C                            G 
Tell me why must a man be of service 
C                              G 
To his lord and the god seldom high 
C                                     G 
From the grave spring the name of our fathers 
C                                    D 
But there's no glint in a dead man's eye 
C                                      G 
Tell me why are our fields filled with hunger 
C                            G 
And fruitless the crop bitter soil 
C                         G 
So I say my farewell to a nation 
C                                D 
As the leaf waves goodbye to it's so 

           C                    G 
So it's to youth I sing you this story 
C                          G 
And it's of youth I sing it now 
C                                  G 
Like the train that derails without warning 
C                            D 
I must leave what I left far behind 
C                        D 
So goodbye, sweet Roisin Dubh  
          G 
I say goodbye  (C D G)3x  
 
A:5---3-2--0- 
E:-----------3 
 
        C                          G 
Tell me why must our peace be this puzzle 
     C                             G 
That fractures the land, splinters war 
    C                   G 
The last nails cite the shame in our coffin 
           C                   D 
But in the end we must all die alone 

           C                    G 
So it's to youth I sing you this story 
C                          G 
And it's of youth I sing it now 
C                                  G 
Like the train that derails without warning 
C                            D 
I must leave what I left far behind 
C                        D 
So goodbye, sweet Roisin Dubh  
          G 
I say goodbye  (C D G)3x  
        
        D 
And the bark fell from tree 
      C                     G 
To the ground that they'll bleed 
        D                            G 
On the anguish that never learned to shout 
         D 
With the clash of the drum 
      C             G 
We'll surrender the gun 
            D                          G 
and on this sadness we shall no longer speak 
      C                             G 
Until time can live on our all forgotten songs 
            C                  D 
That's when I and we will sing again 
   G             C      D              G 
So goodbye to my love, my sweet Roisin Dubh 
   G        D              G     
Goodbye now until we meet again  (C D G)3x

 
 
A:5--3-2-5-0-2---2--0--2--3-2-0 
E:-------------------------------3 
 
        C                           G 
Tell me why must our grief still be grieving 
      C                              G 
For a language that never spoke it's loss 
        C                            G 
But this tongue speak with fire will tear down the barb wire 
     C                          D 
And Rip the belly from the waxy ghost 
           C                     G 
So it's to youth I sing you this story 
           C                G 
And it's of youth I sing it now 
           C                         G 
Like the train that derails without warning 
         C                      D 
We must leave what we left far behind         
 
           C                     G 
So it's to youth I sing you this story 
           C                G 
And it's of youth I sing it now 
           C                         G 
Like the train that derails without warning 
         C                      D 
We must leave what we left far behind    
       C              D                 G 
So goodbye, sweet Roisin Dubh, I say goodbye (C D G) 
       C              D                 G 
So goodbye, sweet Roisin Dubh, I say goodbye (C D G) 
  C             G 
Until we meet again 
  C             G 
Until we meet again 
  C             G 
Until we meet again, she arrives to beautify 
                     D 
But slumber now must rest 
             G 
Oh my Roisin Dubh 
     C 
I'll forever love 
     G        D        G 
The youth you once possessed