**[Verse 1 – The Days of Childhood]** My father worked the fields for bread, My mother patched the clothes we wore, We had a roof above our heads, But little else, and nothing more. Yet I ran wild through fields of clover, And leaped the walls along the lane, The world was wide, the sky was golden, And I knew nothing of life's pain. **[Refrain]** So raise a glass to the years gone by, To the rain, the earth, the endless sky. For every sorrow, every tear, There was a song to bring us cheer. Don't weep, my love, when the daylight ends, For life takes, gives, and makes amends. The sun must set, the night must fall, And there's a season for us all. **[Verse 2 – The Awakening]** But as I grew, my eyes were opened, I saw the hunger, felt the shame, The rich grew rich, the poor were broken, And no two men were born the same. We raised our voices in the valleys, We fought for justice, land, and home, And angry words rang through the alleys, For none should face the world alone. **[Refrain]** So raise a glass to the years gone by, To the rain, the earth, the endless sky. For every sorrow, every tear, There was a song to bring us cheer. Don't weep, my love, when the daylight ends, For life takes, gives, and makes amends. The sun must set, the night must fall, And there's a season for us all. **[Verse 3 – The Gift of Love]** And then one day, beside the river, I saw her smile beneath the sun, And all the anger made me shiver, As if a new life had begun. Her hand in mine, we dreamed together, Of little ones and fireside cheer, Of fields of green and changing weather, And growing old from year to year. **[Verse 4 – The Road into Exile]** But times grew hard, the nights grew colder, And hope grew thin beneath our feet, We left our home with hearts grown older, And crossed the sea to lands unseen. We found new streets, new work, new faces, And some were kind, and some were cruel, We learned to live in foreign places, And learned that life can be no fool. Yet when our children came to greet us, With little hands and laughing eyes, No crown, no fortune could defeat us, No gold could match that precious prize. For in their smiles, our world was brighter, In every hug, our hearts were free, And though the road was sometimes harder, They were all the wealth we'd ever need. **[Refrain]** So raise a glass to the years gone by, To the rain, the earth, the endless sky. For every sorrow, every tear, There was a song to bring us cheer. Don't weep, my love, when the daylight ends, For life takes, gives, and makes amends. The sun must set, the night must fall, And there's a season for us all. **[Verse 5 – The Empty Nest]** The years have passed like rivers flowing, Our children spread their wings and flew, To distant towns where winds are blowing, To build the lives they always knew. The house is quiet, the fire burns slowly, Two chairs stand waiting by the wall, And she sits near me, gentle, lovely, Her silver hair, her smile through all. We speak of days when we were younger, Of storms we faced and dreams we knew, Of empty cupboards, nights of hunger, And all the things that brought us through. Sometimes we laugh until tears are falling, Sometimes we sit without a word, While outside, evening birds are calling, And life grows still as wings unheard. **[Verse 6 – The Last Journey]** And now we're old, our steps are slower, Our hands are thin, our eyes grow dim, The road ahead grows ever shorter, Yet fear has lost its hold on him. For when the night comes softly calling, And we must leave this world behind, I'll dream of green fields, walls for jumping, And all the joys we thought we'd find. I'll dream of her beside the river, Of children's laughter in the rain, Of Irish skies that seemed to shimmer, And summer sunlight on the plain. And if she goes before tomorrow, I'll hold her hand and let her go, For love is more than grief and sorrow, And seeds of love will always grow. **[Final Refrain – Gentle at first, then rising into a warm Irish chorus]** So raise a glass to the years gone by, To the rain, the earth, the endless sky. For every sorrow, every tear, There was a song to bring us cheer. Don't weep, my love, when the daylight ends, For life takes, gives, and makes amends. The sun must set, the night must fall, And there's a season for us all. So don't be sad when our time is over, When our old hearts have sung their song. We were young once, we loved each other, And through the years, we carried on. We had our sorrows, we had our laughter, We lost some dreams, but found some too. And when we meet beyond the morning, I'll run those green fields again with you. **[Outro – Softly spoken or sung]** So don't be sad, my love, don't cry, There's peace beneath the evening sky. The grass grows green, the seasons call, And there's a time for one and all. For life was hard, but life was tender, And love was worth the price of all. We had our time beneath the heavens— And that, my love, was worth it all.
