by the way, the last line of the chorus in Irish doesn't mean "the quiet land of Erin", but "my heart is heavy and sad"
the tune very much suits the nostalgia/poignancy of the words; I hope we'll get an abc soon
can anyone confirm which film(s)the song features on?
the reason for the letters and = signs at the bottom of my transcription is as a key in case the accented letters ever go haywire. I used html in the lyrics, so it shouldn't ever happen
the 'eventually'(translation of last verse) is my interpretation. "May you die in Ireland" is used as a blessing, not a curse. But the singer refers to lost youth, so perhaps is dying and therefore urgent to get back to Ireland. I also take it that the journey could be risky but it doesn't matter how much it takes out of him as long as he reaches Ireland before he dies. Probably 'he' because of reference to hurley, but gender isn't of much consequence to this song; we all can get homesick. The wonder of songs is they can even make us feel homesick for places we've never been to. Or for places we're actually in - emigration songs are popular in Ireland. itself.