Glenswilly - a new old song

Glenswilly by Melanie Curran

fare thee well my honey where ever you may travel

may you never want for money far across the sea

remember to tread gentle don't take more than is owed you

nothin’ comes for nothin in the land of the free

chorus!

when you see the house of the rising sun

or lie your head in the fields of green

remember me as the one who loved you best

back in old glenswilly

take good care of this fine hewn leather satchel

remember say a prayer for your arrival at the shore

lend your hand to the ones who come behind you

never turn your back on the ones who’ve come before

chorus

when you breathe that air well you’re not the first to breathe it

when you take that train well you’re not the first to ride

take your time with the pangs of bereavement

glenswilly’s not a place so easily let behind

chorus

when you’re old and grey and your poor bones grow brittle

and they lay you in the clay and mark you with a stone

I’ll be there to meet you in the middle

and guide you on your way as you take the long way home

chorus

— I wrote this song for my great grandpa Frank Curran, coming from the perspective of his caregiver back in Glenswilly, County Donegal, Ireland. Maybe these words are the words of parting that were never shared but always felt. He left for America when he was about 13.