I wish I was in Carrickfergus, Only for nights in Ballygrant I would swim over the deepest ocean, Only for nights in Ballygrant,
But the sea is wide and I cannot cross over And neither have I the wings to fly I wish i could meet a handsome boatsman To ferry me over, my love to find.
My childhood days bring back sad reflections Of happy times spent so long ago My boyhood friends and my own relations Have all passed on like the melting snow
And I spend my days in endless roaming Soft is the grass my bed is free Oh to be home now in Carrickfergus On that old long road down to the sea.
But in Kilkenny, it is reported, On marble stones there as black as ink With gold and silver I would support her, But I'll sing no more now 'till I get a drink.
For i'm drunk today, and i'm seldom sober A handsome rover from town to town, Ah, but I'm sick now, my days are numbered, Come all you young men and lay me down.