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(Sung to an ancient Irish air, The Moreen)
The minstrel boy to the war is gone,
In the ranks of death you'll find him;
His father's sword he has girded on,
And his wild harp slung behind him.
"Land of song!" said the warrior bard,
"Tho' all the world betrays thee;
One sword at least thy rights shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee."
The minstrel fell but the foeman's chain
Could not bring that proud soul under;
The harp he lov'd ne'er spoke again,
For he tore its chords asunder.
And said, "No chain shall sully thee,
Thou soul of love and bravery;
Thy songs were made for the pure and free,
They shall never sound in slavery."
It is believed that Thomas Moore wrote The Minstrel Boy in memory of two of his friends from Trinity College in Dublin who participated in the rebellion of the United Irishmen in 1798. One was killed and one was later tried and hung. During the American Civil War, the song became popular among Irish soldiers and an additional verse was added.
The lyrics to this song were found, along with a 1932 calendar, by Maurice Charette of Ontario, in his uncle's notebook which was given to him by his brothers after his father passed away. Maurice noted that the song may have been written down by his grandmother or by his uncle who was 12 in 1932. The notebook is a Gold Medal Flour notebook, about 2-1/2" by 4-1/2". His uncle's name is written on the inside as well as his address which was on Patrick Street in St. John's. Maurice's mother was born there and met his father during World War II when he was serving in Newfoundland. Maurice told GEST his mother probably got the notebook when his grandmother died in 1966.
A variant was recorded by Ryan's Fancy (Curragh's Minstrels, Rocks And Whiskey, ©1971, Gunn Records).
See more songs by Ryan's Fancy.
Also recorded by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem (The Rising Of The Moon or Irish Songs Of Rebellion, 1956)
