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Colum Sands
	Year:	1996
	Album:	ALL MY WINDING JOURNEYS
	Song:	Directions
Words & Music Colum Sands, Elm Grove Music Colum Sands: vocals, guitar Anne Sands: Bodhrán; Backing Vocals Tommy Sands: Backing Vocals
If you're not sure where you're going But you know you've lost your way I hope you'll stop and listen now To what I'm going to say For I lost my way to Ballymastray On a day I'll not forget And I had to ask directions From everyone I met Well my trouble really started At the crossroads I suppose When I asked a man coming out of a shop With smoke coming out of his nose He leaned in through my window like a man with time to spare And through the smoke I heard him say - Now you're a stranger here But do you see that road in front of you That's forking to the right Whatever you do don't take that road Or you'll drive about all night No, just you keep on going Til you see a pub called Pat's Go straight on round the corner And ask anyone after that - Well round the bend I drove myself And I didn't see a soul Til I met a man with a bicycle He was wheeling a bag of coal His face was slightly swolen And his back wheel slightly flat But I knew I'd have to ask him I was lost and that was that Could you tell me the way to Ballymastray? Could you give us the price of a beer? I handed him over a couple of quit For I thought the deal was fair Til his pickled words of wisdom Were whispered in my ear - If I was going to Ballymastray I wouldn't start from here - A woman tied to a little dog Next heard my appeal As she leaned on my window Her dog leaned on my wheel - Oh Ballymastray's a lovely place It's even in a song Do you know what I'm going to tell you though You couldn't be further wrong...			You see you came across the river And you really hat no call In fact you shouldn't have crossed that bridge at all, at all, at all - Her dog had reached my fourth weel As I put the car in gear Say's I, I'm getting out of here Before he find the spare It wa just outside a joke shop I met a man with a gun Black polish painted on his face And he wore a uniform I asked for the road to Ballymastray Says he - I'm mot from here - He asked me where I was coming from Says I- I've no idea! Ah never ask a couple Unless you want a fight One will send you to the left And the other to the right I left a pair at loggerheads And then my blood ran cold For wheeling round the corner came the man with the bag of coal - Ah now your're realy lost my boy, And you've just yourself to blame for you drove away the minute I was trying to explain But I'll tell you now for nothing if you take me and my load I'll show you the way to Ballymastray And it won't be off your road - It was half an hour later We reached his granny's lane And there we left his bag of coal And headed on again He left me with directions An hour after that At a petrol pump with a pub attached And the name of the pub was Pat's Ah when I reached my destination I was a broken man But the lesson that I learned that day I'll share it if I can If you're going to Ballyshannon Ballymastray of Ballylap If you're going to bally anywhere Would you buy a bally map!