THE FLAG IS RAISED
The flag is raised, and 'neath Its fold
The flashing hue of green and gold;
So as our fathers stood we'll stand
For thee, our own dear motherland,
Stand by that banner true and leal,
'Gainst fraud and force, 'gainst rope and steel.
Stand while a tatter proudly flies
Beneath the light of Irish skies,
We've raised It up – no foot shall back
A stop upon the forward track.
For 'tis not in the days of wrath,
When woe and darkness hunt our path.
It is not when the gallows tree
Is decked with fruits of liberty
That we should bend the knee or pull
Thee down, our banner beautiful.
Blessings on thee shining there,
The storm is louring in the air.
And faithful hearts are underneath
To face the brunt unto the death.
No faces pale with coward fear
Because the treacherous foe Is near,
No hearts quail at the tempset strong.
We've borne Its deadly brunt too long.
For now, thank God, from sea to sea,
United in our strength are we –
From West to East, from South to North,
The millions rush in gladness forth.
In power and strength a mighty host,
To claim the rights their fathers lost.
To win the gold for which they toil,
To have and hold their native soil,
Six centuries of wrong and hate
Have left our island desolate;
But year by year the seed was sown,
Until 'the blossom true had blown.
And now that blossoming has come
We wait to bear the harvest home,
And every hand and every heart
Know how to act the reaper's part.
Chained, trampled, weakened by the force
Of treason's ancient deadly curse,
We still can show a gallant face
To fire the old heart of our race.
And young and old will feel that fire,
Whose burning flame can ne'er expire,
Till strong. and weak alike can claim
All equal share, the patriot's name.
Hurra! Hurra! God bless the sword
That rids us from this foreign horde –
Hurra! Hurra! the fields of France
Are lit by Freedom's sunny glance,
Hurra! Hurra! the fields of France
Are lit by Freedom's sunny glance.
Old Tyranny has lost its sway,
The lord who ruled must now obey
Man stands up in his dignity,
And so in time - by Heaven - shall we.
Man stands up in his dignity,
And so in time - by Heaven - shall we.