James Connolly Lyrics

James Connolly lyrics

Marchin' down O'Connell Street with the
  Starry Plough on high
There goes the Citizen Army with their
  fists raised in the sky
Leading them is a mighty man with a mad rage in his eye
"My name is James Connolly - I didn't come here to die
But to fight for the rights of the working man
The small farmer too
To protect the proletariat from the
  bosses and their screws
So hold on to your rifles, boys, and
  don't give up your dream -
Of a Republic for the workin' class and economic liberty"
 
Then Jem yelled out "Oh citizens,this system is a curse
An English boss is a monster, An Irish one even worse
They'll never lock us out again and
  here's the reason why
My name is James Connolly, I didn't come here to die..."
 
And now we've got the GPO with the bullets whizzin' by
With Pearse and Sean McDermott
  biddin' each other goodbye
Up steps our citizen leader and roars out to the sky
"My name is James Connolly, I didn't come here to die...
 
Oh Lily, I don't want to die, we've got so much to live for
And I know we're just goin' out to get slaughtered,
  but I just can't take any more
Just the sight of one more child screamin'
  from hunger in a Dublin slum
Or his mother slavin' 14 hours a day for the scum
Who exploit her and take her youth and 
  throw it on a factory floor
Oh Lily, I just can't take any more
 
They've locked us out, they've banned our unions,
they even treat their animals better than us
No!  It's far better to die like a man on your feet than to
  live forever like some slave on your knees, Lily
But don't let them wrap any green flag around me
And, for God's sake, don't let them bury me in some field
  full of harps and shamrocks
And whatever you do, don't let them make a 
  martyr out of me
No!  Rather raise the Starry Plough on high and
  sing a song of freedom
Here's to you, Lily, the rights of man and
  international revolution"
 
We fought them to a standstill while the flames
  lit up the sky
'Til a bullet pierced our leader and we gave up the fight
They shot him in Kilmainham jail but they'll
  never stop his cry
"My name is James Connolly, I didn't come here to die..."