The Irish Travellers I Envied

The Irish travellers I envied when I was a boy Their wandering existence they seemed to enjoy About them they did have such a carefree way 'Tis a different Ireland from the one I was raised in today. In their Romany horse drawn vans they travelled on many a country road And they did love the life of the no fixed abode But in the early sixties times were changing fast And their horse drawn vans became a thing of the past. Memories of them will be with me until my last day Around their camp fire at night their fiddles and accordions they did play They played many an old tune and sung many an old song And their women and children with them sung along. When I think of the past I think of them again And of them and their ways fond memories I retain They loved their wandering life-style they seemed so carefree These people who were far more Irish than me. They loved their pinto horses and their Romany-vans But the increase in motorized vehicles brought change for the wandering clans 'Tis a different Ireland to the Ireland I grew up in today But I feel not change for the better allow me to say.