At the ceili

Tonight we’re going to meet some lads
Us girls are dressed up gaily
We’ll all be dancing ‘til the dawn
We’re going to the ceili.

The lads they come from miles around
From Ennis and Kilmaley
To show us all their fancy steps
We’re going to the ceili.

They’re planning tunes on everything
From pipes to ukulele
It sounds so good you can’t sit down
We’re dancing at the ceili.

All the boys we loved so well
So handsome young and charming
They’re in New York and Boston now
They should be home here farming
My own true love has sailed away
To be an endless rover
‘Cos times are tough and he must leave
To start a new life over.

He writes me letters every week
To say how much he’s slaving
And he promises that he’ll be back
Before the hay needs saving
But it’s hard to love somebody
That you’re not in touch with daily
So I’m looking for somebody new
Tonight down at the ceili.

The winter nights are long and hard
And time goes by so slowly
I wish my true lover he was here
And in his arms I’d roll
He’d whisper tender words of love to me
And kiss my lips so sweetly
And quickly I’d surrender to his manly charms completely.

He writes me letters every week
To say how much he’s slaving
And he promises that he’ll be back
Before the hay needs saving
But it’s hard to love somebody
That you’re not in touch with daily
So I’m looking for somebody new
Tonight down at the ceili.
So I’m looking for somebody new
Tonight down at the ceili.

I hope I meet someone tonight
Who’ll make my heart beat fast
A handsome man with laughing eyes
Who smiles as he walks past
And when they play an old-time waltz
He’ll twirl me round the floor
And promise me that I will be
His girl forever more.

His girl forever more
His girl forever more
Who’ll promise me that I will be
His girl forever more.

I’m somewhat in a bother
That is really quite alarming
I have two lads pursuing me
And each of them is charming
One of them is dark and poor
One fair with lots of money
I don’t know which one to choose
The flower of the honey.

What on earth am I to do
It’s driving me half crazy
Tonight I’ll make my mind up
When I see them at the ceili.

To be a poor man’s wife
Will be a life of washing dishes
While a rich man’s wife will surely have
Great luxury and riches
In comfort how I know
It wouldn’t bee too hard to wallow
And being poor is not much fun
On which one should I follow.

What on earth am I to do
It’s driving me half crazy
Tonight I’ll make my mind up
When I see them at the ceili.

I’ve been lucky I’ve found a lad
Who’s handsome and a neighbour
And me, I’ve met a decent man
Whose friendship I will savour.

And me I made my choice as well
And in no way was it aisy
But I’d rather have a man for love
Than be a rich man’s lady.

And that is how the story ends
May true love never fail me
We got ourselves three men tonight
And we met them at the ceili.