I wish I was in Carrickfergus
Only for nights in Ballygrand
I would swim over the deepest ocean
The deepest ocean to be by your side
But the sea is wide and I cannot swim over
Neither have I wings to fly
I wish I could find me a handy boatsman
To ferry me over to my love and die
These childhood places bring back sad reflections
Of happy times spent so long ago
My girlhood friends and my own relations
Have all passed on like the melting snow
And I'll spend my days in endless roaming
Soft is the grass, and my bed is free
Ah, to be home now in Carrickfergus
On that long road down to the salty sea
And at kill kinny it is reported
On marble stone as black as ink
With gold and silver he did support me
But I'll sing no more now 'til I've had a drink
And I'm drunk today and I'm rarely sober
'Cause I run from town to town
Oh, but I'm sick now, and my days are numbered
No more young nights, and lay me down
No more young nights, and lay me down
