Monday, February 23, 2009

An Irish lullaby

Over In Killarney,
Many years a go,
Me Mither sang a song to me
In tones so sweet and low,

Just a simple little ditty,
In her good ould Irish way,
And I'd give the world if she could sing
That song to me this day.

Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Hush now don't you cry!
Too-ra-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-ra-loo-ral, Thats an I-rish lul-la-by

Oft, in dreams I wander
To that cot a gain,
I feel her arms a-hugging me
As when she held me then.

And I hear her voice a hum-min'
To me as in days of yore,
When she used to rock me fast a-sleep
Outside the cabin door.

Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral
J.R. Shannon 1914
and to my kids every night.

4 comments:

  1. No clue there was a 2nd verse. I have been hitting that first one (and butchering the words) like a broken record for 5 years now. This song should be a regular for any parent with small children. I have sung my kids, and myself in the process, to sleep with it hundreds of times.

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  2. And you don't have a drop of irish blood in you.

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  3. Try http://www.ask.com/bar?q=J.R.+Shannon&page=1&qsrc=0&zoom=&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.musicnotes.com%2Fsheetmusic%2Fmtd.asp%3Fppn%3DMN0052114

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  4. Ah - memories. It's one of the precious things lost as our children got older. The rocking chair and an Irish lullaby.
    Before they got old enough to say, "Mommy, please don't sing."

    -Cara

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