In honor of the Irish - James Connolly

In honor of the Irish, for St. Patrick’s day, here are the lyrics from the Irish band Black 47. The Irish have had to fight for their independence for over a thousand years and they still aren’t completely free. James Connolly was a labor leader and Marxists.

Born Edinburgh, Scotland of Irish parents – said to have first come to Ireland in his youth as a member of the British Army – married in 1889 – active in The Socialist movement in Edinburgh in the early 1890s – came to Ireland in 1896 and founded the Irish Socialist Republican Party – lectured on socialism in Britain and U.S., 1902 – emigrated to U.S. in 1903 – member of Socialist Labour Party (U.S.) and the Industrial Workers of the World – founded the Irish Socialist Federation in New York, 1907 – returned to Ireland in 1910 as organiser for The Socialist Party of Ireland – Belfast organiser of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, 1910 – acting Gen. Sec. of I.T.G.W.U. and Commandant of the Irish Citizen Army, 1914 – Commandant General of Dublin Division of the Army of the Republic, 1916 – executed following the 1916 Uprising.

“James Connolly”

Marchin' down O'Connell Street with the

Starry Plough on high

There goes the Citizen Army with their

fists raised in the sky

Leading them is a mighty man with a mad rage in his eye

"My name is James Connolly - I didn't come here to die

But to fight for the rights of the working man

The small farmer too

To protect the proletariat from the

bosses and their screws

So hold on to your rifles, boys, and

don't give up your dream -

Of a Republic for the workin' class and economic liberty"

Then Jem yelled out "Oh citizens,this system is a curse

An English boss is a monster, An Irish one even worse

They'll never lock us out again and

here's the reason why

My name is James Connolly, I didn't come here to die..."

And now we've got the GPO with the bullets whizzin' by

With Pearse and Sean McDermott

biddin' each other goodbye

Up steps our citizen leader and roars out to the sky

"My name is James Connolly, I didn't come here to die...

Oh Lily, I don't want to die, we've got so much to live for

And I know we're just goin' out to get slaughtered,

but I just can't take any more

Just the sight of one more child screamin'

from hunger in a Dublin slum

Or his mother slavin' 14 hours a day for the scum

Who exploit her and take her youth and

throw it on a factory floor

Oh Lily, I just can't take any more

They've locked us out, they've banned our unions,

they even treat their animals better than us

No! It's far better to die like a man on your feet than to

live forever like some slave on your knees, Lily

But don't let them wrap any green flag around me

And, for God's sake, don't let them bury me in some field

full of harps and shamrocks

And whatever you do, don't let them make a

martyr out of me

No! Rather raise the Starry Plough on high and

sing a song of freedom

Here's to you, Lily, the rights of man and

international revolution"

We fought them to a standstill while the flames

lit up the sky

'Til a bullet pierced our leader and we gave up the fight

They shot him in Kilmainham jail but they'll

never stop his cry

"My name is James Connolly, I didn't come here to

die..."