We gathered in the evening
We scattered with the first light of the dawn
To say farewell to Aaran
'Cause me and Sally Coyle was movin' on
Our last night on the island
Sally sang the rose made father cry
And when the song was over said goodbye
And the seagulls screamed above us
As we pulled out from the pier
In the misty morning rain
The island slowly disappeared
We sat on empty barrels of beer
Was drunk the night before
And cursed the day I left Aaranmore
An island man a fisherman
The only kind of life I ever knew
o filling skips with shovels
Down a tunnel with a different kind of crew
A twelve hour shift a raging thirst
You took your chance as money in your hand
And left it in the pubs of Birmingham
There was Early and o'Donnell
Gallagher and Boyle
Doherty and Sweeney
Bonner, Cox and Coyle
They called them the Tunnel Tigers
One could do the work of four
And proud the spoke the name Aaranmore
The bottle got O'Donnell
A falling rock flattened Sweeney's head
I haven't worked in seven years
Now Sally's gone and so's me bloody legs
Whatever lies before me
Win or lose there's one thing I know
I'll be in a box next time I go below
In my dreams I see the ghosts of men
Still diggin' underground
Forever lost not knowing
Which way's up and which way's down
Murphy's law came knocking
And I opened up the door
And cursed the day I left Arranmore