Wolfe Tones - Catalpa lyrics

Oh, come all ye gallant Irishmen I've a story I'll relate I'll tell to you of the Fenian men Who from the foe escaped Though bound with Saxon chains In a dark Australian jail They struck a blow for freedom And for New York town set sail On the seventeenth of April In the year of 'eighty-three The gallant bark Catalpa from Fremantle town did flee She showed The Green above The Red And she calmly made her way Prepared to take those Fenian men To safety o'er the sea Here's to the ship, Catalpa And the boys of Uncle Sam And to all the Irishmen afloat And the Fenians to a man Here's to Captain Anthony Boyle, Breslin, and his crew When challenged by The Empire's might The stars and stripes he flew! Then Breslin and brave Desmond And Catalpa, taught and trim When fast approachin' them they saw A vision dark and dim It was the gun-boat Georgette Among their deck there stood One hundred hired a**a**ins To shed the patriot blood My ship is sailin' peacefully Beneath a flag of stars It's manned by Irish hearts of oak And manly Yankee tars And that dear emblem to the fore So plain for to be seen 'Tis the banner to protect o' mine Ol' Ireland's flag of green Here's to the ship, Catalpa And the boys of Uncle Sam And to all the Irishmen afloat And the Fenians to a man Here's to Captain Anthony Boyle, Breslin, and his crew When challenged by The Empire's might The stars and stripes he flew! One hundred years have pa**ed and gone Since the day in New York bay All sorts of floats and ships and boats Were there, hip-hip-hooray! They say the day three-thousand men About the rescue, knew Not a word was spoke and it was some joke On John Boyle's navy, too And here's to Captain Anthony Who well these men did free He dared the English navy men To fight among the sea Too John Devoy, his name held high And all friends to be seen The flag for which our heroes fought Was Ireland's flag of green Here's to the ship, Catalpa And the boys of Uncle Sam And to all the Irishmen afloat And the Fenians to a man Here's to Captain Anthony Boyle, Breslin, and his crew When challenged by The Empire's might The stars and stripes he flew! Here's to the ship, Catalpa And the boys of Uncle Sam And to all the Irishmen afloat And the Fenians to a man Here's to Captain Anthony Boyle, Breslin, and his crew When challenged by The Empire's might The stars and stripes he flew!