Henrik Norbeck's Song Lyrics

Bantry Girl's Lament

Sheet Music (and more information about this song)

Oh, who will plough the fields now, and who will sow the corn?
And who will watch the sheep now, and keep them neatly shorn?
The stack that's in the haggard, unthreshed it will remain
Since Johnny, lovely Johnny went to fight the king of Spain

Oh, the girls of the Banóg in sorrow may retire
And the piper and his bellows may go home and blow the fire
Since Johnny, lovely Johnny went sailing o'er the main
Along with other patriots to fight the king of Spain

The boys will sorely miss him when Moneymore comes round
And grieve when their bold captain is nowhere to be found
And the peelers may stand idle against their will and grain
Since the valiant boy who gave them work now peels the king of Spain

At wakes and hurling matches your like we'll never see
'Till you come back again to us, a stoirín óg mo chroí
And won't you trounce the buckeens, who show us much disdain
Because our eyes are not so bright as those you'll see in Spain

Oh, if cruel fate should not permit our Johnny to return
His awful loss we Bantry girls will never cease to mourn
We'll resign ourselves to our sad lot and live in grief and pain
Since Johnny died for Ireland's pride in the foreign land of Spain

Discography: Dolores Keane

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