The Bonny Light Horseman Lyrics
PlanxtySee also - Traditional Lyrics
Music Video
The Bonny Light Horseman Lyrics
Lyrics (Planxty Version)
Oh, Napoleon Bonaparte, you're the cause of my woe
Since my bonny light horseman to the wars he did go
Broken hearted I'll wander, broken hearted I'll remain
Since my bonny light horseman in the wars he was slain
When Boney commanded his armies to stand
And proud lift his banners all gayly and grand
He levelled his cannons right over the plain
And my bonny light horseman in the wars he was slain
Oh, Napoleon Bonaparte, you're the cause of my woe
Since my bonny light horseman to the wars he did go
Broken hearted I'll wander, broken hearted I'll remain
Since my bonny light horseman in the wars he was slain
And if I was some small bird and had wings and could fly
I would fly over the salt sea where my true love does lie
Three years and six months now, since he left this bright shore
Oh, my bonny light horseman will I never see you more?
Oh, Napoleon Bonaparte, you're the cause of my woe
Since my bonny light horseman to the wars he did go
Broken hearted I'll wander, broken hearted I'll remain
Since my bonny light horseman in the wars he was slain
And the dove she laments for her mate as she flies
"Oh, where, tell me where is my true love?" she sighs
"And where in this wide world is there one to compare
With my bonny light horseman who was killed in the war?"
Oh, Napoleon Bonaparte, you're the cause of my woe
Since my bonny light horseman to the wars he did go
Broken hearted I'll wander, broken hearted I'll remain
Since my bonny light horseman in the wars he was slain
The Bonny Light Horseman - Traditional Lyrics
Lyrics (Traditional Version)
You wives, maids and widows, I pray give attention,
Unto these few lines I'm going to mention.
Of a maid in distraction that's now going to wander,
She relies upon George for the loss of her lover.
Broken hearted I'll wander for the loss of my lover,
My bonny light horseman was slain in the war.
Three years and six months he went from England's shore,
My bonny light horseman will I never see more,
When he mounted on horseback so gallant and brave,
And among the whole regiment respected he was.
Broken hearted I'll wander for the loss of my lover,
My bonny light horseman was slain in the war.
I will dress in man's apparel, to the regiment I will go,
I will be a true subject and fight all his foes,
I will count it an honour if I could obtain,
For to die in the field where my true love was slain.
Broken hearted I'll wander for the loss of my lover,
My bonny light horseman was slain in the war.
Had I the wings of an eagle into the air I would fly,
I would cross the seas where my true love doth lie,
And with my fond wings I would bear on his grave,
And kiss his cold lips that are pale in the clay.
Broken hearted I'll wander for the loss of my lover,
My bonny light horseman was slain in the war.
Now the dove she laments for the loss of her mate,
Oh! where shall I wander, my true love, she said,
There's no mortal breathing my favour shall gain
Since my bonny light horseman in the wars he was slain.
Broken hearted I'll wander for the loss of my lover,
My bonny light horseman was slain in the war.
When Bony commanded his men how to stand,
And proud wav'd his banners all gaily and grand,
He fixed his cannon the victory to gain,
But my bonny light horseman in battle was slain.
Broken hearted I'll wander for the loss of my lover,
My bonny light horseman was slain in the war.
Song Details
🎶 Music & Lyrics: Traditional
📅 Earliest Date: before 1820 — based on an early broadside printing held in the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
📝Song Brief: A traditional Napoleonic‑era lament told through the voice of a young woman grieving the loss of her soldier lover. She wanders in sorrow, recalling how he was taken from her to fight in the wars against Napoleon. The song places her heartbreak against the backdrop of early 19th‑century conflict, and the battles that claimed so many lives.
📖 Glossary:- Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) — French military leader whose campaigns shaped Europe in the early 1800s. His wars — especially the Peninsular War in Spain and Portugal — caused the loss of many young soldiers from Britain and Ireland.
- Boney — a common folk‑song nickname for Napoleon Bonaparte. It appears in many traditional songs of the period and reflects how ordinary people referred to him during the Napoleonic Wars.
- George — In Napoleonic‑era songs, “George” refers to King George III (1738–1820), the British monarch during the wars against Napoleon. His name appears in many broadside ballads of the early 19th century, often as a symbol of the government or the military authority that sent young men to fight abroad.
- light horseman — A soldier in a fast‑moving cavalry regiment, trained to ride quickly, scout ahead, and fight with sabres or carbines. During the Napoleonic Wars, light horsemen were often young men sent to the front lines in Spain and Portugal.
🍀 Genre: Traditional Folk Ballad (Napoleonic Era)
👥 Covers: "Lunasa ft. Natalie Merchant, Cherish The Ladies, Siobhan Miller, John Faulkner, Socks in the Frying Pan, Robin James Hurt.
🎤 Featured Artists: Planxty - one of the most influential Irish folk groups of the 1970s, known for revitalising traditional music with rich arrangements, uilleann pipes, bouzouki, and close vocal harmony. Formed by Christy Moore, Andy Irvine, Dónal Lunny, and Liam O’Flynn, the band helped shape the modern Irish folk revival.
💿 Album: After The Break
Released: 1979
Label: Tara Music
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📖 References
- The Forget Me Not Songster - pp. 191-192
Publisher: New York : Nafis & Cornish
Publication date: March 1840
Source: Internet Archive - A Pioneer Songster - pp. 74-75
Texts from The Stevens-Douglass Manuscript of Western New York 1841-1856
Publication date: March 1958
Source: Internet Archive - The Traditional Ballad Index
Title: Bonny Light Horseman, The
Source: The Ballad Index - Roud Folk Song Index
Roud #1185 — “The Bonny Light Horseman”.
Source: Vaughan Williams Memorial Library - Peninsular War
Historical context for songs of the Peninsular War and early 19th-century ballads.
Source: Wikipedia
