An Irish Lullaby By John Young

John lives in Swansea in South Wales but my parents were both born on farms near Kilkenny. They emigrated to Swansea 60 or so years ago to find work (a never ending story). As a family we came back to Ireland for every summer holiday from the 50's onwards. Just about all our other Irish relatives were still in Ireland and we would visit three farms they owned and stay for various amounts of time at all of them. So I have a very strong connection.

[Dm]We left our homeland for fortune and fame, 
Never go back, never return,
                                                                                      
[AmTies that bind can never be cut,  
An Irish lulla[Dm]by,

[DmDrawn back to old Ireland regardless of will,
Don’t want to go back, We know that we’ll go,
                                                                                                  
[Am]Walk into Ireland, back to the past,   
An Irish lulla[Dmby,

 

[Dm]Wander down lanes, wander through fields,

Wander through graveyards and let your mind bleed,
                                                                                                   
[Am]With memories of people, memories of past,  
An Irish lulla[Dmby,


                                                          
[Dm7]Old songs, old times, old faces appear,   
[G]Come back to haunt when defences are down,
                                                                                                                      
[Dm7]Nothing to say, nothing to do,          
They’ll [G]find their way in when defences are [Dm]down, 

 

[Dm]Surrounded by family surrounded by friends,

Words in the present, thoughts from the past,
                                                                                                   
[Am]Old faces appear and make you cry,   
An Irish lulla[Dm]by,


                                                         
[Dm7]Old songs, old times, old faces appear,   
[G]Come back to haunt when defences are down,
                                                                                                                    
[Dm7]Nothing to say, nothing to do,         
They’ll [G]find their way in when defences are [Dm7]down, 

                                                                                                                             
[Dm7]Nothing to say, nothing to do,         
They’ll [G]find their way in when defences are [Dm]down, 

 

Repeat verse 1