The Mad Lady and Me

Among the walls and ruins,
Of the horrid civic stone,
I walked without a lover,
For my older bones.

The sun was strong and going down,
It was a dreamlike day,
It's there I met the trinity,
It's there I heard them say.

And she said bye bye Mama,
Goodbye brother John,
Fare thee well ye Shandon bells,
Ring on, ring on.

She leaned and leaned much closer,
And she hugged them all goodbye,
Her mother said "Don't go my love",
We all must by and by,
A drunken tongue said "leave her off",
She'll drive us all crazy,
She turned around and saw my face,
And both of us was she.

And she said bye bye Mama,
Goodbye brother John,
Fare thee well ye Shandon bells,
Ring on, ring on.

Up on to the limestone wall,
And down the level steps,
She threw herself into the stream,
With a splash and no regrets,
Sidestroke swimming midstream,
Throwing kisses to the crowd,
And everything was silent,
And the sky had not one cloud.

And she said bye bye Mama,
Goodbye brother John,
Fare thee well ye Shandon bells,
Ring on, ring on.

We were swimming out in the sunset,
We were swimming out to sea,
Swimming down by the opera house,
The Mad Lady and Me.