Tuam©2020TonyFallon0514

 Tuam©2020TonyFallon0514

I left dear old Ireland in much sadness and despair
after borrowing from my uncle for my air fare
a poor farmer’s son I had very few possessions
the country was once more in one of its recessions

I was lucky to own a bicycle with three speeds
And earn a few pounds to take care of my weekly needs
With the high prices no body else was getting rich
To go to Queens New York I developed a great itch
Departing from family I was consumed with gloom
And promised my parents I would return to Tuam

went working in a factory I was working hard
away out in Brooklyn it was called the Navy Yard
The work was okay but the night travel was a strain
I was spending far too much time on the subway train

Though the work was hard the big paycheck was appealing
I soon paid back my uncle that was a great feeling
I also felt so proud as I watched my savings grow
I still want to be home to see Galway play Mayo

I thought about summer when the roses were in bloom
and all the old friends I longed for back home in Tuam

At night I dreamed of Galway and a friendlier time
you could keep your window open there was far less crime
My thoughts often return to where as a youth I strode
As I window shopped through Doogra on the Milltown Road

Many a person said farewell on the Galway Road
as they went seeking employment where the Cobbib flowed

I thought of many Sunday's spent on the promenade
Or meeting pretty girls in Salthill in the arcade

Because of this virus I am confined to my room
just like many old people are back home in Tuam