Wow! Thanks, Martin. I don't know what I was doing wrong, but I'm glad you were able to find it.

It's interesting how memory plays tricks on you (or, rather, me), for I remembered it as a segue into the conversation in the other second verse. Ah well, it sure expresses some traditional Irish sentiments.

It's also interesting to note some of the little differences, such as "kissed the sod of Ireland" for "kissed the sod I lay upon," and "cursed the day I went away" for "cursed the day I listed." There are rhyming as well as semantic considerations.

And then there's "mo chrom." Could that be a reference to Crom Dubh? Is the narrator calling the sergeant his god (or authority)(as in the phrase "in ainim chroim").

Anyway, thanks again. Great find!

And Jim, your thoughts about it are spot on. I think I went the singing-it-too-often route for one stretch, when one of the singers said that it must be my signature song. And I also learned the hard way not to introduce it as a song with a surprise ending. Guess what--no surprise. Otherwise, it takes almost everyone by surprise. I sang it once at a party of writers to illustrate that when used skillfully, even cheap techniques (such as "and then I woke up") can be effective.

I'll be at the Frank Harte this time. Hoping to see you both there.

Cheers,

David