[Verse 1] Daddy came from Dublin town, Back when the ships rolled in. With nothing but a bag of dreams, And calloused hands to begin. He found a job by the steel and mills, Where the winters cut so deep, But every March the city wakes, And the river sheds its sleep. [Verse 2] The bridges hum, the bagpipes play, And boats drift down the tide. A splash of green, an emerald glow, Where the old ghosts still abide. The children laugh, the crowds all cheer, Flags waving in the sun, And every heart remembers still The lives that built this one. [Chorus] Oh, the Chicago River runs green today, Like a ribbon through the years. For the hands that toiled, and the songs they sang, And the laughter mixed with tears. From the old country to the Windy City streets, The parade rolls proudly on, And the river shines with a hopeful light, As it has since they were gone. [Verse 3] Mama kept the hearth fires warm, While the kids ran in the snow. Stories of a home so far away, Told where the green waters flow. They made this town a little bright, Through work and sweat and song, And every Saint Patrick’s Day we see The river right where they belong. [Chorus / Outro] Oh, the Chicago River runs green today, Like a ribbon through the years. For the hands that toiled, and the songs they sang, And the laughter mixed with tears. From the old country to the Windy City streets, The parade rolls proudly on, And the river shines with a hopeful light, As it has since they were gone.
