by 
Song: Irish Goodbye
Singer: Kneecap
Label: KNEECAP
Release date: Apr 29, 2026
Irish Goodbye Kneecap Lyrics English Translation
When I felt your hand, I felt your love
I felt everything you were trying to say
And although understanding comes from the north wind
I find life hard
Trying to find a way through the sorrow
When I saw a smile on your face
Every problem disappeared
It didn’t matter what was going on
But I understand well that you had enough
I wanted to say goodbye, not an Irish goodbye
Just me and you walking around so often
A couple of loops around Botanic wasn’t always just a picnic
A one-way ticket from Ballyowen
I hold tightly to our time together in this world
Us eating lunch in Clements
Life can give you lemons
And sometimes it is bitter
I don’t let it get the better of me
Because I’m much better off since I met her
This one’s for you, this is my love letter
This is everything I never got to say to you
The hugs and kisses you gave me in the coat
The endless love — I know it was hard for you
But I’ll keep going because there’s too much on my list
So I’ll keep this short
Want to thank you for the courage
Everything is okay so no need to worry
A sad day for us that you had to leave in such a hurry
And it’s not an issue, just want to say I miss you
When I felt your hand, I felt your love
I felt everything you were trying to say
And although understanding comes from the north wind
I find life hard
Trying to find a way through the sorrow
When I saw a smile on your face
Every problem disappeared
It didn’t matter what was going on
But I understand well that you had enough
I wanted to say goodbye, not an Irish goodbye
I understand, Mam, that you’ll never come back
But I still hear your concertina playing music
In my ears, coming down from heaven
That’s what filled my heart with joy
And sometimes I’m in my dreams
She asks why I think she is dead
I’m standing before you, been here some times before
Then my eyes fill and drown in tears
You left a letter, I never got the chance to answer you
And I kept calling and calling, threatening to visit
But you had already gone, the world far away
And ever since then it’s never been the same
This is my love letter, I hope it finds you
I did all of those things you wanted me to do
But in the back of my mind you are always here
Your son, with eternal love forever
Her pain followed us like bad weather
It’s raining indoors again
Come home and find her walking through walls again
Semi-conscious on the bathroom floor
I’m on first-name terms with the crisis team
“Come on then,” I raised the parting glass to us
I can see you laughing off your problems in a smoky room
Or tying ribbons around the railings
For the girls who don’t get gravestones
When life gave you lemons
You squeezed them in your open wounds
I miss you every fucking day
Wish I’d never said your name
Wish the world could have been
A completely different place
Wish you’d never come to harm
Wish you’d never felt your mind
Split into a thousand rooms
That you got trapped inside
Tell a lie
What I wish is that you got to live your life
Keep fighting, little nightmare, goodbye
She called me her “pulse of my heart”
She was the making of me
How come it’s always the best of us
That can’t bear to be
When I felt your hand, I felt your love
I felt everything you were trying to say
And although understanding comes from the north wind
I find life hard
Trying to find a way through the sorrow
When I saw a smile on your face
Every problem disappeared
It didn’t matter what was going on
But I understand well that you had enough
I wanted to say goodbye, not an Irish goodbye
