Dexys Midnight Runners

Released: June 3, 2016

Songwriter: Johnny Cash

[Verse 1]
I close my eyes and picture
The emerald of the sea
From the fishing boats at Dingle
To the shores of Donaghadee
I miss the river Shannon
And the folks at Skibbereen
The moorlands and the middle
With their forty shades of green
But most of all I miss a girl
In Tipperary town
And most of all I miss her lips
As soft as eiderdown

[Chorus]
Again I want to see and do
The things we've done and seen
Where the breeze is sweet as Shalimar
And there's forty shades of green

[Verse 2]
I wish that I could spend one hour
At Dublin's churching surf
I'd love to watch the farmers
Drain the bog and spade the turf

[Chorus]
To see again the thatching
Of the straw the women clean
I'd walk from Cork to Larne to see
The forty shades of green
But most of all I miss a girl
In Tipperary town
And most of all I miss her lips
As soft as eiderdown oh

[Outro]
Again I want to see and do
The things we've done and seen
Where the breeze is sweet as Shalimar
And there's forty shades of green
Where the breeze is sweet as Shalimar
And there's forty shades of green
Oh Where that breeze is sweet as Shalimar
And there's forty shades of green
Yes

Dexys Midnight Runners (currently officially Dexys, their common nickname; sometimes styled with and sometimes without an apostrophe) are an English pop band with soul influences, who achieved their major success in the early to mid-1980s. They are best known in the UK for their songs “Come On Eileen” and “Geno”, both of which peaked at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, as well as six other top-20 singles.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dexys went through numerous personnel changes over the course of three albums and thirteen singles, with only singer/songwriter/co-founder Kevin Rowland remaining in the band through all of the transitions and only Rowland and “Big” Jim Paterson (trombone) appearing on all of the albums. By 1985, the band consisted only of Rowland and long-standing members Helen O'Hara (violin) and Billy Adams (guitar). The band broke up in 1987, with Rowland becoming a solo artist. After two failed restart attempts, Dexys was reformed by Rowland in 2003 with new members, as well as a few returning members from the band’s original lineup (known as Dexys Mark I). Dexys released their fourth album in 2012 and a fifth followed in 2016.

more tracks from the album

Let the Record Show: Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul

From the album

Let the Record Show: Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul (2016)

Dexys Midnight Runners popular songs

40 Shades of GreenDexys Midnight Runners

Dexys Midnight Runners

Let the Record Show: Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul