The Patriot Game Lyrics

The Wolfe Tones

Music Video

The Patriot Game

Come all you young rebels and list while I sing
For the love of one's country is a terrible thing
It banishes fear with the speed of a flame
And it makes us all part of the Patriot Game

My name is O'Hanlon, and I've just gone sixteen
My home is in Monaghan, and where I was weaned
I've learned all my life cruel England to blame
And so I'm a part of the Patriot Game

It's barely two years since I wandered away
With the local battalion of the bold I.R.A.
I 've read of our heroes and I wanted the same
Just to play my own part in the Patriot Game

[Traditional verse omitted by the artists:] They told me how Connolly was shot in a chair
His wounds from the fighting all bleeding and bare
His fine body twisted, all battered and lame
They soon made me part of the Patriot Game

[Traditional verse omitted by the artists:] I don't mind a bit if I shoot down police
They're lackeys for war - never guardians of peace
But yet at deserters I never let aim
Those cowards who sold out the Patriot Game

This island of ours has for long been half free
Six counties are under John Bull's tyranny
So I gave up my boy-hood to drill and to train
And to play my own part in the Patriot Game

And now as I lie here my body all holes
I think of all traitors who bargained and sold
And I wish that my rifle had given the same
To those quislings who sold out the Patriot Game

So come all you young rebels and list' while I sing
For the love of one's country is a terrible thing
It banishes fear with the speed of a flame
And it makes us all part of the Patriot Game

Song Details

🎶 Music: Adapted from a traditional Irish folk tune - The Merry Month of May

✍️Lyricist: Dominic Behan (younger brother of playwright Brendan Behan)

📝 Song Brief: It relates the story of Fergal O'Hanlon, a young IRA volunteer who was killed at the young age of 20 during an attack on the Brookeborough Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks in County Fermanagh on 1st January 1957. The setting of the song took place during the Border Campaign launched by the IRA in the 1950's. The aim of the campaign was to reunify Northern Ireland with The Republic of Ireland... more at Wikipedia

📖 Glossary:

list
An archaic or poetic form of listen. Often used in older ballads to invite the audience to pay attention to the story.
ye
An archaic form of you, common in traditional songs, ballads, and older Irish or English speech.
Monaghan
A county in the northeast of the Republic of Ireland, part of the historic province of Ulster. In the song, it identifies the home of Fergal O’Hanlon, the young volunteer whose story inspired the lyrics.
I.R.A
Acronym for the Irish Republican Army, an organisation that has existed in several forms since 1916.
Connolly
James Connolly (1868–1916), an Irish republican and socialist leader. He played a central role in the 1916 Easter Rising and was executed by firing squad while severely wounded. In songs, his name often symbolises sacrifice and idealism.
John Bull
A traditional personification of England, similar to Uncle Sam in the United States. In folk songs, the name is often used symbolically rather than literally.
De Valera
Éamon de Valera (1882–1975), an American‑born Irish political leader. He fought in the 1916 Rising, led Sinn Féin, served multiple terms as Taoiseach (Prime Minister), and later became President of Ireland.
quisling
A term meaning traitor, especially someone who aids an occupying or enemy force. The word comes from Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian collaborator during World War II.
Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)
The police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. In songs, references to the RUC usually appear in historical or narrative contexts relating to the Troubles.

🍀 Genre: Irish Rebel Song

👥 Covers: The Dubliners, The Clancey Brothers, The Kingston Trio, The Blubells, Judy Collins.

🎤 Featured Artists: The Wolfe Tones

💿 Album The Anthology of Irish Song
Released: 2008
Country: Ireland
Format: 2xCD, Compilation
Label: Celtic Collections

🎸 If you'd like to play this song on guitar, you can view the chord version on our sister site, Bell & Co Music.

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