Home to Ireland
By: J Crafton

Take me from this Island
And the land of Ennisfree
Lead me to the waters edge
And back into the sea
Take me from the heather
from whiskey and the song
My soul can never leave her
But I have stayed too long

An Emerald light of morning
The likes of which not seen
Beyond these shores and hamlets
There is nothing near so green.
But under all the beauty
Of God’s own grace, a land
Where men aren’t free to govern
For themselves by their own hand

Eight hundred years of sorrow
Of lives played out and lost
To kingdoms making empires
At all and any cost
To them it hasn’t mattered
And the sons of Killealy
Lie littered in this bloody soil
Beyond the hope of day

So take me from this Island
And the land of Ennisfree
Lead me to the waters edge
And back into the sea
Take me from the shamrock
The whiskey and the song
My soul can never leave her
But I have stayed too long

I grew up by the statue
In another time and place
Where Granddad reached a different shore
With others of his race
And down into the cities
Where they went to build the high
Where Irish men and bricks and steel
Were walking in the sky

But never did he ever
Loose faith with all he knew
His homeland or his kinsmen
Or the likes of me and you
Caus’ what was found was freedom
But enough to make you cry
When Paddy wasn’t welcome
And need not here apply

What work they got was tough at best
And lethal at it’s worst
Up the steel or down the mines
The new world seemed was cursed
But like the other races
Who put roots in this sand
His shoulder firmly to the wheel
He made this his new land

But often with a bit to drink
He’d talk of where he’d been
Of going home to Ireland
To smite the queen again
To talk the treason of the ranks
Where loyal sons must know
These sons are sons of the emerald green
And back to her they’ll go

So take me from this Island
And the land of Ennisfree
Lead me to the waters edge
And back into the sea
Take me from the music
The whiskey and the song
My soul can never leave her
But I have stayed too long

They fought for every nation
Were sons of liberty
And kept with those who waged their wars
Across most every sea
Helped to gain our sunset shores
When we were headed west
And bled in civil conflict
As the north and south were test

In every war and every strife
This nation then till now
They’ve stood in honors holy guard
And toiled on every bow
Can we not help to see them paid
For what has gone to pass
And give them what they’ve longed for
Their Ireland free at last

So take me from this Island
And the land of Ennisfree
Lead me to the waters edge
And back into the sea
Take me from these ancient stones
The whiskey and the song
My soul could never leave her
But I have stayed too long

I'm of Irish ancestry and was raised with the help of my Irish grandfather. This song is a collection of recounted stories of my childhood in an Irish home in the 50's and 60's where my grandad and his brothers would talk of the old country. It's also a rememberance of my own time living there in the 70's. It's as beautiful a place as there is on this earth and the people are all you could hope for in hospitality and good humor.
I have been a traveler all my adult life and someday hope to return to this place, in the north, by the sea.
It's a bit simple and a bit long but there were so many memories. I hope you enjoy it.