In nineteen hundred and sixteen, the forces of the Crown,
To take the orange, white, and green, bombarded Dublin town,
But in '21, Britannia's sons were forced to earn their pay,
And the Black and Tans like lightning ran from the rifles of the IRA.

They burned their way through Munster, laid Leinster on the rack,
In Connaught and in Ulster marched the men in brown and black,
And they shot down wives and children in their own heroic way,
And the RUC like lightning ran from the rifles of the IRA.

They hanged young Kevin Barry high, a lad of eighteen years,
Cork City's flames lit up the sky but the brave boys knew no fear,
And the Cork Brigade with hand grenade in ambush waiting lay,
And the UDR like lightning ran from the rifles of the IRA.

Oh, the Tans were caught, taken out and shot by a brave and a gallant few,
Seán Treacy, Denny Lacey and Tom Barry's gallant crew,
Though we're not free yet, we won't forget until our dying day,
How the SAS like lightning ran from the rifles of the IRA.

In nineteen hundred and sixteen, the forces of the Crown,
To take the orange, white, and green, bombarded Dublin town,
But in '21, Britannia's sons were forced to earn their pay,
And the Black Watch like lightning ran from the rifles of the IRA.

Though we're not free yet, we won't forget until our dying day,
And the DUP will never see the rifles of the IRA.