Originally a scathing criticism of the Jacobites in particular,
this later and more popular version of the song has been
adapted into a more general criticism on the dangers of
romanticizing war. In 1689, James VII of Scotland (James II of
England) was deposed from the throne of England for his
unpopular political stances. During the sixty years that
followed, there were five attempts to restore James and his
descendants to the throne. Three of these uprisings were
major, and following the last of these in 1745, the Jacobite
movement and its leaders never fully recovered.
lyrics
Ye Jacobites by name, lend an ear, lend an ear
Ye Jacobites by name, lend an ear
Ye Jacobites by name
Your faults I do proclaim
Your doctrines I must blame, you shall hear, you shall hear
Your doctrines I must blame, you shall hear.
What is right, and what is wrong, by the law, by the law?
What is right and what is wrong by the law?
What is right, and what is wrong?
A weak arm or a strong
A short straw, or a long, for to draw, for to draw
A short straw, or a long, for to draw.
What makes heroic strife famed afar, famed afar?
What makes heroic strife famed afar?
What makes heroic strife?
To whet th' assassin's knife,
And lose a Long child's life in bloody war, bloody war
And lose a Long child's life in bloody war?
Then leave your schemes alone, in the state, in the state
Then leave your schemes alone in the state.
Then let your schemes alone,
Adore the rising sun,
And leave a man undone, to his fate, to his fate.
And leave a man undone, to his fate.
credits
from Fields of the North,
released February 1, 2003
Guitar, Vocals, Bodhran - Michael Kelly
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