A Smile at the Door — Song Lyrics

 

The Bergen (Jez Lowe)

Sleep while you wake me with these dreams you bring

Dreams came to me where I lay,

And deep the melody the wild waves sing

My love is far, far away.

 

Chorus:  Pity the  heart  the wild waves part

                 My love sails the bonny boat, the Bergen

 

They heap their nets upon the decks by night

Dreams came to me where I lay,

And creep out softly ‘til the dead of night

My love is far, far away.

Chorus

 

They reap the harvest of a cold night’s sea

Dreams came to me where I lay,

It leaps with herring ‘neath its decks for me

My love is far, far away.

Chorus

 

Steep waves rise above his cold bare head

Dreams came to me where he lay,

And keep him safe as I lie in my bed

My love is far, far away.

Chorus

 

It weeps with rain tonight where my love lies

Dreams came to me where I lay,

And sweep the foreign sands from out his eyes

My love is far, far away.

Chorus

 

Green Grow The Rushes, O (Robert Burns)

Chorus:   Green grow the rushes, O;
                 Green grow the rushes, O;

                 The sweetest hours that ever I spend,
                 Are spent among the lasses, O.

There is not but care on every hand,
In every hour that passes, O,
What signifies the life of man,
And it were not for the lasses, O.

Chorus

The worldly race may riches chase,
And riches still may fly them, O,
Until at last they catch them fast,
Their hearts can never enjoy them, O.

Chorus

 

But give me a quiet hour at ten,
My arms around my dearie, O,
Worldly cares and worldly men
May all go topsy-turvy, O!

Chorus

Old Nature swears, the lovely dears
Her noblest work she classes, O,
Her apprentice hand she tried on man,
And then she made the lasses, O.

Chorus

 

Broom of the Cowdenknowes (Traditional)

How blithe each morn was I to see, my lass came o'er the hill,
She skipped the burn and ran to me, I met her with good will.

 

Chorus:  O the broom, the bonnie, bonnie broom, broom of the cowdenknowes,

                 Fain would I be in the North Country herding her father's ewes.

 

We neither herded ewes nor lamb, while the flock near us lay,
She gathered in the sheep at night and cheered me all the day.

Chorus

 

Hard fate that I should banished be gone way o'er hill and moor,
Because I loved the fairest lass that ever yet was born.

Chorus

 

Adieu, ye cowdenknowes, adieu farewell all pleasures there,
To wander by her side again is all I crave or care.

Chorus

 

North Amerikay (Traditional)

Ye lovers all both great and small , that dwell in Ireland

I hope you pay attention, whilst I my pen command

Oh it was my father’s anger that stole my love away

But I still have hopes, we’ll meet again in North Amerikay.

 

Oh my love he is tall and handsome to him I gave my heart

But little was my notion that we would ever part

It was in my father’s garden, this flower it did decay

But I still have hopes it will bloom again, in North Amerikay.

 

Now we did not want for money, kind fortune on us shone

Out of my father’s castle I stole 500 pounds

It was in the town of Belfast, my passage I did pay

My mind made up to follow my love to North Amerikay

 

Well the captain’s wife was kind to me, as you may understand

And she kept me in her cabin until we reached dry land

It was in the town of Quebec we landed on the Cay

And I knew not where to find my love in all Amerikay.

 

Now I being sick and sore and tired, I went into an inn

And its there I met my William the lad I loved, within

Oh I took him gently by the hand and to him I did say

Oh I never thought to find my love in North Amerikay

 

And its now this couple have got wed as you may understand

And I hear they live quite happy in a town they call Saint John

And the money that she stole from home in gold she paid it down

And she thinks no more of Ireland nor Enniskillin Town.

 

 

The Night is Young (Colum Sands)

Chorus:   Rest for a while now, the night is young

                 The time is short and the road is long,

                 Tell me a story and I’ll sing you a song

                 For tomorrow the road will be calling us on.

 

Don’t let your journey be stopped at the start

There’s times when your feet have to follow your heart

The faster you travel the less you can see

The more that you have well the less you can be.

Chorus

 

Looked for the house with the smile at the door

Where we sat round the table and danced on the floor

Found warmth at the fire we came back for more

There was grass on the chimney and a lock on the door.

Chorus

 

Let the reel have its turn and the song its refrain

And here’s to the day we’ll all meet again

Long may the sun shine wherever you are

You still need the darkness to show you the stars.

Chorus

 

Caledonia (Dougie MacLean)

I don't know if you can see the changes that have come over me
In these last few days I've been afraid that I might drift away
So I've been telling old stories, singing songs that make me think about where I came from
And that's the reason why I seem so far away today.

Chorus:   Oh, but let me tell you that I love you and I think about you all the time
                 Caledonia you're calling me and now I'm going home
                 If I should become a stranger,  you know that it would make me more than sad
                 Caledonia's been everything  I've ever had.

Now I have moved and I've kept on moving  proved the points that I needed proving
Lost the friends that I needed losing found others on the way,
I have kissed the ladies and left them crying stolen dreams, yes there's no denying
I have traveled hard with coattails flying somewhere in the wind.

Chorus

 

Now I'm sitting here before the fire the empty room, the forest choir
The flames that could not get any higher they've withered now they've gone
But I'm steady thinking my way is clear and I know what I will do tomorrow
When the hands are shaken and the kisses flow then I will disappear.

 

Chorus

 

 

 

 

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West Virginia Chose Me