Irish Citizen Army song lyrics and guitar chords
Words by Liam Mac Gabhann, Music by Ray Collins
For YouTube version use capo on 1st fret, guitar chords by Marc Fahrbach. A fine tribute song to former union leaders of James Connelly [ song lyrics ] and James Larkin who formed the Irish Transport And General Workers Union which later became S.I.P.T.U which is now the biggest union in Ireland. Unfortunately the principles of the founder members never got passed on to the current leadership. Unions throughout the world are now big business with profits in the millions while many of the workers they claim to represent are on the breadline
For YouTube version use capo on 1st fret, guitar chords by Marc Fahrbach. A fine tribute song to former union leaders of James Connelly [ song lyrics ] and James Larkin who formed the Irish Transport And General Workers Union which later became S.I.P.T.U which is now the biggest union in Ireland. Unfortunately the principles of the founder members never got passed on to the current leadership. Unions throughout the world are now big business with profits in the millions while many of the workers they claim to represent are on the breadline
The (Am)Citizen Army is (C)out today, and (G)if you wonder (Am)why,
Go ask the lords of the (C)banking house if their (G)cash returns be (Am)high.
(C)’Tisn’t the bosses who (G)bear the brunt, (F)’tisn’t you and (Em)I,
But those (Am)women and (G)kids whose (Am)tears were (G)hid as the (Am)strikers went stumbling by.
The (C)docker loads two (G)hundred tons in his (F)master’s ship per (Em)day;
At (Am)night the (G)docker’s (Am)daughter (G)bends her (Am)weary limbs to pray.
From the (C)old North Wall to (G)Liberty Hall was a (F)dead line of un(Em)skilled;
They (Am)heaved an’ (G)hauled when the (Am)bosses (G)called and (Am)stopped when the bosses willed.
The (Am)Citizen Army is (C)out today, and (G)if you wonder (Am)why,
It’s because Jim Larkin (C)came this way to (G)nail the bosses’ (Am)lie.
The (C)iron gyves on their (G)limbs and lives would (F)crush them till they (Em)die,
Those (Am)women and (G)kids whose (Am)tears were (G)hid as the (Am)strikers went marching by.
The (C)docker and carter and (G)heaver of coal were (F)only the backwash (Em)then,
Till (Am)Larkin (G)built that (Am)union (G)up and the (Am)bosses feared again.
From the (C)old North Wall to (G)Liberty Hall came that (F)dead line of un(Em)skilled
In a (Am)new-born (G)fight for the (Am)workers’ (G)rights that the (Am)bosses thought they’d killed.
The (Am)Citizen Army is (C)out today, and (G)if you wonder (Am)why,
Go ask the troops in their (C)masters’ pay if the (G)blood on their guns be (Am)dry.
Ah, (C)well, they won where the (G)baton and gun have swung (F)where the dead ones (Em)lie,
For those (Am)women and (G)kids whose (Am)tears were (G)hid as the (Am)wounded went staggering by.
Jim (C)Connolly watches (G)ships sail out through (F)flags at Kingstown (Em)Pier,
And (Am)starving (G)Dublin (Am)sends its (G)toil of (Am)guard and fusilier-
(C)Food for the guns that (G)over the world have (F)thundered murder’s (Em)peal,
And (Am)Dublin’s (G)broken (Am)union (G)men die (Am)first on Flanders fields.
The (Am)Citizen Army is (C)out today, and (G)if you wonder (Am)why,
Go ask them in the (C)grey and green why the (G)Starry Plough flies (Am)high.
(C)’Tisn’t only the bosses we (G)challenge now, for (F)Connolly has cast the (Em)die
For those (Am)women and (G)kids whose (Am)tears were (G)hid as the (Am)soldiers went marching by.
(C)Four hundred (G)bosses planned to break that (F)dead line of un(Em)skilled;
Change of verse structure:
(C)Four hundred (G)bosses drink to(F)night, for Connolly is (Em)killed;
But, (C)dead or alive, there (G)are those who chose a (F)glorious thing to (Em)do,
For (Am)Connolly (G)built that (Am)union (G)up for the (Am)likes of me and you.
The (Am)Citizen Army is (C)out today, and (G)if you wonder (Am)why,
Go ask the lords of the (C)banking house if their (G)cash returns be (Am)high.
For (C)they are there, and (G)we are here: it’s a (F)fight to the knife a(Em)gain;
The (Am)Citizen (G)Army is (Am)out to(G)day- come, (Am)workers, rise again!
The (Am)Citizen (G)Army is (Am)out to(G)day- come, (Am)workers, rise again!
The (Am)Citizen (G)Army is (Am)out to(G)day- come, (Am)workers, rise again!
Go ask the lords of the (C)banking house if their (G)cash returns be (Am)high.
(C)’Tisn’t the bosses who (G)bear the brunt, (F)’tisn’t you and (Em)I,
But those (Am)women and (G)kids whose (Am)tears were (G)hid as the (Am)strikers went stumbling by.
The (C)docker loads two (G)hundred tons in his (F)master’s ship per (Em)day;
At (Am)night the (G)docker’s (Am)daughter (G)bends her (Am)weary limbs to pray.
From the (C)old North Wall to (G)Liberty Hall was a (F)dead line of un(Em)skilled;
They (Am)heaved an’ (G)hauled when the (Am)bosses (G)called and (Am)stopped when the bosses willed.
The (Am)Citizen Army is (C)out today, and (G)if you wonder (Am)why,
It’s because Jim Larkin (C)came this way to (G)nail the bosses’ (Am)lie.
The (C)iron gyves on their (G)limbs and lives would (F)crush them till they (Em)die,
Those (Am)women and (G)kids whose (Am)tears were (G)hid as the (Am)strikers went marching by.
The (C)docker and carter and (G)heaver of coal were (F)only the backwash (Em)then,
Till (Am)Larkin (G)built that (Am)union (G)up and the (Am)bosses feared again.
From the (C)old North Wall to (G)Liberty Hall came that (F)dead line of un(Em)skilled
In a (Am)new-born (G)fight for the (Am)workers’ (G)rights that the (Am)bosses thought they’d killed.
The (Am)Citizen Army is (C)out today, and (G)if you wonder (Am)why,
Go ask the troops in their (C)masters’ pay if the (G)blood on their guns be (Am)dry.
Ah, (C)well, they won where the (G)baton and gun have swung (F)where the dead ones (Em)lie,
For those (Am)women and (G)kids whose (Am)tears were (G)hid as the (Am)wounded went staggering by.
Jim (C)Connolly watches (G)ships sail out through (F)flags at Kingstown (Em)Pier,
And (Am)starving (G)Dublin (Am)sends its (G)toil of (Am)guard and fusilier-
(C)Food for the guns that (G)over the world have (F)thundered murder’s (Em)peal,
And (Am)Dublin’s (G)broken (Am)union (G)men die (Am)first on Flanders fields.
The (Am)Citizen Army is (C)out today, and (G)if you wonder (Am)why,
Go ask them in the (C)grey and green why the (G)Starry Plough flies (Am)high.
(C)’Tisn’t only the bosses we (G)challenge now, for (F)Connolly has cast the (Em)die
For those (Am)women and (G)kids whose (Am)tears were (G)hid as the (Am)soldiers went marching by.
(C)Four hundred (G)bosses planned to break that (F)dead line of un(Em)skilled;
Change of verse structure:
(C)Four hundred (G)bosses drink to(F)night, for Connolly is (Em)killed;
But, (C)dead or alive, there (G)are those who chose a (F)glorious thing to (Em)do,
For (Am)Connolly (G)built that (Am)union (G)up for the (Am)likes of me and you.
The (Am)Citizen Army is (C)out today, and (G)if you wonder (Am)why,
Go ask the lords of the (C)banking house if their (G)cash returns be (Am)high.
For (C)they are there, and (G)we are here: it’s a (F)fight to the knife a(Em)gain;
The (Am)Citizen (G)Army is (Am)out to(G)day- come, (Am)workers, rise again!
The (Am)Citizen (G)Army is (Am)out to(G)day- come, (Am)workers, rise again!
The (Am)Citizen (G)Army is (Am)out to(G)day- come, (Am)workers, rise again!
Irish Citizen Army poster from 1916
