it seems like only yesterday i sailed from out of cork a wanderer from old erin s isle i landed in new york there wasn t a soul to greet me there a stranger on your shore but irish luck was with me here and riches came galore and now that i m going back again to dear old erin s isle my friends will meet me on the pier and greet me with a smile their faces sure i ve almost forgot i ve been so long away but me mother will introduce them all and this to me will say shake hands with your uncle mike me boy and here s your sister kate and sure there s the girl you used to swing down by the garden gate shake hands with all your neighbours and kiss the colleens all you re as welcome as the flowers in may to dear old donnegal they ll line the roads for miles and miles they ll come from near and far and they ll give a party when i go home with irish jauntin cars the spirits ll flow and we ll be gay we ll fill your hearts with joy and the piper will play an irish reel to greet the yankee boy we ll dance and sing the whole night long such fun as never was seen the lads ll be decked in corduroy the colleens wearin green there ll be thousands there that i never saw i ve been so long away but me mother will introduce them all and this to me will say shake hands with your uncle mike me boy and here s your sister kate and sure there s the girl you used to swing down by the garden gate shake hands with all your neighbours and kiss the colleens all you re as welcome as the flowers in may to dear old donnegal meet branigan fannigan milligan gilligan duffy mccuffy malachy mahone rafferty lafferty donnelly connelly dooley o hooley muldowney malone madigan cadigan lanihan flanihan fagan o hagan o hoolihan flynn shanihan manihan fogarty hogarty kelly o kelly mcguinness mcguinn shake hands with your uncle mike me boy and here s your sister kate and sure there s the girl you used to swing down by the garden gate shake hands with all your neighbours and kiss the colleens all you re as welcome as the flowers in may to dear old donnegal