Tell me why must a man be of service
To his lord and the gods seldom high
From the grave sprang the name of our fathers
But there's no glint in a dead man's eye
Tell me why our fields filled with hunger
And fruitless the crop bittered soil
So I say my farewell to a nation
As the leaf waves goodbye to its sun
So it's to youth I sing you this story
And it's of youth I sing it now
Like the train that derailed without warning
I must leave what I left far behind
So goodbye sweet Roisin Dubh
I say goodbye