When I Was A Young Fellow Poem by Francis Duggan

When I was a young fellow and I lived near Millstreet Town
I often heard the little wren in his cloak of darkish brown
In April in the hedgerows he carolled loud and long
And for such a tiny fellow he had a big bird song.

When I was a young fellow a little country boy
I believed this place called heaven was somewhere in the sky
And now that I know different in sadness I recall
That our years of childhhood innocence are our best years after all.

When I was a young fellow a five or six year old
I believed that at the rainbow's end there was a pot of gold
And forty nine years later it saddens me to know
That it was just a fantasy a tale from long ago.

When I was a young fellow when the Winter winds did blow
I could tell where the fox had travelled by his paw marks in the snow
To me it was a miracle and sad am I to realize
That the world seems very different in an older Person's eyes.

When I was a young fellow Oh I remember well
That I believed in heaven and I believed in hell
But now that I am older and I see things differently
I realize that for my loss of innocence the big loser is me.