The Donegal Set - The Chieftains & Ricky Skaggs

I remember the night that he came in from the wintery cold and damp A giant of a man in an oilskin coat and the bundle that told he was a tramp He stood at the bar and he called a pint then turned and gazed at the fire On a night like this to be safe and dry is my one and only desire. So here's to those that are dead and gone The friends that I loved dear And here's to you then I'll bid you adieu Saying Donegal Danny's been here me boys Donegal Danny's been here Then in a voice that was hushed and low he said, listen I'll tell you a tale How a man of the sea became a man of the roads and never more will set sail I've fished out of Howth and Killybegs, Ardglass and Baltimore But the cruel sea has beaten me and I'll end my days on the shore So here's to those that are dead and gone The friends that I loved dear And here's to you then I'll bid you adieu Saying Donegal Danny's been here me boys Donegal Danny's been here One fateful night in the wind and the rain we set sail from Killybegs town There were five of us from sweet Donegal and one from County Down We were fishermen who worked the sea and never counted the cost But I never thought when that night was done that my fine friends would all be lost So here's to those that are dead and gone The friends that I loved dear And here's to you then I'll bid you adieu Saying Donegal Danny's been here me boys Donegal Danny's been here Then the storm it broke and drove the boat to the rocks about ten miles from shore As we fought the tide we hoped inside to see our homes once more Then we struck a rock and holed the bow and all of us knew that she'd go down So we jumped right into the icy sea and prayed to God we wouldn't drown But the raging sea was rising still as we struck out for the land And she fought with all her cruelty to claim that gallant band By St John's Point in the early dawn I dragged myself on the shore And I cursed the sea for what she'd done and vowed to sail her never more So here's to those that are dead and gone The friends that I loved dear And here's to you then I'll bid you adieu Saying Donegal Danny's been here me boys Donegal Danny's been here

You may talk about Atlantis, how itÃ'Â's lost beneath the sea Or the grave of the unknown soldier and the cry of the old banshee Who was the man in the iron mask, was Jack the ripper set free? But ask them all whereÃ'Â's Donegal, and itÃ'Â's still a mystery And if I could IÃ'Â'd build a wall around old Donegal The north and south to keep them out, my god IÃ'Â'd build it tall Casinoes, chicken ranches, IÃ'Â'd legalize them all WeÃ'Â'd have our own Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal Yeah!! Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal Lay by clubs and all night pubs, black jack and roulette Mel Gibson, Brigitte Nilsen, Mike Tyson having a bet (bite) Iniseoghain would then be known for itÃ'Â's multi-millionaires Where Donald Trump would have a chunk to live in solitaire And if I could IÃ'Â'd build a wall around old Donegal The north and south to keep them out, my god IÃ'Â'd build it tall Casinoes, chicken ranches, IÃ'Â'd legalize them all WeÃ'Â'd have our own Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal Yeah!! Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal To stand on top of fairy hill would give me such a thrill IÃ'Â've heard them say in Dublin thereÃ'Â's gold in them there hills So donÃ'Â't despair, 'cos if you dare, the answer lies with me ThereÃ'Â's a wall thatÃ'Â's steep and itÃ'Â's going cheap somewhere in Germany And if I could IÃ'Â'd build a wall around old Donegal The north and south to keep them out, my god IÃ'Â'd build it tall Casinoes, chicken ranches, IÃ'Â'd legalize them all WeÃ'Â'd have our own Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal Yeah!! Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal These lyrics may or may not be copyrighted!

I won't give one second more to give it what it wanted what it always adored Dragging me down killing me inside feeding my aggressions showing darker sides Just like the sand crushes beneath my feet taking control always haunting me Spitting me up tossing me aside giving me a past that I can never hide So don't tell me that this will be ok show me some light then lead me astray I think its time I leave this high behind before my love ones have to say goodbye (I've made my mind up so let me be) (Ill set sail for the open sea) So take my hand to the river side I'll sail alone To a place I call home I'll leave you there at the river bank buried in stone Cause your already home I gave myself both sides of that door took all I had till there was nothing more Well I've set sail nothing left for me I've made my choice oh god I'm free (I've made my mind up so let me be) (Ill set sail for the open sea) So take my hand to the river side I'll sail alone To a place I call home I'll leave you there at the river bank buried in stone Cause your already home

Come all you good, kind people While I've got money to spend Tomorrow might be Monday And I'll neither have a dollar nor a friend When I've got plenty of money, good people My friends are all standing around Just as soon as my pocketbook is empty Not a friend on this earth can be found The last time I seen that dear woman, good people She had a wine glass in her hand She's a-drinking down her troubles With a lowdown, sorry, no good man My daddy told me a plenty good people And my momma she told me more Said son if you don't quit your rowdy ways You'll have trouble at your door All around this old jailhouse this evening, good people Forty dollars will pay my fine Corn whiskey has surrounded my body, poor boy Pretty women look trump in my mind If I'd a-listened to my momma, good people I would not be here today But a-drinking and a-shooting and a-gambling At home I cannot stay Go dig a hole in the meadow, good people Make it deep in that cold, cold ground Come gather around all you kind friends And see this poor rounder go down