Lyrics

The widows of New Waterford
set the sawhorses.
There were pick axes and shovels and lard oil lamps.
My mom bid on a badge that read:
‘Siol na fear fearail’.
I overheard my older sister say,

‘I will not marry. I will not marry.
I’ll not marry; I’ll host no auction day.
O let some good night, let some good night fall
On waving flags and on all of our auction days.’

The Tottenham Trench at Vimy bore out a nation.
But Easter ’17 took Waterford for her Lamb.
And in July, Dominion Coal
took 65 more guys.
So I was raised by fatherless girls who cried,

‘I will not marry. I will not marry.
I’ll not marry; I’ll host no auction day.
O let some good night, let some good night fall
On waving flags and on all of our auction days.’

In ’40, Hitler saved us all
from the coal shafts.
Yeah, but I signed up for another reason, too.
I was 28 and I knew what,
‘Siol na fear fearail’ meant.
I took Mom’s badge
to meet the father I never knew.
I got on my Balmoral cap
And I shined my shoes.
And with one more request of Waterford town to beg,
I went down to her mother’s house
to ask, ‘Dear Clara, won’t you share my name?’
She smiled sad –
I knew what she would say:

‘I will not marry. I will not marry.
I’ll not marry; I’ll host no auction day.
O let some good night, let some good night fall
On waving flags and on all of our auction days.’

We are grateful to Sandra Alves for bringing this song to our attention.