In Mountjoy jail one Monday morning
High upon the gallows tree,
Kevin Barry gave his young life
For the cause of liberty.
Just a lad of eighteen summers,
Still there's no one can deny,
As he walked to death that morning,
He proudly held his head on high.
Shoot me like an Irish soldier.
Do not hang me like a dog,
For I fought to free old Ireland
On that still September morn.
All around the little bakery
Where we fought them hand to hand,
Shoot me like an Irish soldier,
For I fought to free Ireland
Just before he faced the hangman,
In his dreary prison cell,
British soldiers tortured Barry,
Just because he would not tell.
The names of his brave comrades,
And other things they wished to know.
Turn informer or we'll kill you
Kevin Barry answered "No".
Shoot me like an Irish soldier.
Do not hang me like a dog,
For I fought to free old Ireland
On that still September morn.
All around the little bakery
Where we fought them hand to hand,
Shoot me like an Irish soldier,
For I fought to free Ireland
Proudly standing to attention
While he bade his last farewell
To his broken hearted mother
Whose grief no one can tell.
For the cause he proudly cherished
This sad parting had to be
Then to death walked softly smiling
That old Ireland might be free.
Shoot me like an Irish soldier.
Do not hang me like a dog,
For I fought to free old Ireland
On that still September morn.
All around the little bakery
Where we fought them hand to hand,
Shoot me like an Irish soldier,
For I fought to free Ireland
Another martyr for old Ireland,
Another murder for the crown,
Whose brutal laws may kill the Irish,
But can't keep their spirit down.
Lads like Barry are no cowards.
From the foe they will not fly.
Lads like Barry will free Ireland,
For her sake they'll live and die.
High upon the gallows tree,
Kevin Barry gave his young life
For the cause of liberty.
Just a lad of eighteen summers,
Still there's no one can deny,
As he walked to death that morning,
He proudly held his head on high.
Shoot me like an Irish soldier.
Do not hang me like a dog,
For I fought to free old Ireland
On that still September morn.
All around the little bakery
Where we fought them hand to hand,
Shoot me like an Irish soldier,
For I fought to free Ireland
Just before he faced the hangman,
In his dreary prison cell,
British soldiers tortured Barry,
Just because he would not tell.
The names of his brave comrades,
And other things they wished to know.
Turn informer or we'll kill you
Kevin Barry answered "No".
Shoot me like an Irish soldier.
Do not hang me like a dog,
For I fought to free old Ireland
On that still September morn.
All around the little bakery
Where we fought them hand to hand,
Shoot me like an Irish soldier,
For I fought to free Ireland
Proudly standing to attention
While he bade his last farewell
To his broken hearted mother
Whose grief no one can tell.
For the cause he proudly cherished
This sad parting had to be
Then to death walked softly smiling
That old Ireland might be free.
Shoot me like an Irish soldier.
Do not hang me like a dog,
For I fought to free old Ireland
On that still September morn.
All around the little bakery
Where we fought them hand to hand,
Shoot me like an Irish soldier,
For I fought to free Ireland
Another martyr for old Ireland,
Another murder for the crown,
Whose brutal laws may kill the Irish,
But can't keep their spirit down.
Lads like Barry are no cowards.
From the foe they will not fly.
Lads like Barry will free Ireland,
For her sake they'll live and die.
Contributed by Alessandro - 2010/1/20 - 14:27
Language: English
Versione inglese di Earl Robinson da “Earl Robinson Sings”, Folkways Records, 1963.
KEVIN BARRY
Early on a Sunday morning
High upon the gallows tree
Kevin Barry gave his young life
For the cause of liberty
Only a lad of eighteen summers
Yet there's no one can deny
That he went to death that morning
Nobly held his head on high.
Shoot me like an Irish soldier.
Do not hang me like a dog,
For I fought for Ireland’s freedom
On that bright September morn.
All around the little bakery
Where we fought them hand to hand
Shoot me like an Irish soldier
For I fought to free Ireland
On that morning that they left him
Down there in hs lonely cell
British soldiers tortured Barry,
Just because he would not tell
Then the names of his brave companions,
And other things they wished to know:
“Turn informer and we’ll free you”
Proudly Barry answered, "No!".
Shoot me like an Irish soldier.
Do not hang me like a dog,
For I fought for Ireland’s freedom
On that bright September morn.
All around the little bakery
Where we fought them hand to hand
Shoot me like an Irish soldier
For I fought to free Ireland
Early on a Sunday morning
High upon the gallows tree
Kevin Barry gave his young life
For the cause of liberty
Only a lad of eighteen summers
Yet there's no one can deny
That he went to death that morning
Nobly held his head on high.
Shoot me like an Irish soldier.
Do not hang me like a dog,
For I fought for Ireland’s freedom
On that bright September morn.
All around the little bakery
Where we fought them hand to hand
Shoot me like an Irish soldier
For I fought to free Ireland
On that morning that they left him
Down there in hs lonely cell
British soldiers tortured Barry,
Just because he would not tell
Then the names of his brave companions,
And other things they wished to know:
“Turn informer and we’ll free you”
Proudly Barry answered, "No!".
Shoot me like an Irish soldier.
Do not hang me like a dog,
For I fought for Ireland’s freedom
On that bright September morn.
All around the little bakery
Where we fought them hand to hand
Shoot me like an Irish soldier
For I fought to free Ireland
Contributed by Alessandro - 2010/1/20 - 14:28
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Sull’aria della popolare “Rolling Home to Dear Old Ireland”
Una delle più note ballate repubblicane irlandesi dedicata a Caoimhín de Barra, in inglese Kevin Gerard Barry, che nel 1920, appena diciottenne, fu il primo militante dell’IRA ad essere giustiziato dagli inglesi. L’esecuzione del giovanissimo Barry, insieme alla morte, avvenuta pochi giorni prima, del sindaco di Cork Terence MacSwiney in seguito ad uno sciopero della fame ad oltranza, suscitarono un’ondata di sdegno in Irlanda e in tutta Europa e innescarono un’escalation della violenza nella guerra d’indipendenza irlandese (1919-1922).
La canzone è stata interpretata, tra gli altri, da Wolfe Tones, Clancy Brothers, Earl Robinson, Paul Robeson e Leonard Cohen.