Raglan Road
The Chieftains Lyrics

On Raglan Road on an Autumn Day,
On a particular day in autumn, I found myself on Raglan Road.

I saw her first and knew
I saw her for the first time and instantly knew that she was special.

That her dark hair would weave a snare
I sensed a danger in her beauty and attractiveness.

That I may one day rue.
I might regret falling in love with her someday.

I saw the danger, yet I walked
Despite sensing the danger, I willingly pursued her.

Along the enchanted way
I chose to follow the path of love, which can be full of illusions and enchantment.

And I said let grief be a falling leaf
I decided to let go of any potential grief and allow it to pass like the falling of a leaf.

At the dawning of the day.
At the start of a new day, I wanted to leave behind the grief and embrace joy.

On Grafton Street in November,
On a specific November day, I was on Grafton Street.

We tripped lightly along the ledge
We were walking or dancing playfully along a high point.

Of a deep ravine where can be seen
We were in a deep valley where the worst passions can arise.

The worst of passions pledged.
The most dangerous of human desires and behaviors was in this valley.

The Queen of Hearts still baking tarts
The woman at the center of my attention still had mundane tasks to do.

And I not making hay,
I was not making the most of my time and opportunities.

Well I loved too much; by such and such
I have loved her too passionately and recklessly, and therefore lost her.

Is happiness thrown away.
My happiness was simply squandered away, never to return again.

I gave her the gifts of the mind.
I offered her my intellect, creativity, and imagination.

I gave her the secret sign
I shared with her the secret knowledge and codes that only artists who know true Gods of Sound and Time possess.

That's known to all the artists who have
The secrets I shared are only familiar to those who are true artists and follow a certain creative path.

Known true Gods of Sound and Time.
Only those who have achieved mastery in their artistic pursuits, and have identified the true nature of music and time, understand these secrets.

With word and tint I did not stint.
I did not hold back my emotions and creativity in expressing my love for her in both word and color.

I gave her reams of poems to say
I wrote voluminous amounts of poetry for her to recite and enjoy.

With her own dark hair and her own name there
I associated her with the beauty of nature using her own natural features, such as her hair, and named her in my poems.

Like the clouds over fields of May.
The beauty and lofty quality of my love for her was akin to the clouds over a field of flowers in springtime.

On a quiet street where old ghosts meet,
On a calm and deserted street where memories linger and inhabitants of the past still dwell.

I see her walking now away from me,
I now see her walking away from me, perhaps beyond my reach.

So hurriedly. My reason must allow,
She was walking in such a hurry that my mind had to accept the fact that she was leaving and I could not stop her.

For I have wooed, not as I should
I pursued her with too much passion and intensity, rather than in a manner that was proper or wise.

A creature made of clay.
I treated her as a fragile and imperfect creature, made of clay, which can be shaped and molded.

When the angel woos the clay, he'll lose
When love wishes to elevate someone or improve their flaws, it often leads to disappointment or heartbreak.

His wings at the dawn of the day.
The dawn of realization can bring grief and the loss of any higher aspirations or values.