O Paddy dear,
and did ye hear the
news that's
goin' round?
The shamrock is
by law forbid to
grow on Irish ground
Saint Patrick's Day
no more we'll keep
his colour
won't be seen
For there's a
cruel law ag'in the
wearin' o' the green
I met with Napper Tandy
and he took
me by the hand
And he said
"How's poor
old Ireland
and how does
she stand?"
She's the most
distressful country
that ever yet
was seen
They're hanging men
and women there
for the
wearin' o' the green"
But if at last
our colour should be
torn from
Ireland's heart
Her sons with shame
and sorrow from the
dear old isle
will part
I've heard the whisper
of the land that
lies beyond the sea
Where rich and poor
stand equal in
the light of
freedom's hay
Oh Erin must we
leave you driven
by a tyrant's hand
Must we seek a
mother's blessing
from a strange
and distant land
Where the cruel
cross of England
shall never more
be seen
And where please God
we'll live and die
still wearin' of
the green
She's the most
distressful country
that ever yet
was seen
They're hanging men
and women there
for the
wearin o' the green