Paddy

From his window he watches, as people
They come and go on their way
Rushing to catch the train homewards
As he often did in his day
He remembers the dark of the mornings
And the days he worked in the rain
The good times, the bad times, and the friends that he knew
He’ll never see them again
At night when the streets are deserted
Except for the take-away signs
He thinks of the men that he worked with
On the buildings, the roads and the mines
The girl that he met in the Galtee
He thought he might make her his own
And maybe if there was less drinking
He wouldn’t have wound up alone…
P is for powerful when put to the rest
A is for always doing your best
D is for doing if it can be done, and
D is for drinking when working was done
Y is for yearning to see home again
Proud to be Irish, and a hard working man
Paddy, remember, though your day is done
You’re the rock that England stands on
He can never explain just what happened
Oh, the years seemed to pass like a day
Was it the rain or the shovel
Took the strength from his limbs away?
Sometimes he thinks of the boreen
That led from his house to the lane
And the fields that he worked with his father
He’ll never see them again
P is for powerful when put to the rest
A is for always doing your best
D is for doing if it can be done, and
D is for drinking when working was done
Y is for yearning to see home again
Proud to be Irish, and a hard working man
Paddy, remember, though your day is done
You’re the rock that England stands on
As he makes his way back to the shelter
The rain starts to fall on the ground
A young man just in from Cork city
Asks where work could be found
He said, «Son, take a long look at Paddy
And remember, whatever you do
This broken old man you are seeing
Was once a young fellow like you»
P is for powerful when put to the rest
A is for always doing your best
D is for doing if it can be done, and
D is for drinking when working was done
Y is for yearning to see home again
Proud to be Irish, and a hard working man
Paddy, remember, though your day is done
You’re the rock that England stands on