Page 31
capo 2, after The Dubliners with Ronnie Drew

    Donegal Danny

    by Phil Coulter
    I [C] remember the night that [F] he came [C] in
    From the [F] wintry cold and [C] damp
    A giant of a man in an [Am] oilskin coat
    And a [F] bundle that told he was a [G] tramp
    He [C] stood at the bar and he [F] called a [C] pint
    Then [F] turned and gazed at the [C] fire
    On a night like this to be [Am] safe and dry
    Is my [F] one and only [G] desire

    ( Chorus
    So [C] here's to those that are [F] dead and [C] gone
    The friends that I loved [G] dear
    And [C] here's to you, that I'll [F] bid you [C] adieu
    Saying' Donegal [G] Danny's been [C] here me [Am] boys
    [C] Donegal [G] Danny's been [C] here. )

    Then in a voice that was hushed and low
    He said listen and I'll tell you a tale
    How a man of the sea became a man of the road
    And never more will set sail
    I fished out of Howth and Killybegs
    Ardglass and Baltimore
    But the cruel sea has beaten me
    And I'll end me days on the shore

    Chorus

    I remember the night in the wind and rain
    We sat sail from Killybegs town
    There were five of us from Donegal
    And one from County Down
    We were fishermen who worked the sea
    And never counted the cost
    But I never thought when that night was gone
    That my fine friends would all be lost

    Chorus
    Well the storm it broke and broke our boat
    With the rocks about ten miles from shore
    As we fought the tide, we all hoped inside
    To see our homes once more
    Then we struck a rock and hold the bow
    And all of us knew that she'd go down
    So we jumped right into the icy sea
    And prayed to God we wouldn't drown

    But the raging sea was rising still
    As We struck out for the land
    And she tried with all her cruelty
    To claim that gallant band
    By Saint John's point in the early dawn
    I dragged myself on to the shore
    And I cursed the sea for what she'd done
    And vowed to sail her never more

    Chorus

    Ever since that night I've been on the road
    Traveling and trying to forget
    That awful night that I lost all my friends
    I see their faces yet
    And often at night when the sea is high
    And the wind is tearing at my skin
    I hear the cries of drowning men
    Floating over on the wind.

    Chorus