| G |
| Mellow the moonlight to shine in the beginning |
| D |
| close by the window young Eileen is spinning |
| G | C | G |
| Bent o’er the fire her blind | Grandmother | sitting |
| D | G | |
| is | crooning and moaning and drowsily | knitting. |
| Eileen M’curra I hear someone tapping |
| ’tis the ivy dear mother against the glass flapping |
| Eilee’ I surely hear somebody sighing |
| ’tis the sounds mother dear of the Autumn winds dying |
| Merrily, cheerily, noiselessly whirring |
| swings the wheel, spins the wheel, while the foot stirring |
| sprightly and brightly and airily ringing |
| thr’air’s the sweet voice of the young maiden singing. |
| 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" |
| "we’ll rove in the grove, while the moon’s shining brightly" |
| The maid shakes her head on her lips lays her finger, |
| steals up from the seat longs to go and yet lingers, |
| a frighten glance turns on 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 sound, |
| noiseless and light to the lattice above her, |
| the maid creeps and leaps to the arms of her lover. |
| Slower and slower and slower the wheel swings, |
| lower and lower and lower the reel rings, |
| ’ere the reel and the wheel stop there spinning and moving, |
| through the grove the young lovers by moonlight are roving. |