The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #168402 Message #4081839
Posted By: Stewie
03-Dec-20 - 08:15 PM
Thread Name: Mudcat Australia-New Zealand Songbook
Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
THE ORANGE AND THE GREEN (Anon)
John Davies hears with great regret the news that's going round That Sandy Ross has lost the fight at George's River ground No more his crowing will be heard, no more his colours seen For I think he's had enough this time of Foley and the green
Chorus Oh, the green the colour of the brave, we'll raise high in the air And to our enemies we'll show? the colour that we'll wear For the orange flag has been pulled down, the battle fought out keen And Sandy Ross has lost the fight at George's River green
The yellow ties they mustered strong upon that Tuesday morn Poor Sandy he came up to time with his head and beard all shorn When Foley stepped into the ring? to fight for Ireland's green
'Sinn Fein, Sinn Fein', he cried aloud as he saw his friends close by 'I've come to fight for Ireland's cause and for that cause I'll die And to deny her colours ?I ne'er will be so mean For in this ring die or win ?for dear old Ireland's green'
'Here's to him men, here's to him, boys', then Sandy Ross did say 'I've come to fight for old King Bill upon this glorious day My yellow scarf around my waist that has come into bud Will be dyed deep red upon this ground with this poor Fenian's blood'
They both shook hands, you'd really think no ill feeling lay between The colours bright that made this fight, the orange and the green For two long hours that fight did last, 'til Ross's seconds came between And threw the sponge high in the air in favour of the green
The usual tune for this is 'Wearing of the green'. For a variant tune check out John Fahey 'Great Australian Folk Songs' p82.
Larry Foley, the Irish-Australian idol, fought Sandy Ross, a Scot, in a bare-knuckle fight that lasted 2 hours 40 minutes.