Lyrics

THE ROAD WE’RE ON
Gary O’Driscoll © 2026
CHAPEAU ROUGE MUSIC (SOCAN)

[Verse 1]
The winter winds blew cold and hard,
Across the Irish Sea
When they carried me from Galway,
Just a child barely three
Thin as a rail and pale as death,
From the convent where I’d stayed
To a home in post-war England,
Where a better life was made

They fed me well and wrapped me warm,
And gave me a new name
Somewhere in an Irish town,
A young girl bore much shame
The records faded into dust,
The truth was locked away
And every night she prayed for me
In mourning every day

[Chorus]
I am Aiden, I’m Eileen
I am Colin, I’m Colleen
I am Seamus, I’m Siobhan
This is the road we’re on

[Verse 2]
The fifties brought the good life,
In Canada for me
It offered me a home
And a loving family
I crossed the ocean all alone
Only mother left to grieve
With stories of the nuns
They hardly could believe

They said my mother gave consent
Then turned her head away
But whispers grew as years went by
Truth was held at bay
The papers contradicted
What the parish priest wrote down
And every clue I tried to chase
Led me round and round

[Chorus]
I am Aiden, I’m Eileen
I am Colin, I’m Colleen
I am Seamus, I’m Siobhan
This is the road we’re on

[Bridge]
Thousands sailed on silent tides
From Cork, Clare and Tyrone
Bound for homes they’d never seen
By paths they’d never known
And though the years have scattered us
Across the seas to roam
We carry questions in our hearts
And hope to bring them home

[Verse 3]
California in the sixties
Was a world of sun and light
Palm trees swayed above my head
Far from Irish nights
I learned to speak the western tongue
Chase the American dream
But the reflection in the glass
Only made me want to scream

The convent files were incomplete
Names were changed and crossed out
Birthdates shifted, no signatures
The trail was cast in doubt
Somewhere by the Irish sea
My mother waits in vain
So much she has endured
A life of cruelty and pain

[Chorus]
I am Aiden, I’m Eileen
I am Colin, I’m Colleen
I am Seamus, I’m Siobhan
This is the road we’re on

I am Aiden, I’m Eileen
I am Colin, I’m Colleen
I am Seamus, I’m Siobhan
This is the road we’re on

[Outro]
Every day from dusk till dawn
This is the road we’re on