| I wished I had you in Carrickfergus |
| Only for nights in Ballygrand |
| I would swim over the deepest ocean |
| The deepest ocean to be by your side |
| But the sea is wide and I can’t swim over |
| And neither have I wings to fly |
| I wish I could find me a handy boatman |
| To ferry me over to my love and die |
| These childhood places bring sad reflections |
| Of happy days spent so long ago |
| My girlhood friends and my own relations |
| Have all passed on like the melting snow |
| Now, I spend my days in endless roving |
| Soft is the grass and my bed is free |
| Oh, to be home now in Carrickfergus |
| On the long road down to the salty sea |
| And in Kilkenny it is reported |
| On marble stone as black as ink |
| With gold and silver he did support me |
| But I’ll sing no more now till I’ve had a drink |
| Well, I’m drunk today and I’m rarely sober |
| As I roam on from town to town |
| Oh, but I am sick now and my days are numbered |
| Come all you young lads and lay me down |
| Come all you young lads and lay me down |