Mellow the moonlight to shine is beginning 
Close by the window young Eileen is spinning 
Bent o'er the fire her grand grandmother, sitting 
is crooning and moaning and drowsily knitting

Merrily, cheerily, noisily, whirring 
Swings the wheel, spins the wheel
While the foot's stirring 
Sprightly and lightly and merrily ringing 
Sounds the sweet voice of the young maiden singing

Eileen, yochorra, I hear someone tapping 
'Tis the ivy, dear mother, against the glass flapping 
Eileen, I surely hear somebody sighing 
'Tis the sound, mother dear
Of the autumn winds dying

There's a form at the casement
The form of her true love 
And he whispers with face bent I'm waiting for you love 
Get up on the stool, through the lattice step lightly 
And we'll rove in the grove while the moon's shining brightly

Merrily, cheerily, noisily, whirring 
Swings the wheel, spins the wheel
While the foot's stirring 
Sprightly and lightly and merrily ringing 
Sounds the sweet voice of the young maiden singing

The maid shakes her head
On her lips lays her fingers 
Steals up from the seat, longs to go, and yet lingers 
A frightened glance turns to her drowsy grandmother 
Puts one foot on the stool spins the wheel with the other 

Lazily, easily swings now the wheel round 
Slowly and lowly is heard now the reel's sound 
Noiseless and light to the lattice above her 
The maid steps, then leaps to the arms of her lover

Slower and slower and slower the wheel swings
Lower and lower and lower the reel rings 
There the reel and the wheel stop their spinning and moving
The grove the young lovers by moonlight are roving

(Murphy / Waller)

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