At The Céili

ALL:
Tonight we're going to meet some lads
As girls who dressed up gaily
And we'll be dancing till the dawn
We're going to the Ceili

The ones they come from miles around
From Venice and from
To show us all their fancy steps
We're going to the Ceili

They're playing tunes on everything
From pipes to ukulele
It sounds so good you can't sit down
We're dancing At The Ceili

LISA:
All the boys we love so well
So handsome, young and charming
They're in New York and Boston now
They should be home here farming
My own true love has sailed away
To be an endless rover
Cause times are tough and he will save
To start a new life over

He writes me letters every week
To say how much he's slavin'
And he promises that he'll be back
Before the hay needs savin'
But it's hard to love somebody
That you're not in touch with daily
So I'm looking for somebody new
Tonight down At The Ceili

The winter nights are long and hard
And time goes by so slowly
I wish my true love he was here
And in his arms I'd go
He'd whisper tender words of love to me
And kiss my lips so sweetly
And quickly I'd surrender to
His manly charms completely

ALL:
He writes me letters every week
To say how much he's slavin'
And he promises that he'll be back
Before the hay needs savin'
But it's hard to love somebody
That you're not in touch with daily
So I'm looking for somebody new
Tonight down At The Ceili
So I'm looking for somebody new
Tonight down At The Ceili

ORLAGH:
I only need someone tonight
Who'll make my heart beat fast
A handsome man in black and white
Who smiles as he walks past
The harp may play in old time worlds
He'll twirl me round the floor
He'll promise me that I will be
His girl forevermore
His girl forevermore
His girl forevermore
He'll promise me that I will be
His girl forevermore

MEAV:
I'm somewhat ill and bothered
That is really quite alarming
I have to lads pursuing me
And each of them is charming
One of them is dark and poor
One pale with lots of money
I don't know which one to choose
The flowered or the funny

What on earth am I to do
It's driving me half crazy
Tonight I'll make my mind up
When I see them At The Ceili

To be a poor man's wife will be
A life of washing dishes
When a rich man's wife will surely have
Great luxury and riches

In comfort how I know
It wouldn't be too hard to wallow
But being poor is that much fun
Which one should I follow?

ALL:
What on earth am I to do
It's driving me half crazy
Tonight I'll make my mind up
When I see them At The Ceili:

LISA:
I've been lucky I've found a lad who's handsome and a neighbor

ORLAGH:
And me I've met a decent man who's friendship I will savor

MEAV:
And me I've made my choice as well and in no way was it easy
But I'd rather have a man for love
Then to be a rich man's lady

ALL:
And that is how the story ends
Be true and never fail me
We got ourselves three men tonight
And we met them