Saturday, October 9, 2010

A Rebel Song - James Connolly (1903)

Come workers sing a rebel song,

A song of love and hate,

Of love unto the lowly

And of hatred to the great.

The great who trod our fathers down,

Who steal our children’s bread,

Whose hands of greed are stretched to rob

The living and the dead.


chorus:

Then sing our rebel song as we

proudly sweep along

To end the age-old tyranny

that makes for human tears.

Our march is nearer done, with

each setting of the sun.

And the tyrants’ might is passing

with the passing of the years.



We sing no more of wailing

And no songs of sighs or tears;

High are our hopes and stout our hearts

And banished all our fears.

Our flag is raised above us

So that all the world may see,

’Tis Labour’s faith and Labour’s arm

Alone can Labour free.


chorus

Out of the depths of misery

We march with hearts aflame;

With wrath against the rulers false

Who wreck our manhood’s name.

The serf who licks the tyrant’s rod

May bend forgiving knee;

The slave who breaks his slavery's chain

A wrathful man must be.


chorus

Our army marches onward

With its face towards the dawn,

In trust secure in that one thing

The slave may lean upon.

The might within the arm of him

Who knowing freedom’s worth,

Strikes hard to banish tyranny

From off the face of earth.


chorus

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