When New York Was Irish

I'll sing you a song, of days long ago,
When people from Galway and the County Mayo.
From all over Ireland came over to stay,
And take up a new life in Amerikay.

They were ever so happy, they were ever so sad,
To grow old in a new world, through good times and bad.
All the parties and weddings, the Ceilis and Wakes,
When New York was Irish, full of joy and heartbreaks.

We worked on the subways, we ran the saloons,
We built all the bridges, we played all the tunes
We put out the fires, and controlled City Hall,
We started with nothing and wound up with it all.

They were ever so happy, they were ever so sad,
To grow old in a new world, through good times and bad.
All the parties and weddings, the Ceilis and Wakes,
When New York was Irish, full of joy and heartbreaks.

You can travel from Kingsbridge, to Queens or midtown.
From Highbridge to Bayridge, from uptown to down.
From the Eastside to the seaside, sweet summer scenes,
We made New York City, our island of dreams.

They were ever so happy, they were ever so sad,
To grow old in a new world, through good times and bad.
All the parties and weddings, the Ceilis and Wakes,
When New York was Irish, full of joy and heartbreaks.

I look at the photos, now brittle with time;
Of the people I cherished, when the city was mine.
Oh how I love, all those radiant smiles,
How I long for the days, when we danced in the aisles.

They were ever so happy, they were ever so sad,
To grow old in a new world, through good times and bad.
All the parties and weddings, the Ceilis and Wakes,
When New York was Irish, full of joy and heartbreaks.