Ronan Patrick John Keating, in Gaeilge (Irish Gaelic): Rónán Pádraig Seán M… Read Full Bio ↴Ronan Patrick John Keating, in Gaeilge (Irish Gaelic): Rónán Pádraig Seán Mac Céitinn. Was born in 3 March 1977 in Swords, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. He is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and resulted in 9 studio albums. Keating gained worldwide attention when his single "When You Say Nothing at All" was featured in the film Notting Hill and peaked at number one in several countries. As a solo artist, Keating has sold over 22 million records worldwide.

Along with Boyzone, Keating has sold over 40 million records worldwide, and in Australia he is best known as a judge on The X Factor. Keating has worked as a charity campaigner most notably for the Marie Keating Foundation, a foundation that raises awareness for breast cancer. It is named after his mother, who died of the disease. Ronan Keatings fortune is around £12 million pounds.

Carrickfergus
Ronan Keating Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I wished I had you in Carrickfergus,
Only for nights in Ballygrand,
I would swim over the deepest ocean,
The deepest ocean to be by your side.

But the sea is wide and I can't swim over
And neither have I wings to fly.
I wish I could find me a handy boatman

To ferry me over to my love and die.

My childhood days bring back sad reflections
Of happy days so long ago.
My boyhood friends and my own relations.
Have all passed on now like the melting snow.

So I'll spend my days in endless roving,
Soft is the grass and my bed is free.
Oh to be home now in Carrickfergus,
On the long road down to the salty sea.

And in Kilkenny it is reported
On marble stones as black as ink,
With gold and silver I did support her
But I'll sing no more now till I get a drink.

For I'm drunk today and I'm rarely sober,
A handsome rover from town to town.

Oh but I am sick now and my days are numbered
So come on ye young men and lay me down.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ronan Keating's song "Carrickfergus" tell the tale of a man who is desperately missing his love who is living in Carrickfergus. The lyrics suggest that the man would do anything to be with his love, including swimming across the deepest ocean. However, the man knows that this is impossible, as the sea is wide, and he cannot swim across it. Despite this, he dreams of finding a handy boatman who can take him across the sea to be with his love.

The lyrics also reveal the man's longing for home and the sadness he feels when he thinks about his past. He reflects on his childhood days and the happy memories he shared with his friends and family, who have all passed away like "the melting snow." Despite his sadness, the man seems content with his current life of "endless roving," where he sleeps on soft grass and has the freedom to travel wherever he likes. He longs to return to Carrickfergus and travel down to the salty sea, where he imagines he will finally feel at home.

The final section of the lyrics talks about the man's time spent in Kilkenny, where he supported his love with gold and silver. However, the man is now drunk and rarely sober, and he knows that his days are numbered. He calls out to the young men around him, asking them to lay him down, suggesting that he is ready to die. The song is a melancholy reflection on life, love, and the passage of time.

Line by Line Meaning

I wished I had you in Carrickfergus,
The singer longs to be with a loved one in Carrickfergus, but only for occasional nights in Ballygrand.

Only for nights in Ballygrand,
The singer is only interested in spending brief intervals in Ballygrand with the person they love.

I would swim over the deepest ocean,
The singer is willing to undertake significant effort to be with their loved one, even if it means swimming across the ocean.

The deepest ocean to be by your side.
The singer wants nothing more than to be with their loved one.

But the sea is wide and I can't swim over
Despite the singer's desire, it is physically impossible for them to swim across the wide ocean to reach their loved one.

And neither have I wings to fly.
The singer cannot fly to reach their loved one either.

I wish I could find me a handy boatman
The singer wishes they could find someone to help them cross the ocean to reach their loved one.

To ferry me over to my love and die.
The singer is willing to give their own life to be with their loved one.

My childhood days bring back sad reflections
The singer thinks back on their childhood days and feels a sense of sadness.

Of happy days so long ago.
The singer remembers happy times from long ago.

My boyhood friends and my own relations.
The people the singer grew up with, including friends and family, have all passed away.

Have all passed on now like the melting snow.
Like melting snow, the people from the singer's past have disappeared.

So I'll spend my days in endless roving,
The singer will spend their days wandering aimlessly.

Soft is the grass and my bed is free.
The singer enjoys sleeping outside on the grass, with no permanent home.

Oh to be home now in Carrickfergus,
The singer wishes they were back in their hometown of Carrickfergus.

On the long road down to the salty sea.
The singer longs to be back by the sea in their hometown, despite the difficulties they face.

And in Kilkenny it is reported
In Kilkenny, there is a story.

On marble stones as black as ink,
The story is inscribed on black marble stones.

With gold and silver I did support her
The singer supported someone in the past, possibly financially, with gold and silver.

But I'll sing no more now till I get a drink.
The singer won't sing again until they get a drink, suggesting they are currently drinking.

For I'm drunk today and I'm rarely sober,
The singer is currently drunk and often drinks.

A handsome rover from town to town.
The singer wanders from town to town, often looking for a drink.

Oh but I am sick now and my days are numbered
The singer is currently sick and knows they don't have much time left to live.

So come on ye young men and lay me down.
The singer is calling on young men to help lay them to rest.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RONAN HARDIMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Adam Tmac Tiu

"Carrickfergus"

I wished I had you in Carrickfergus,
Only for nights in Ballygrand,
I would swim over the deepest ocean,
The deepest ocean to be by your side.

But the sea is wide and I can't swim over
And neither have I wings to fly.
I wish I could find me a handy boatman
To ferry me over to my love and die.

My childhood days bring back sad reflections
Of happy days so long ago.
My boyhood friends and my own relations.
Have all passed on now like the melting snow.

So I'll spend my days in endless roving,
Soft is the grass and my bed is free.
Oh to be home now in Carrickfergus,
On the long road down to the salty sea.

And in Kilkenny it is reported
On marble stones as black as ink,
With gold and silver I did support her
But I'll sing no more now till I get a drink.

For I'm drunk today and I'm rarely sober,
A handsome rover from town to town.
Oh but I am sick now and my days are numbered
So come on ye young men and lay me down.