Chumbawamba - Smashing Of The Van lyrics
[Chumbawamba - Smashing Of The Van lyrics]
Attend you gallant Irishmen and
Listen for a while
I'll sing to you the praises of
The sons of Erin's Isle
It's of those gallant heroes
Who voluntarily ran
To release two Irish shamrocks from
An English prison van
The eighteenth of September it was
In that dreadful year
When sorrow and excitement ran
Throughout all Lancashire
At a gathering of the Irish
Boys they volunteered each man
To release those Irish prisoners out
Of the prison van
Hurrah! My lads for freedom
Let's all join heart and hand
May the Lord have mercy on the boys
That helped to smash the van
In Manchester one morning those
Good heroes did agree
Their leaders, Kelly and Deasy
Should have their liberty
They drank a health to Ireland and
Soon made up a plan
To meet the prisoners on the road
And take and smash the van
With courage bold those heroes went and
Soon the van did stop
They cleared the guards from back and front
And then smashed in the top
But in blowing open of the lock
They chanced to kill a man
So three men must die on the scaffold
High for smashing of the van
So now kind friends I will conclude
I think it would be right
That all true hearted Irish
Men together should unite
Together should sympathise my friends and
Do the best we can
To keep the memories evergreen of the
Boys that smashed the van
Listen for a while
I'll sing to you the praises of
The sons of Erin's Isle
It's of those gallant heroes
Who voluntarily ran
To release two Irish shamrocks from
An English prison van
The eighteenth of September it was
In that dreadful year
When sorrow and excitement ran
Throughout all Lancashire
At a gathering of the Irish
Boys they volunteered each man
To release those Irish prisoners out
Of the prison van
Hurrah! My lads for freedom
Let's all join heart and hand
May the Lord have mercy on the boys
That helped to smash the van
In Manchester one morning those
Good heroes did agree
Their leaders, Kelly and Deasy
Should have their liberty
They drank a health to Ireland and
Soon made up a plan
To meet the prisoners on the road
And take and smash the van
With courage bold those heroes went and
Soon the van did stop
They cleared the guards from back and front
And then smashed in the top
But in blowing open of the lock
They chanced to kill a man
So three men must die on the scaffold
High for smashing of the van
So now kind friends I will conclude
I think it would be right
That all true hearted Irish
Men together should unite
Together should sympathise my friends and
Do the best we can
To keep the memories evergreen of the
Boys that smashed the van