| Dm | Am | Dm | Am |
| Dm | Am | Dm | Am |

[Verse 1]
   Dm        Am     Dm  Am
A Perfect Indian is he
   Dm       Am           Dm   Am
Remembering him life is sweet
     F           C
Like a weeping willow
     Dm          Am
His face on my pillow
  Dm          Am          Dm    Am
Comes to me still in my dreams

[Verse 2]
      Dm        Am       Dm   Am
And there I saw a young baby
    Dm       Am           Dm  Am
A beautiful daughter was she
   F            C
A face from a painting
      Dm              Am
Red cheeks and teeth aching
     Dm          Am        Dm   Am
Her eyes like a wild Irish sea

[Verse 3]
       Dm     Am          Dm    Am
On a table in her yellow dress
        Dm        Am           Dm   Am
For a photograph feigned happiness
 F         C               Dm    Am
Why in my life is that the only time
      Dm         Am         Dm   Am
That any of you will smile at me

[Chorus]
     F  C            Dm      Am
I'm sailing on this terrible ocean
      Dm          Am         Dm    Am
I've come for my self to retrieve
     Dm          Am           Dm             Am
Too long have I been feeling like Lir's children
             Dm      Am         Dm    Am
And there's only one way to be free

[Instrumental]
| Dm | Am | Dm | Am |
| Dm | Am | Dm | Am |
| F  | C  | Dm | Am |
| Dm | Am | Dm | Am |

[Verse 4]
      Dm          Am        Dm    Am
He's shy and he speaks quietly
     Dm         Am          Dm    Am
He's gentle and he seems to me
 F            C
Like the elf-arrow
      Dm           Am
His face worn and harrowed
   Dm       Am          Dm
Is he a daydreamer like me

[Outro]
     F  C            Dm      Am
I'm sailing on this terrible ocean
      Dm          Am         Dm    Am
I've come for my self to retrieve
     Dm          Am           Dm             Am
Too long have I been feeling like Lir's children
             Dm      Am             Dm
And there's only one way to be free