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There's a piercing wintry breeze,
Blowing through the budding trees,
And I button up me coat to keep me warm;
And the days are on the mend,
And I'm on the road again,
Me fiddle snug close beneath my arm.
I've a fine felt hat,
And a strong pair of brogues,
I have rosin in me pocket for me bow;
And me fiddle strings are new,
And I've learned a tune or two,
So I'm well prepared to ramble and must go.
I'm as happy as a king,
When I catch a breath of spring,
And the grass is turning green as winter ends;
And the geese are on the wing,
And the thrushes start to sing,
And I'm headed down the road to see my friends.
I've a fine felt hat,
And a strong pair of brogues,
I have rosin in me pocket for me bow;
And me fiddle strings are new,
And I've learned a tune or two,
So I'm well prepared to ramble and must go.
I have friends in every town,
As I ramble up and down,
Making music at the markets and the fairs;
Through the donkeys and the creels,
And the farmers making deals,
And the yellow headed tinkers selling wares.
I've a fine felt hat,
And a strong pair of brogues,
I have rosin in me pocket for me bow;
And me fiddle strings are new,
And I've learned a tune or two,
So I'm well prepared to ramble and must go.
Here's a health to one and all,
To the big and to the small,
To the rich and poor alike and foe and friends;
And when I return again,
May our foes have turned to friends,
And may peace and joy be with you until then.
I've a fine felt hat,
And a strong pair of brogues,
I have rosin in me pocket for me bow;
And me fiddle strings are new,
And I've learned a tune or two,
So I'm well prepared to ramble and must go.
I've a fine felt hat,
And a strong pair of brogues,
I have rosin in me pocket for me bow;
And me fiddle strings are new,
And I've learned a tune or two,
So I'm well prepared to ramble and must go.
So I'm well prepared to ramble and must go.
This variant and the YouTube video above features an arrangement of an upbeat performance by The Killicks of Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland.
Recorded by Tommy Makem and The Clancys (The Makem and Clancy Concert, trk#1, 1977; The Makem and Clancy Collection, trk#14, 1986, Tommy Makem Songbag, trk#11, 1990; Tommy Makem and Friends In Concert, trk#1, 1992; The Clancy Brothers With Tommy Makem - Ain't It Grand Boys, trk#15, 1995).
