Oh father dear, and I often hear
Her lofty scenes, her valleys green,
her mountains rude and wild
They say it is a lovely land wherein a
Then, why did you abandon it?
Oh, the reason to me, tell
My son, I loved my native land
'Til a blight came over all my crops
and my sheep and cattle died
The rents and taxes were to pay and I could
And that's the cruel reason I
'Tis well do I remember the
When the bailiff and the land
lord came to drive us all away
They set the roof on fire with
their cursed English spleen
And that's another reason
Oh, your mother too, God rest her soul, lay on the snowy
Oh, you were only two years old
and feeble was your frame
I could not leave you with my friends
for you bore your father's name
I wrapped you in my cóta mór at the dead
And I heaved a sigh and I said goodbye
and the day will come when in vengeance we will call
All Irish men, both stout and tall,
I'll be the man to lead the band
beneath the flag of green
And loud and high, we'll raise the cry,
"Revenge for Skibbereen!"
