Hi Ramblin Sid, I have loved this song since I first heard it by the Taverners. Here is the version which originally came from the Alan Bell Songbook. I sing it with a capo on the third fret but the chords given below were the ones in the song-book as far as I can remember. Enjoy.

On my (Dm)father's own (F)land I was born to be (C)free
I was born for the (Em)islands, the (Am)boats and the (G)sea
To (Dm)live and to (F)learn as my father had (C)done
The island is (F)changing, the young ones have (C)gone

Chorus : Fare thee well, fare thee well
My (F)island my (C)home
It's away o'er the (Em)ocean (Am)that I must (G)roam
To (Dm)find a new (F)land and learn a new (C)way
But I hope to (F)return in the future some (C)day

I've known the bad ways of the wild roaring surf
I've felt the salt rain as I cut the peat turf
And I've mended the nets in the evening's soft glow
Now these are my memories, wherever I go

The homes are all empty, no fires in the hearth
And the nettles grow tall all along the old path
Where as children we laughed and played our rough games
Now the children have grown up, and the island has changed

The schoolroom is empty, the blackboard is bare
The old floor is dusty, there's no one to care
But there we have danced and sung the night through
Now the old ways have ended, we must learn the new

The fishing is finished, the sheep graze the land
Where my kinsfolk once lived there is only the sound
Of the wind and the waves and the wild sea-birds cry
Now my heart aches with sadness, I must say goodbye.