Chumbawamba – Smashing Of The Van (Guitar)

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Attend you gallant Irishmen and listen for a while

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I'll sing to you the praises of the sons of Erin's Isle

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It's of those gallant heroes who voluntarily ran

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To release two Irish shamrocks from an English prison van

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The eighteenth of September it was in that dreadful year

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When sorrow and excitement ran throughout all Lancashire

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At a gathering of the Irish boys they volunteered each man

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To release those Irish prisoners out of the prison van

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Hurrah! My lads for freedom

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Let's all join heart and hand

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May the Lord have mercy on the boys

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That helped to smash the van

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In Manchester one morning those good heroes did agree

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Their leaders, Kelly and Deasy, should have their liberty

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They drank a health to Ireland and soon made up a plan

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To meet the prisoners on the road and take and smash the van

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Hurrah! My lads for freedom

      A                  E
Let's all join heart and hand

         E              B
May the Lord have mercy on the boys

     A                   E
That helped to smash the van

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With courage bold those heroes went and soon the van did stop

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They cleared the guards from back and front and then smashed in the top

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But in blowing open of the lock they chanced to kill a man

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So three men must die on the scaffold high for smashing of the van

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Hurrah! My lads for freedom

      A                  E
Let's all join heart and hand

         E              B
May the Lord have mercy on the boys

     A                   E
That helped to smash the van

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So now kind friends I will conclude I think it would be right

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That all true hearted Irish men together should unite

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Together should sympathise my friends and do the best we can

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To keep the memories evergreen of the boys that smashed the van

E                   B
Hurrah! My lads for freedom

      A                  E
Let's all join heart and hand

         E              B
May the Lord have mercy on the boys

     A                   E
That helped to smash the van