I Hear You Calling
I wrote this song on a trip to Ireland. We stopped at a pub and when we came out I noticed that the pub was situated by the Royal Canal, which features in the "Auld Triangle". As I went over to have a closer look it started to rain, and then it poured down, so I only had the briefest of encounters with that legendary waterway. When I wrote the song I was conscious that I could only write a song about Ireland on the periphery, as a country is far more than the scenery, folk songs and tourist attractions. Hence the last verse.
This song features Tommy Dempsey, who, I am very pleased to say, has given it his seal of approval.
I’m sitting in a pub in England
As my thoughts slips across the sea
The Shamrock in my Guinness is fading
That the landlady poured for me
In the corner the band is playing
And I think I recognise the key
I start thinking of Tommy Dempsey
When the singer says "Give me a D"
Chorus
Ireland I hear you calling
But How do you know my name?
Ireland I feel you near me
I swear that I'll come back again
I was thinking of the Auld Triangle
As we stood by the Royal Canal
I was thinking of those Streams of Whiskey
That Shane McGowan sang so well
I looked up - the sky was darkening
We had to be on our way
The first heavy drops of rain were falling
I knew it would be in for the day
chorus
But I don’t have the right to be sentimental
For Ireland you are not my home
I could never understand the heartache
That lies behind your rebel songs
But I love the foggy dew in the morning
I love the anger of your seas
I love the beauty of your mountains
In their indolent majesty
chorus