| |
| BY William led, the English sped, | |
| With musket, sword, and cannon, | |
| To sweep us all from Limerick’s wall, | |
| And drown us in the Shannon; | |
| But we bethought how well they fought, | 5 |
| Our fathers there before us; | |
| We raised on high our charging cry, | |
| And flung our green flag o’er us! | |
| |
| For days on days their cannon’s blaze | |
| Flashed by the blood-stained water; | 10 |
| The breach is done, and up they run, | |
| Five hundred to the slaughter; | |
| They crossed the breach beyond our reach, | |
| New foes fresh work supplied us; | |
| Our women brave, their homes to save, | 15 |
| Soon slew them all inside us! | |
| |
| Though through the smoke their army broke, | |
| With cannons booming solemn, | |
| We would not flinch, but inch for inch | |
| Opposed its bristling column; | 20 |
| Three times we dashed them back, and smashed | |
| Their lines with shot and sabre, | |
| And naught had they at close of day | |
| But thinned ranks for their labor. | |
| |
| With angry word then said their lord, | 25 |
| “Our foes are better, braver!” | |
| Then fled he straight from Limerick’s gate, | |
| For he could not enslave her; | |
| Then raised we high our triumph cry, | |
| Where battle’s chances found us, | 30 |
| With corse and gun and red flags strewn, | |
| And blood and ruin round us! | |
| |
