I wish I was In Carrickfergus Only for nights In Ballygrant I would swim over The deepest ocean The deepest ocean For my love to find But the sea is wide And I cannot swim over And neither have I The wings to fly I wish I could meet me A handsome boatsman To ferry me over, My love to find My childhood days Bring back sad reflections Of happy times I spent so long ago My boyhood friends And my own relations Have all passed on now Like melting snow But I'll spend my days In endless roaming Soft is the grass, My bed is free Ah, to be back now In Carrickfergus On that 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 '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.