My Old Man
Gerry O Glacian
Well my old mans a provo with a beret and a gun
I havent seen him lately hes always on the run
He looks really trendy in his shoes and nion boots
Much better than them other dads in ties and shirts and suits
The brits and police harass me, each time that i go out
they ask me if I seen me da or if he's been about
I say ''don't be so fucking nosey, now just leave me alone
You shower are only jealous, no daddys of your own!''
On RTÉ last Friday night, a cop came on to say,
"Please give us information, about the IRA"
They showed a provo unit on security tv
I know that was me da', for he stopped and waved at me
At Christmas time its lonely when daddys not at home
The police are watching everywhere they've even tapped our phone
Last Christmas Eve they staked out our windows and our doors
Then climbing down the chimney came a provo santa clause
My daddys up in long kesh now to me its just not right
I say a special prayer for him when i got to bed at night
Today it was his birthday I sent him in a cake
There was semtex in the candles he'll be out before i wake!!!
My
Little Armalite
Unknown
And its down along the Falls Road thats where I long to be
Lying in the dark with a provo company
A comrade on me left and another one on me right
And a clip of ammunition for me little armalite
I was stopped by a soldier he said you are swine
He hit me with his rifle and he kicked me in the groin
I begged and I pleaded all me manners were polite
But sure all the time Im thinkin of me little armalite
And its down in the Bogside thats where I long to be
Lying in the dark with a provo company
A comrade on me left and another one on me right
And a clip of ammunition for me little armalite
Well a brave RUC man came walkin down our street
600 British soldiers he had lined up at his feet
come out ye cowardly Fenians come on out and fight
but he cryed Im only jokin when he heard the armalite
And its down in Bellaghy thats where I long to be
Lying in the dark with a provo company
A comrade on me left and another one on me right
And a clip of ammunition for me little armalite
Well the army came to visit me twas in the early hours
The saracens and solodins and fervered armoured cowards
They thought they had me cornered but I gave em all a fright
With the armour piercin bullets of me little armalite
And its down in the New Lodge thats where I long to be
Lying in the dark with a provo company
A comrade on me left and another one on me right
And a clip of ammunition for me little armalite
When Prior came to Belfast to see the battles won
The generals they had told him weve got them on
the run
But corporals and privates when on patrol at night
Say Remeber Narrowwater and the Bloody Armalite
And its down in the Crosmaglen thats where I long to be
Lying in the dark with a provo company
A comrade on me left and another one on me right
And a clip of ammunition for me little armalite
My
Little Armalite (2)
Unknown
I was stopped by a soldier he said you are swine
He hit me with his rifle and he kicked me in the groin
I begged and I pleaded all me manners were polite
But sure all the time Im thinkin of me little armalite
And its down in the Bogside thats where I long to be
Lying in the dark with a provo company
A comrade on me left and another one on me right
And a clip of ammunition for me little armalite
Well a brave RUC man came walkin down our street
600 British soldiers he had lined up at his feet
come out ye cowardly Fenians come on out and fight
but he cryed Im only jokin when he heard the armalite
And its down along the Falls Road thats where I long to be
Lying in the dark with a provo company
A comrade on me left and another one on me right
And a clip of ammunition for me little armalite
Well the army came to visit me was in the early hours
The saracens and solodins and fervered armoured cowards
They thought they had me covered but I gave em all a fright
With me armour piercin bullets of me little armalite
And its down in the New Lodge thats where I long to be
Lying in the dark with a provo company
A comrade on me left and another one on me right
And a clip of ammunition for me little armalite
When Harry came to Belfast to see the battles won
The generals they had told him weve got them on the run
But corporals and privates when on patrol at night
Say send home for reinforcements its the bloody
armalite
And its down in the Crosmaglen thats where I long to be
Lying in the dark with a provo company
A comrade on me left and another one on me right
And a clip of ammunition for me little armalite
And its up in aul Andytown thats where I long to be
Lying in the dark with a provo company
A comrade on me left and another one on me right
And a clip of ammunition for me little armalite
The Man from the Daily Mail
unknown
Now Ireland’s a very funny place Sir it’s a strange and troubled land
And the Irish are a very funny race sir every girls in the Cumann na mban
Every doggie has a tri-coloured ribbon tied firmly to its tail
And it wouldn’t be surprising if there’d be another rising
Said the man from the Daily mail
Chorus
Every bird upon my word is singing treble – I’m a rebel
Every hen it’s said is laying hand-grenades over there sir I declare Sir
And every cock in the farmyard stock crows in triumph for the galeAnd it wouldn't be surprising if there’ be another rising
Said the man from the Daily Mail
Well the other day I travelled down to Clare Sir I spied in an old boreen
A bunch of silly gooses there Sir Dressed in orange white and green
They marched to the German goose step as they whistled Granne Wale
And I’m shaking in me shoes as I’m sending out the news said the man from the Daily Mail
Chorus
Now the whole place is seething with sedition it’s Sinn Fein through and through
All the peelers they are joining local units and the passwords Sinn Fein too
Every doggie wears a tri-coloured ribbon tied firmly to its tail
And it wouldn’t be surprising if there’d be another rising
Said the man form the Daily Mail
As down the glen came
McAlpine's men with their shovels slung behind
them
It was in the pub they drank the sub and up in
the spike you'll find them
They sweated blood and they washed down mud with
pints and quarts of beer
And now we're on the road again with McAlpine's
Fusiliers
I stripped to the skin with the Darky Flynn way
down upon the Isle of Grain
With the Horseface Toole I knew the rule, no
money if you stop for rain
When McAlpine's god was a well filled hod with
your shoulders cut to bits and seared
And woe to he who looks for tea with McAlpine's
Fusiliers
I remember the day that the Bear O'Shea fell
into a concrete stairs
What the Horseface said, when he saw him dead,
well it wasn't what the rich call prayers
I'm a navvy short was the one retort that
reached unto my ears
When the going is rough, well you must be tough
with McAlpine's Fusiliers
I've worked till the sweat near had me bet with
Russian, Czech and Pole
On shuddering jams up in the hydro dams or
underneath the Thames in a hole
I grafted hard and I've got me cards and many a
gangers fist across me ears
If you pride your life, don't join, by Christ,
with McAlpine's Fusiliers
Armoured cars and tanks and
guns
Came to take away our sons
But every man must stand behind
The men behind the wire
Through the little streets of Belfast
In the dark of early morn
British soldiers came marauding
Wrecking little homes with scorn
Heedless of the crying children
Cragging fathers from their beds
Beating sons while helpless mothers
Watched the blood poor from their heads
Not for them a judge and jury
Nor indeed a trial at all
But being Irish means you´re guilty
So we´re guilty one and all
Round the world the truth will echo
Cromwell´s men are here again
England´s name again is sullied
In the eyes of honest men.
Proud we march behind our banner
Firm we´ll stand behind our men
We will have them free to help us
Build a nation once again
On the people step together
Proudly firmly on their way
Never fear never falter
Till the boys are home to stay
I am a merry ploughboy and I
plough the fields all day
Till a sudden thought came to me head that I
should roam away
For I am sick and tired of slavery since the day
I was born
And I am off to join the I.R.A. and I am off
tomorrow morn.
And we're all off to Dublin in the green, in the
green
Where the helmets glisten in the sun
Where the bay'nets flash and the riffles crash
To the rattle of a Thompson gun.
I'll leave aside me pick and spade, I'll leave
aside me plough
I'll leave aside me horse and yoke, I no longer
need them now
I'll leave aside me Mary, she's the girl that I
adore
And I wonder if she'll think of me whe hears the
riffles roar.
And we're all off to Dublin in the green, in the
green
Where the helmets glisten in the sun
Where the bay'nets flash and the riffles crash
To the rattle of a Thompson gun.
And when the war is over, and dear old Ireland
is free
I'll take her to the church to wed and a rebel's
wife she'll be
Well some men fight for silver and some men
fight for gold
But the I.R.A. are fighting for the land that
the Saxons stole.
And we're all off to Dublin in the green, in the
green
Where the helmets glisten in the sun
Where the bay'nets flash and the riffles crash
To the rattle of a Thompson gun.
In Dublin's fair city, where
the girls are so pretty
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone
As she wheeled her wheelbarrow through streets
broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
A-live a-live O! A-live a-live O!
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
She was a fishmonger and sure it was no wonder
For so were her father and mother before
And they both wheeled their barrows through
streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
A-live a-live O! A-live a-live O!
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
She died of a fever and no one could save her
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone
Now her ghost wheels her barrow through streets
broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
A-live a-live O! A-live a-live O!
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
A-live a-live O! A-live a-live O!
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
In the East End of London I
met an old man
He kept a bar called The Horses and Tram
My parents were Irish, they loved that dear land
The cockney he smiled and he shook my old hand
My heart is in Ireland, it´s there I long to be
Her hills and her valleys are calling to me
Though born here in this land, my heart is in
Ireland
The land of the old folk is calling to me.
Near a coalmine in Wales by a roadside cafe
A young girl came smiling to me and did say
Well, my folks are from Ireland me dad he hopes
one day
When he leaves the mines sure we´ll go back to
stay
Then I went through the midlands to each city
and town
I found there were Irish in each place I roamed
And I drank and I sang in a pub they called The
Crown
With the Birmingham Irish we sang songs of home
Then I went north to Scotland to Glasgow on the
Clyde
I met with some young lads, said Celtic´s our
side
All our folks are from Ireland, the island of
the green
That country we love, but it's a place we´ve
not seen.
Michael
Collins
Unknown
The bark of a dog breaks the silence like a bitter last hurrah
And a raven spreads it's wings for flight over fields near Beál Na mBláth
With a rifle still clasped to his breast, but hanging low his head
A black August day in the County Cork, Michael Collins is dead
Hang out your brightest colours, his memory now recall
Each one wants a part of him but no-one wants it all
Working over in London town when he joined the I.R.B.
Sworn to use, both, deadly force, his native land to free
His squad is ready and willing to strike, his love for his ruthless charm
The Laughing Boy smiles at the castle, it's a smile to cause alarm
Chorus
A British intelligence agent is working from a Dublin room
Michael Collins adds a name to a list that will take men to the tomb
A spy slowly rises from his chair and walks across the floor
A man with a parabellum is knocking at the door
Chorus
Returning then to London town, who will take the blame?
The Treaty lies before him, Michael Collins adds his name
A darker time lies across the land, who will bear the load?
An awkward hero in an armoured car on an Irish country road
Chorus
The bark of a dog breaks the silence like a bitter last hurrah
And a raven spreads it's wings for flight over fields near Beál Na mBláth
Meet
me at the Pillar
Sean/Frank O’Meara
I was walking down by Islandbridge, just doing as I pleased
This April day the sun was warm, there was but a gentle breeze
I wandered up the old stone steps into Phoenix Park
To watch the children laugh and play in the hours before the dark
I strolled up by the monument and lay down on the ground
Then people started crying when they heard the battle sound
I don't know what came over me, but for a moment I could hear
The echo of a soldier's voice that kept calling in my ear
Meet me at the Pillar son, meet me there at noon
I need you brave young Irishmen, there is something we must do
Meet me at the Pillar son, still it's not too late
It's time to sing a Freedom's song, come soon I cannot wait
I turned around to see this man, but nobody was there
In the distance I could hear the drums, yet a stillness filled the air
I closed my eyes and in my dreams a soldier I could see
He said his name was Pádraig Pearse, and he kept on calling me
That awful night I lay awake and many times I cried
I could not answer his commands, no matter how I tried
There in the dark I did my best to say a silent prayer
That when they take him to his fate, he'll know how much I cared
Chorus
My Last farewell
Sean/Frank O’Meara
Dearest Mother I am writing just to say I won’t be home
There’s something that I have to do and I must do alone
They have took me and they’ve put me in this lonely prison cell
Tonight my thoughts are with you as I say my last Farewell
Chorus
So say goodbye to Margaret, Mary Bridget and Michál
I have no words to tell you how much I miss you all
And though I may not show it you know I loved you well
So in my final letter I will bid my last farewell
Dearest brother won’t you take good care of all the folks for me
Go home to Rathfarnam on the day they set you free
I was happy when you stood by me in all that we’ve been through
No one has ever had so true a brother such as you
Chorus
Dearest mother it’s so very sad that now we have to part
To understand the reason would trouble your poor heart
I have told you since I was a boy it was my destiny
To die a true brave soldier so that one day you’d be free
Chorus