Tell me why must a man be of service
To his lord and the god seldom high
From the grave spring the name of our fathers
But there's no glint in a dead man's eye
Tell me why are our fields filled with hunger
And fruitless the crop bitter soil
So I say my farewell to a nation
As the leaf waves goodbye to it's sun
[Chorus]
So it's to youth I sing you this story
And it's of youth I sing it now
Like the train that derailed without warning
I must leave what I left far behind
So goodbye sweet Roisin Dubh
I say goodbye
Tell me why must our peace be this puzzle
That fractures the land, splinters war
The last nails cite the shame in our coffin
But in the end we must all die alone
(Chorus)
And the bark fell from tree
To the ground that they'll bleeds
On the anguish that never learnt to shout
With the clash of the drum will
surrender the gun
And of this sadness we shall no longer speak
Until tank and the bomb are but all
Forgotten songs
That's when I and we will sing again
So goodbye to my love
My sweet Roisin Dubh
Goodbye now until we meet again
Tell me why must our grief still be grieving
For a language that never spoke it's loss
But this tongue spit with fire will tear down
the barbwire
And rip the belly from the waxy ghost
(Chorus)
So it's to youth I sing you this story
And it's of youth I sing it now
Like the train that derails without warning
We must leave what we left far behind
So goodbye sweet Roisin Dubh
I say goodbye
Until we meet again
SheÔÇÖll arrives to beautify
But slumber now must rest
OÔÇÖ my Roisin Dubh I'll forever love
The youth you once possessed
