We all know Irish immigrants fought in the Civil War . . . I did not appreciate until recently that they fought for both sides, though more of them for the Union than the Confederacy – I guess they mostly just aligned with their neighbors, and the North had always been more attractive to immigrants than the South, so more Irish settled there.
Anyway, recently, doing the YouTube equivalent of a Wiki Walk, I came across several Irish war-songs from the Civil War that I’d never heard before. Most of them have melodies derived from other songs (wartime, things get rushed, adding new lyrics to a known song is easier than writing a whole new one), e.g.:
UNION:
“The Irish Volunteer” – lyrics – melody appears to be from “The Bonnie Blue Flag,” but, actually, both songs’ melodies come originally from an Irish-Irish song, “The Irish Jaunting Car.”
“We’ll Fight for Uncle Sam” – lyrics – melody is from another Irish-Irish song, “Whiskey in the Jar.”
“The Fighting 69th” – lyrics – TTTO another Irish-Irish song, “The Star of the County Down.”
CONFEDERATE:
“The Irish Brigade” or “Kelly’s Irish Brigade” – lyrics – I don’t know the source of the melody, would like to know it; but, it’s this other one I started this thread to ask about:
“Song of the Irish Brigade” or “Irish Soldiers” – lyrics – and since there can be no question of copyright, I hope, I will C&P the whole lyrics here – but only hearing the song can convey the impact!
Oh, not now for songs of a nation’s wrongs,
not the groans of starving labor;
Let the rifle ring and the bullet sing
to the clash of the flashing sabre!
There are Irish ranks on the tented banks
of Columbia’s guarded ocean;
And an iron clank from flank to flank
tells of armed men in motion.
And frank souls there clear true and bare
To all, as the steel beside them,
Can love or hate with the the strength of Fate,
Till the grave of the valiant hide them.
Each seems to be mailed Ard Righ,
whose sword’s avenging glory
Must light the fight and smite for Right,
Like Brian’s in olden story!
With pale affright and panic flight
Shall dastard Yankees base and hollow,
Hear a Celtic race, from their battle place,
Charge to the shout of “Faugh-a-ballaugh!”
By the souls above, by the land we love
Her tears bleeding patience
The sledge is wrought that shall smash to naught
The brazen liar of nations.
The Irish green shall again be seen
as our Irish fathers bore it,
A burning wind from the South behind,
and the Yankee rout before it!
O’Neil’s red hand shall purge the land-
Rain a fire on men and cattle,
Till the Lincoln snakes in their own cold lakes
Plunge from the blaze of battle.
The knaves that rest on Columbia’s breast,
and the voice of true men stifle;
we’ll exorcise from the rescued prize-
Our talisman, the rifle;
For a tyrant’s life a bowie knife!-
Of Union knot dissolvers,
The best we ken are stalwart men,
Columbiads* and revolvers!
Whoe’er shall march by triumphal arch
Whoe’er may swell the slaughter,
Our drums shall roll from the Capitol
O’er Potomac’s fateful water!
Rise, bleeding ghosts, to the Lord of Hosts
For judgment final and solemn;
Your fanatic horde to the edge of the sword
Is doomed line, square, and column!
:eek: Wow!
Just ,wow!
That is not only the most richly poetic and lyrical Civil War song I have ever heard, it is the most warlike song I have ever heard from any war! I mean, seriously, by comparison the Waffen-SS’ “Seig Heil Viktoria” is for pacifist pussies and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” might as well be “Kumbayah!”
But where’s the melody come from?
- “Columbiad” is a kind of cannon.
