's going round Down in a corner of my heart a love is what you've found Every time I look into your Irish eyes so blue

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They seem to whisper "Darling boy, my love is all for you" Oh, Molly, my Irish Molly, my sweet achusla dear I'm fairly off my trolley, my Irish Molly when you are near Springtime you know is ringtime, come dear now don't be slow Change your name, go out with game, begorrah wouldn't I do the same my Irish Molly O Molly dear now did you hear I furnished up the flat Three little cosy rooms with bath and "welcome" on the mat It's five pounds down and two a week, we'll soon be out of debt It's all complete except they haven't brought the cradle yet Molly dear and did you hear what all the neighbours say About the hundred sovereigns you have safely stowed away They say that's why I love you, Ah but Molly that's a shame If you had only ninety-nine, I'd love you just the same
WILL YE GO, LASSIE, GO?

Oh the summertime is coming and the trees are sweetly blooming And the wild mountain thyme grows around the blooming heather Will ye go lassie go, and we'll all go together To pluck wild mountain thyme all around the blooming heather Will ye go lassie go I will build my love a tower near yon pure crystal fountain And on it I will build all the flowers of the mountain Will ye go lassie go, and we'll all go together To pluck wild mountain thyme all around the blooming heather Will ye go lassie go If my true love she were gone I would surely find another Where wild mountain thyme grows around the blooming heather

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