Lyrics

The hour is late and the morning is breaking
The lark in the clear air has started her song
Forever I’d sit among friends and companions
But the night is too short and the day it is long

So fare ye well all you boys of the evening
Fare ye well all you ladies sublime
My fortune is calling, and no man can shun it
My only regret is to leave you behind

Over bottles and glasses we’ve talked and debated
The mistakes of the past and the new world to come
We’ve lifted our pints over heroes and comrades
But I’ve emptied my glass, and it’s time to move on

So fare ye well all you gadflies and scholars
No whiskey or porter could e’er cloud your minds
Speak of me fondly in song and in story
My only regret is to leave you behind

The tunes of evening have flown through their measures
They dance through my head and make my ears ring
But the dawning of day puts an end to their pleasures
No tunes left to play and no songs left to sing

Fare ye well all you fiddlers and dancers
Would you rosin your bows and fill up your pipes
And play me a march as I walk in the morning
My only regret is to leave you behind