David Rovics
The Saint Patrick Battalion
My name is John RileyI'll have your ear only a whileI left my dear home in IrelandIt was death, starvation or exileAnd when I got to AmericaIt was my duty to goEnter the Army and slog across TexasTo join in the war against MexicoIt was there in the pueblos and hillsidesThat I saw the mistake I had madePart of a conquering armyWith the morals of a bayonet bladeSo in the midst of these poor, dying CatholicsScreaming children, the burning stench of it allMyself and two hundred IrishmenDecided to rise to the callFrom Dublin City to San DiegoWe witnessed freedom deniedSo we formed the Saint Patrick BattalionAnd we fought on the Mexican side,We formed the Saint Patrick BattalionAnd we fought on the Mexican sideWe marched 'neath the green flag of Saint PatrickLetras de cancionesEmblazoned with "Erin Go Bragh"Bright with the harp and the shamrockAnd "Libertad para Mexicana"Just fifty years after WolftoneFive thousand miles awayThe Yanks called us a Legion of StrangersAnd they can talk as they mayBut from Dublin City to San DiegoWe witnessed freedom deniedSo we formed the Saint Patrick BattalionAnd we fought on the Mexican side,We formed the Saint Patrick BattalionAnd we fought on the Mexican sideWe fought them in MatamorosWhile their volunteers were raping the nunsIn Monterey and Cerro GordoWe fought on as Ireland's sonsWe were the red-headed fighters for freedomAmidst these brown-skinned women and menSide by side we fought against tyrannyAnd I daresay we'd do it againFrom Dublin City to San DiegoWe witnessed freedom deniedSo we formed the Saint Patrick BattalionAnd we fought on the Mexican side,We formed the Saint Patrick BattalionAnd we fought on the Mexican sideWe fought them in five major battlesChurobusco was the lastOverwhelmed by the cannons from BostonWe fell after each mortar blastMost of us died on that hillsideIn the service of the Mexican stateSo far from our occupied homelandWe were heroes and victims of fateFrom Dublin City to San DiegoWe witnessed freedom deniedSo we formed the Saint Patrick BattalionAnd we fought on the Mexican sideFrom Dublin City to San DiegoWe witnessed freedom deniedSo we formed the Saint Patrick BattalionAnd we fought on the Mexican side,We formed the Saint Patrick BattalionAnd we fought on the Mexican side
From Letras Mania