Irish traditional song lyrics — collected by Beer Belly Band.
Oh who will plough the fields now and who will sell the corn
And who will watch the sheep now and keep them neatly shorn
And the stack that’s in the haggard un-threshed it will remain
Since Johnny went a roving all in the wars of Spain
And the girls from the Bawnage in sorrow may retire
And the piper and his bellows go home and blow his fire
For Johnny, lovely Johnny he’s sailing o’er the main
He’s along with other patriots to fight the King of Spain
And the boys will surely miss him when Moneymore comes round
And they grieve that their brave Captain is nowhere to be found
And the peelers must stand idle against their will and grain
For the gallant boy who gave ’em work now peels the King of Spain
And at wake or hurling matches your likes we’ll seldom see
Till you come home again to us astroirin gheal mo chroi
And won’t you trouble the buckeens who show us great disdain
Because our are not as bright as those you’ll meet in Spain
And if cruel fate does not permit our Johnny to return
His heavy loss, we Bantry girls will never cease to mourn
We’ll resign ourselves to our sad loss and die in grief and pain
Since Johnny died for freedom’s sake in the foreign land of Spain