Saturday, December 12, 2020

A Song For Today

In the spirit of the old “AOL Senate Sim” (don’t ask, LOL), I offer this.   


 <walks over to the jukebox> 

:: PLINK :: 

 

“The Patriot Game” (1, 2)

Written by Dominic Behan (1928-1989) (3) 

(As presented on another social networking site) 

 

Come all ye young rebels, and list while I sing 

For the love of one’s country is a terrible thing. 

It banishes fear with the speed of a flame 

And makes us all part of the Patriot Game. 

 

My name is O’Hanlon; my age is sixteen 

My home is in Monaghan; that’s where I was weaned.   

I’ve heard all my life cruel England’s to blame 

And so I am part of the Patriot Game.   

 

It’s been barely a year now since I wandered away 

With the local battalion of the bold IRA.   

I read of our heroes, and wanted the same; 

To play my own part in the Patriot Game. 

 

Now as I die here, all shot up with holes 

I think of the traitors who bargained and sold. 

And I wish that my rifle had given the same 

To the quislings who sold out the Patriot Game.   

______________________________________________



Definitions (some courtesy of the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)


  • Monaghan: Noun.  A county in the Republic of Ireland.
  • Weaned: Transitive verb.  To be born; past tense.     
  • IRA: Noun.  Irish Republican Army”, paramilitary group and major participant in The Troubles.   
  • “The Troubles”Noun.  A period of armed conflict in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.  It is generally defined as lasting from the late 1960s to approximately 1998 (although paramilitary groups can still be found in certain areas of Ireland) 
  • Quislings: Noun, plural.  Cowards. 


Sources:  

1. "The Patriot Game". En.Wikipedia.Org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Patriot_Game. Accessed 12 Dec 2020.

2. Personal knowledge.  

3. "Dominic Behan". En.Wikipedia.Org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_Behan. Accessed 12 Dec 2020.

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