Bantry Girl's Lament

Oh, Who will plough the fields now or who will sow the corn?

Who will mind the sheep now and keep them neatly shorn?

The stack that's in the haggard, unthrashed it may remain

Since Johnny's went a-thrashing the dirty king of Spain

The girls from the bawnogue in sorrow may retire

And the piper and his bellows go home and blow the fire

Since Johnny, lovely Johnny is sailing o'er the main

Along with other patriots to fight the King of Spain

The boys will surely miss him when Moneymore comes round

And they'll find that their bold captain is nowhere to be found

And the peelers must stand idle, all against their will and main

Since the gallant boys who gave them work now peels the King of Spain

At wakes or hurling matches your like we'll never see

Till you come back to us again a stor gra geal mo chroi

And won't you thrash the buckeens that show us much disdain

Because our eyes are not so bright as those you'll meet in Spain

If cruel fate will not permit our Johnny to return

His heavy loss we Bantry girls will never cease to mourn

We'll resign ourselves to our sad lot and die in grief and pain

Since Johnny died for Ireland's pride in the foreign land of Spain