What shall we do without timber?
The woods have all been cut down
There's no mention of Cill Chais or its people
The peal of bells is no more
The place where the lady resided
Who was held in esteem above all
Where earls and nobility frequented
And the sonorous Mass was heard

Geese and ducks can no longer be heard
Nor the eagle cry in the bay
Nor the hum of the bees as they labor
Storing honey and wax for all
We miss the sweet tones of birdsong
As the day fades in the west
Or the call of the cuckoo each evening
Calling the people to rest

A dark cloud envelopes the country
And no longer the sun shines bright
Darkness descends from the sky there
And even the rivers run dry
There's no ivy, holly or berries
But rocks and barren waste
Not a tree is left for shelter
And the game has all strayed away

And now to crown our misfortune
The prince of the Gael has fled
He has left with the noble lady
And is welcomed in France and Spain
The people are brokenhearted
They have lost her support when in need
She was ever so kind to her people
And always gave alms to the poor

I implore Jesus and Mary
That she will one day return
To her people who will be rejoicing
With bonfires and fiddles and song
That this great home of our ancestors
The beautiful Cill Chais be restored
And until the Day of Judgement
Will it never again lay low