Chumbawamba - Smashing Of The Van lyrics

Attend you gallant Irishmen and listen for a while I'll sing to you the praises of the sons of Erin's Isle It's of those gallant heroes who voluntarily ran To release two Irish shamrocks from an English prison van The eighteenth of September it was in that dreadful year When sorrow and excitement ran throughout all Lancashire At a gathering of the Irish boys they volunteered each man To release those Irish prisoners out of the prison van (chorus) Hurrah! My lads for freedom Let's all join heart and hand May the Lord have mercy on the boys That helped to smash the van In Manchester one morning those good heroes did agree Their leaders, Kelly and Deasy, should have their liberty They drank a health to Ireland and soon made up a plan To meet the prisoners on the road and take and smash the van (chorus) With courage bold those heroes went and soon the van did stop They cleared the guards from back and front and then smashed in the top But in blowing open of the lock they chanced to k** a man So three men must die on the scaffold high for smashing of the van (chorus) So now kind friends I will conclude I think it would be right That all true hearted Irish men together should unite Together should sympathise my friends and do the best we can To keep the memories evergreen of the boys that smashed the van (chorus)