Lyrics
«Oh! the French are on the sea,"says the Sean van Voght,
«Oh! the French are on the sea,"says the Sean van Voght,
«The French are in the Bay, they’ll be here at break of day,
And the Orange will decay,"says the Sean van Voght,
«And the Orange will decay,"says the Sean van Voght.
«And where will they have their camp?"says the Sean van Voght,
«And where will they have their camp?"says the Sean van Voght.
«On the Curragh of Kildare and the boys will all be there
With their pikes in good repair."says the Sean van Voght,
«With their pikes in good repair."says the Sean van Voght
«And what will the yeomen do?"says the Sean van Voght,
«And what will the yeomen do?"says the Sean van Voght,
«What will the yeomen do but throw off the red and blue,
And swear they will be true to the Sean van Voght?
And swear they will be true to the Sean van Voght?»
«Then what colour will be seen?"says the Sean van Voght,
«Then what colour will be seen?"says the Sean van Voght,
«What colour should be seen where our fathers' homes have been
But our own immortal green? «says the Sean van Voght,
«But our own immortal green? «says the Sean van Voght.
«Will old Ireland then be free? «says the Sean van Voght,
«Will old Ireland then be free? «says the Sean van Voght,
«Old Ireland shall be free from the centre to the sea;
Then hurrah for liberty,"says the Sean van Voght.
Note: Sean van Voght means, literally, the old woman;
figuratively, Ireland. From the 1798 uprising. RG