Erin

Your mother said I’d see you
If I chose not to drive
You could always pick me up in Dublin
No trouble she’s on the south side
But she’d drive in and take you home

Johnny says he’s tired now
He works an oven in the dawn
He says it gives him warm bread for breakfast
He’ll tell you it’s a better life than some
And they say she’s happy
With her view of the sea

She says “Once I knew a young man,
With different fears from you
Held my heart in a strong hand
Afraid to lose it”

Your mother said I’d see you
In every face in every car
Bright among the grey of Dublin
Shine like the early morning sun
On the river
In a landscape of grey

She says “Life is for the taking
Don’t listen to your fears”
See this child awaken
What have I for these thirty years

She says “Once I knew a young man,..”

Your mother said I’d see you
If I chose not to drive
You could always pick me up in Dublin
No trouble she’s on the south side
And they say she’s happy

Erin I have lost a million kisses
A thousand whispers in the sun
No one to say what kind of world this is
You’re not the only one

 

Released on Following Distance, 2008