I encountered it a long time ago, on a mixtape that was given to my father by his coworker, in the late 80’s I think.
Snippets of lyrics… please keep in mind that I can’t guarantee I heard them correctly at the time, and my memory isn’t the best in the world anyway.
Chorus
“Oh, the Graham, the gallant Graham,
Had the Graham stood by me
The dogs might duke in English blood
'Ere a footsbreadth I would flee”
and partial verses
“As I went walking (something something)
My friends and acquaintances to see,
T’was there I spied a bonnie lad
Wi’ heavy eyes tae lay on me”
and
“Sez I to my aged father,
Set all your cares and sorrows free.
For I have knocked the jailer down,
And I’ve set Paul Justin at liberty.”
I’ve been searching for this off and on for years now… Google isn’t helping at all when I look for bits of the above lyrics, not even when I try gaelic spelling.
Sounds like it might have been on the “Gallant Sons of Erin” CD, which was themed for the 28th Regiment of Massachussets Volunteer Infantry. You could try Naxos and see if they have. (I think it’s sub-titled “No Irish Need Apply”)
Interestingly (or not) this song is tune & structurally similar to “The Bonnie Bonne Broom” (The broom of the Cardenknow), a lovely folk song I like a lot.
I’m not sure if Thomas is the specific Graham the song refers to. Thats one of the things I’d like to find out. I can’t find any reference to a historic “Paul Justin”, so I’m not sure if I misheard that, or what.
ETA - I get the feeling my song is themed earlier than the ACW (though I’ve no idea when it was written, or if it’s trad). I can’t listen to those clips from work, but I googled the lyrics on several of those songs, no help.
The verses don’t ring a bell, but the refrain does: “The Gallant Grahams” from the album Sidetracks, by Alan Reid and Brian McNeill (founding members of Battlefied Band), Topic Records LP 1980, not on CD or any other digital format anywhere as far as I know.
