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James Connolly was an Irish republican and socialist leader. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading Marxist theorists of his day. He was executed by a British firing squad because of his leadership role in the Easter Rising of 1916.
We know this song as done by the Scully boys. They usually capo 3 but Cate and I try to split the difference and end up around capo 2. They usually follow this song with Lean and Unwashed Tiffy.
James Connelly
by Black 47
[Am] Marchin' down O Sackville Street with the
Starry Plough on [F] high
There [C] goes the Citizen [G] Army with their
[F] fists raised in the [G] sky
[Am] Leading them is a mighty man with a mad rage in his [F] eye
"My [C] name is James [G] Connolly
and I [F] didn't come here to [G] die
(Chorus
But to [F] fight for the rights of the working man
[C] That poor farmer [G] too
To [F] protect the proletariat from the
[C] bosses and their [G] screws
So [Am] hold on to your rifles, boys, and
don't give up the [F] dream -
Of a Re- [C] public for the [G] workin' class
and [F] economic liber- [Am] ty")
Then Jem yelled out "Oh citizens, this system is a curse
An English boss a bastard, An Irish one even worse
They'll never lock us out again and
here's the reason why
My name is James Connolly
and I didn't come here to die..."
Chorus
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,
and I didn't come here to die..."
Chorus
We fought them till the morning
when the fire pierced the sky
and then they shot our leader and we had to give up the fight
They killed him in Kilmainham jail
but they'll never stop his cry
"My name is James Connolly,
and I didn't come here to die
Chorus
Starry Plough on [F] high
There [C] goes the Citizen [G] Army with their
[F] fists raised in the [G] sky
[Am] Leading them is a mighty man with a mad rage in his [F] eye
"My [C] name is James [G] Connolly
and I [F] didn't come here to [G] die
(Chorus
But to [F] fight for the rights of the working man
[C] That poor farmer [G] too
To [F] protect the proletariat from the
[C] bosses and their [G] screws
So [Am] hold on to your rifles, boys, and
don't give up the [F] dream -
Of a Re- [C] public for the [G] workin' class
and [F] economic liber- [Am] ty")
Then Jem yelled out "Oh citizens, this system is a curse
An English boss a bastard, An Irish one even worse
They'll never lock us out again and
here's the reason why
My name is James Connolly
and I didn't come here to die..."
Chorus
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,
and I didn't come here to die..."
Chorus
We fought them till the morning
when the fire pierced the sky
and then they shot our leader and we had to give up the fight
They killed him in Kilmainham jail
but they'll never stop his cry
"My name is James Connolly,
and I didn't come here to die
Chorus