Easter Week Lyrics
Written by Brendan Behan, It's very surprising that nobody else ever sang this song besides Brendan, well that I know of anyway. I tried to put the chords in an easy to play key but wasn't very successful. There's a couple of different songs here that use the same title. I have compiled a list of songs for the Easter rising which is by no means complete but it lists the most famous ballads about that period in Irish history.
The sheet music / tin whistle notes to Who Fears To Speak Of Easter Week are in the ebook of rebel songs for tin whistle here .
Who fears to speak of Easter Week That week of famed renown,
When the boys in green went out to fight The forces of the Crown.
With Mausers bold and hearts of gold And the Countess dressed in green And high above the G.P.O.
The rebel flag was seen.
Then came ten thousand khaki coats Our rebel boys to kill,
Before they reached O'Connell Street, Of fight they got their fill.
They'd Maxim guns and cavalry And cannon in galore;
But it's not our fault that e'er a one Got back to England's shore.
They shot our leaders in a gaol
Without a trial, they say;
They murdered women and children too Who in their cellars lay.
They dug their grave with gun and spade To hide them from our view
Because they could neither kill nor catch The Rebels so bold and true.
May the Lord have mercy on three men Who faced the murderous foe,
There was Dickson, Sheehy-Skeffington And McIntyre also.
'Twas in a dismal barrack cell
They met their fate so cruel,
Yes, they were shot with no clergy got To prepare them for their doom.
Chords In The Key That Brendan Behan Sings In
[F#]Who fears to speak of [C]Easter [Ab]Week That [C]week of famed re[Bb]nown,
When the [C#]boys in [D]green went [C]out to fight The f[C#]orces [Ab]of the [F#]Crown.
With [Bb]Mausers [D]bold and hearts of [F#]gold And the Coun[D]tess dressed in [C]green And [F#]high a[D]bove the [C]G.P[Ab].O.
The [C]rebel [Bb]flag was seen.
Then [F#]came ten thousand [C]khaki coats Our rebel [Bb]boys to kill,
Be[F#]fore they reached [A]O'Connell [C]Street, Of fight they [Bb]got their fill.
[F#]Who fears to speak of [C]Easter [Ab]Week That [C]week of famed re[Bb]nown,
When the [C#]boys in [D]green went [C]out to fight The f[C#]orces [Ab]of the [F#]Crown.
With [Bb]Mausers [D]bold and hearts of [F#]gold And the Coun[D]tess dressed in [C]green And [F#]high a[D]bove the [C]G.P[Ab].O.
The [C]rebel [Bb]flag was seen.
Then [F#]came ten thousand [C]khaki coats Our rebel [Bb]boys to kill,
Be[F#]fore they reached [A]O'Connell [C]Street, Of fight they [Bb]got their fill.
Alternative Chords
[C#]Who fears to speak of [G]Easter [D#]Week That [G]week of famed re[F]nown,
When the [G#]boys in [A]green went [G]out to fight The f[G#]orces [D#]of the [C#]Crown.
With [F]Mausers [A]bold and hearts of [C#]gold And the Coun[A]tess dressed in [G]green And [C#]high a[A]bove the [G]G.P[D#].O.
The [G]rebel [F]flag was seen.
Then [C#]came ten thousand [G]khaki coats Our rebel [F]boys to kill,
Be[C#]fore they reached [E]O'Connell [G]Street, Of fight they [F]got their fill.
[C#]Who fears to speak of [G]Easter [D#]Week That [G]week of famed re[F]nown,
When the [G#]boys in [A]green went [G]out to fight The f[G#]orces [D#]of the [C#]Crown.
With [F]Mausers [A]bold and hearts of [C#]gold And the Coun[A]tess dressed in [G]green And [C#]high a[A]bove the [G]G.P[D#].O.
The [G]rebel [F]flag was seen.
Then [C#]came ten thousand [G]khaki coats Our rebel [F]boys to kill,
Be[C#]fore they reached [E]O'Connell [G]Street, Of fight they [F]got their fill.
Who Fears To Speak Of Easter Week Lyrics
Easter Monday 24th 1916 a small band of Rebels including poets and teachers actors and workers gathers and Dublin and tend on establishing an independent Iris Republic and bringing about an end to 700 years of British rule britain is engaged in war in Europe where its army of mediums including 200,000 are suffering casualties on an unprecedented scale Britain's distraction presents the Rebels with an opportunity and a deliber of hope but the rising is compromised by chaos from the start three days earlier on Friday April 24th Britain's Royal Navy intercepts 20,000 smuggled into Ireland from Germany for the rebellion convinced that without these weapons The Rising is doomed chief of staff of the Irish volunteers Owen McNeil Hunter Mans the mobileization order issued by rebel leader pouring Pierce the countermanding order causes other confusion more than half of the Rebels stay at home despite the setbacks the decision is made the rising will go ahead.
