In 1853 it came around to me
And I could find the holes
In human existence
They put me in the sun
And taught me how to run
But all I could see was resistance

And The coffin ships go sailing
The coffin ships go sailing

And it all came to pass
The first were now the last
And it all came to pass
The widows wave us past

And The coffin ships go sailing
The coffin ships go sailing

In 1848 I started losing weight
And things I used to own
Were pulled apart
The phantoms of escape
Across the ocean great
Then left an Irish whole inside my heart

And The coffin ships go sailing
The coffin ships go sailing

And it all came to pass
The first were now the last
And it all came to pass
The widows wave us past

And The coffin ships go sailing
The coffin ships go sailing