A winding river winds its way up to an Irish home,
Where he mingles there courageously where a patch of green wood grows;
'Twas in a spot close to my heart where the river gently flows,
That I bade farewell to my own sweet girl, my lovely Irish Rose.
Old Donegal, the pride of all, I never shall forget,
In cabins there beyond compare, I think I see them yet;
I'd rather stray by the old mill way, where the path's so green it grows,
On summer's nights when my heart's been light from my lovely Irish Rose.
Oh, Mary dear, I miss you here, I'm lonesome for a while,
I miss your loving words of cheer and I miss your Irish smile;
Before I fall to sleep at night, before my eyes I close,
I pray that stars may guide you right, my lovely Irish Rose.
I pray that stars may guide you right, my lovely Irish Rose.
####.... Fred Kearney, Irish poet and songwriter, published as #51 in The Flower Of Dunaff Hill And More Traditional Songs Sung In Inishowen, by Jimmy McBride, 1988 ....####
This variant was arranged and recorded by Harry Hibbs (More Harry Hibbs, trk#9, 1968, Arc Sound Ltd., Toronto, Ontario); and (Somewhere At Sea, trk#12, 1971, Arc Sound Ltd., Toronto, Ontario); and (Pure Gold, trk#6, 1980, Tapestry Records and Tapes, Toronto, Ontario); and (More At The Caribou Club, remastered Audio CD AGEK-2356, released in 2005 by Unidisc Music, Inc).
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