| lyric | All you young men attend to me, the truth I will lay down,
My parents reared me tenderly; they lived near Limerick town
For the wooing of a fair young maid they sent me far away;
Shipwrecked was I in the North Star, that now lies in the sea.
They sent me to America my fortune there to try
I shipped away in the North Star, that in the sea do lie
But Providence she proved kind to me, a plank brought me ashore
And I hope to see my darling girl in Limerick town once more.
When I landed on Columbia’s shore no friends there could I find;
The thought of my own darling kept running through my mind.
For three long days I hardship met, as you can plainly see,
How cruel were my parents to prove my destiny.
But early the next morning just at the break 0’ day
A lovely maid stepped up to me and this to me did say
‘My lovely youth, come tell the truth, of your sad misery,
Or are you from the heaven’s above, or where is your country.‘
‘I am an Irishman,’ I said, ‘the truth I will lay down,
My parents they are wealthy and they live near Limerick town,
For the loving of a fair young maid they sent me far away,
I was shipwrecked in the North Star, that now lies in the sea.’
The maiden fell a—weeping, the tears fell from her eyes.
She said: ‘Are you now married to that girl across the sea?
For I’ve got land at my command, my riches they are great;
If you join with me in wedlock bonds, you’ll be lord of my estate.’
‘To join with you in wedlock bonds is a thing I ne’er shall do
For I have fairly promised, by an oath that I’ll keep true
That I’ll wed with my fair one is the oath that will remain
There’s not another on this earth shall e’er my favour gain.’
This maiden fell in deep despair and this unto me did say,
‘Here is one hundred pounds in gold, to bring you o'er the sea
Since love, I see, is worth far more than any earthly store
May the heaven protect you o’er the sea to your Irish girl once more.’ |