Henry's Songbook

        And come a little closer
        Put your head upon my shoulder
        And let me hold you one last time
        Before the whistle blows

In comes the train and the whole platform shakes
It stops with a shudder and a screaming of brakes
The parting has come and my weary soul aches
I'm leaving my Nancy-O
And you stand there so calmly, determinedly gay
You talk of the weather and events of the day
But your eyes tell me all that your tongue doesn't say
Goodbye my Nancy-O

My suitcase is lifted and stowed on the train
A thousand regrets whirl around in my brain
The ache in my heart is a black sea of pain
I'm leaving my Nancy-O
But you stand there beside me so lovely to see
But the grip of your hand is an unspoken plea
You're not fooling yourself and you're not fooling me
Goodbye my Nancy-O

But our time has run out and the whistle has blown
So here I must leave you standing alone
We had so little time and now the time's gone
Goodbye my Nancy-O
And as the train starts gently to roll
And as I lean out to wave and to call
I see the first tears trickle and fall
Goodbye my Nancy-O

[1977:] This song was written [in April 1971] for my mother after she had come to say goodbye at the Railway Station when I emigrated to Australia. She was only allowed to come to see me off on the condition that no tears were shed. And she was very good, she almost kept her promise, but broke down just as the train was pulling out of the station. (Eric Bogle, notes 'Live In Person')

[1980:] Everybody knows the pain of leaving loved ones. This was a song I wrote for my mother when I emigrated from Scotland to Australia in 1969. It was a difficult parting, as we tried desperately and unsuccessfully to ignore the fact that I was going to the other side of the world, and submerged our true feelings by talking trivia. This song perhaps redresses the balance. (Notes Eric Bogle, 'Now I'm Easy')