Wedding Song forAoife

[Verse 1]
Morning rain hits the slate roof of the barn
Aoife stands by the door in her wool coat
The mud is thick on the road to the chapel
We tied blue ribbons to the rusted iron gate
Father is checking the watch in his pocket
Mother is pinning a sprig of green gorse
(Keep the fire burning high in the grate)
The family gathers to walk through the wet grass.

[Chorus]
May the stones of your house hold the heat
May the rain stay on the outside of the glass
Raise a glass to the new name you carry
Aoife, our sister, starting a life of her own.

[Verse 2]
The pews are filled with the neighbors and kin
The air smells of damp wool and candle wax
You took his hand and you spoke the words clear
No shaking in your voice as the rings passed
The priest made a joke about the long winter
The fiddler started a tune from the old county
(The boots are rhythmic on the wooden floor)
We toasted with whiskey and tea in the hall.

[Chorus]
May the stones of your house hold the heat
May the rain stay on the outside of the glass
Raise a glass to the new name you carry
Aoife, our sister, starting a life of her own.

[Bridge]
Remember the days we climbed the stone walls
Scraping our knees on the grey limestone
Now you build a wall of your own making
To keep out the wind and the winter chill
(A house built on rock will not fall)
The table is set for the coming years.

[Chorus]
May the stones of your house hold the heat
May the rain stay on the outside of the glass
Raise a glass to the new name you carry
Aoife, our sister, starting a life of her own.