The Life Of The Rover - The Irish Rovers

The old ways are changing, you cannot deny

The day of the traveller is over

There is nowhere to go and there is nowhere to buy

So farewell to the life of the rover

Farewell to the tent and the old caravan

To the tinker, the gipsy, the travelling man

Farewell to the life of the rover

Farewell to the ken and the travelling tongue

Farewell to the romany talking

The buying and selling, the old fortune telling

The knock at the door and the hawking

Farewell to the besom of heather and broom

Farewell to the creel and the basket

The folks of today, they would far soon and pay

For a thing that’s been made out of plastic

Farewell to the tent.

.

Farewell to the fields where we sweated and toiled

The pulling and crowning and lifting

They’ll soon have machines and the travelling queens

And there manfolks can better be shifting

Farewell to the tent.

.

The old ways are passing and soon will be gone

For progress is eye a big factor

It’s scent to afflict us and when they avict us

They tow us away with a tractor

You’ve got to move fast to keep up with the times

For these days a man cannot donder

There’s a buy-lord to say you must be on your way

And another to say you can’t wander

Farewell to the tent.

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