Dance all you cockle shells
Play all you distant bells
The baby sleeps, his hands are still
And now we all can dance until
We fall asleep or lose the will
Sing to the sleeping child
He’s yours but a little while
The young man waits, his hands are full
He seldom stops to see the sun go down
And fails to see when he's in bloom
Dance all your years away
Life is a quiet slipping day
The old man sleeps, his hands are still
And now we all can dance until
We fall asleep or lose the will.