No Irish Need Apply
Pete Seeger| Versione francese di Licorne da Chants pour une Irlande libre | |
THEY TOLD US NO IRISH NEED APPLY Just think of all the presidents who came from Irish folk There was Wilson and Buchanan, there was Jackson, Grant and Polk There was Cleveland and McKinley and the brave Jack Kennedy And many more whose names have joined that goodly company And they told us no Irish need apply! Yes, they told us no Irish need apply! You've heard about James Curley, that man of great renown And Honey Fitz, who proved his worth as Mayor of Boston town And Rose and Ted and Bob and Jack and all the Kennedy clan And the noble John McCormack, who is honored through the land And they told us no Irish need apply! Yes, they told us no Irish need apply! Did you know John Hancock's family came from the County Down? And composer Victor Herbert, he was born in Dublin town And the blood in Davy Crockett's veins was Irish through and through And Connie Mack, the baseball great, well he was Irish too And they told us no Irish need apply! Yes, they told us no Irish need apply! The father of the navy, John Barry was his name He was a gallant Irishman, from Wexford town he came To the many Irish giants in the literary field You can add F. Scott Fitzgerald and the great Eugene O'Neill And they told us no Irish need apply! Yes, they told us no Irish need apply! Whenever people talk about great service to mankind No doubt, the name of Boston's Cardinal Cushing comes to mind And Doctor Thomas Dooley should be leader of the van His entire life was spent in helping out his fellow man And they told us no Irish need apply! Yes, they told us no Irish need apply! In the noble art of self-defence, as you'll already know We had men like John L. Sullivan, who never feared a foe And gentleman Jim Corbett was among the very best Likewise the bold Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey and the rest And they told us no Irish need apply! Yes, they told us no Irish need apply! We're the men who built the railroads, we're the men who fought the wars We're the men who manned the police force, we're the men who drove street cars We're the men who formed your unions, we're the men who sang your songs We're the men who filled your history and tried to right your wrongs And they told us no Irish need apply! Yes, they told us no Irish need apply! | IRLANDAIS S'ABSTENIR Je suis un jeune homme convenable qui arrive juste De la ville de Ballyfad; Je veux un travail, oui, Et je le veux vraiment. J'ai vu un poste offert, "C'est ce qu'il me faut," dis-je, "Mais le sale papillon se terminait par 'Irlandais s'abstenir.' " "Whoa," dis-je, "c'est une insulte, Mais je vais tenter d'avoir la place," Je vais donc voir cette canaille Avec son "Irlandais s'abstenir." Pour certains c'est une malchance D'être baptisé Pat ou Dan, Mais pour moi c'est un honneur D'être né Irlandais. Je commence à chercher l'adresse, Je la trouve vraiment vite; Là je trouve le vieux compère assis, En train de lire The Tribune. Je lui dit pourquoi je viens, Quand il s'enrage, "Non!" dit-il, "Tu es un Paddy, Et 'Irlandais s'abstenir'." J'ai alors senti ma colère monter Et j'ai voulu lui pocher un oeuil Pour avoir dit à un gentilhomme Irlandais "Irlandais s'abstenir." Pour certains c'est une malchance D'être baptisé Pat ou Dan, Mais pour moi c'est un honneur D'être né Irlandais. Je ne pouvais le souffrir plus longtemps Je l'ai alors attrapé, Et lui ai flanqué une raclée Comme celle qu'il aurait pris à Donnybrook. Il braillait, "Milia murther," Et il a tenté de s'échapper, Et il a juré qu'il n'écrirait plus jamais "Irlandais s'abstenir." Il s'est donc profondément excusé, Je lui ai donné mon au-revoir, En disant, "La prochaine fois que vous voudrez une raclée, Ecrivez 'Irlandais s'abstenir.' " Pour certains c'est une malchance D'être baptisé Pat ou Dan, Mais pour moi c'est un honneur D'être né Irlandais. |
