An Irish boy was leaving
Leaving his old home
Crossing the broad Atlantic
Once more he wished to roam
And as he was leaving his mother
While standing on the quay
She threw his arms around her waist
And this to him did say

A mother's love is a blessing
No matter where you roam
Keeper Wise, She's Living
You'll miss her when she's gone
Love her as in childhood
When feeble, old and grey
And you'll never miss a mother's love
Till she's buried beneath the clay

Just twenty years ago today, I grasped my mother's hand
She kissed and blessed her only son, on to a far off land
She grasped me to her love and breast, she knew I had to go
She knew i had to go and l could hear her gentle voice the words were sweet and low
Oh Goodbye, johnny dear, and when you're far away
Don't forget your dear old mother far across the sea
Write a letter now and then and do the best you can
And don't forget where e'er you roam, that you're an Irishman

By the side of a clear crystal fountain
There stands a lonely churchyard closely by
There's a tombstone decorated with prim-roses
In the memory of a loved one passed away
Shall I ne'er see a more gentle mother
In the fields where the wild flowers grow

I am sorry for the last I can't recover
Neath yon willows lies my gentle mother's love