The Foggy Dew
Marc Gunn Lyrics
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To a city fair rode I.
When armed line of marching men
In squadrons passed me by.
No pipes did hum, no battle drum
Did sound its loud tattoo
But the Angelus bell o'er the Liffey's swell
Rang out in the foggy dew.
Right proudly high over Dublin town
They hung out a flag of war.
'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky
Than at Suvla or Sud el Bar.
And from the plains of Royal Meath
Strong men came hurrying through;
While Brittania's huns with their great big guns
Sailed in through the foggy dew.
O' the night fell black and the rifles' crack
Made "Perfidious Abion" reel
'Mid the leaden rail, seven tongues of flame
Did shine o'er the lines of steel.
By each shining blade a prayer was siad
That to Ireland her sons be true,
And when morning broke still the war flag shook
Out its fold in the foggy dew
'Twas England bade our wild geese go
That small nations might be free.
But their lonely graves are by Suvla's waves
On the fringe of the gray North Sea.
But had they died by Pearse's side
Or fought with Cathal Brugha,
Their names we'd keep where the Fenians sleep
'Neath the shroud of the foggy dew.
The bravest fell, and the solemn bell
Rang mournfully and clear
For those who died that Watertide
In the springing of the year.
And the world did gaze with deep amaze
At those fearless men, but few
Who bore the fight that freedom's light
Might shine through the foggy dew.
Ah, back through the glen I rode again
and my heart with grief was sore
For I parted then with valiant men
whom I never shall see more.
But to and fro in my dreams I go and
I'd kneel and pray for you,
For slavery fled, O glorious dead, when
you fell in the foggy dew.
The Foggy Dew is a ballad by Marc Gunn that tells the story of the Easter Rising of 1916 in Ireland. The singer talks about his journey to a city fair, where he encounters an armed line of marching men, who are preparing to go to war for Ireland's independence. They passed by without making any noise but ringing the Angelus bell. The flag of war flies over Dublin town, sending the message that it is better to die fighting for one's country "neath an Irish sky" than to die as an invader on foreign land. Strong men came hurrying from the plains of Royal Meath to fight alongside the Irish, while Britannia's huns arrived with their big guns, sailing into the foggy dew.
The night falls, and the war begins. The "Perfidious Albion" is in the firing line. The rifles' crack is heard miles away, and seven tongues of flame light up the lines of steel while the brave Irish soldiers pray for their homeland. Morning breaks, and still the war flag flutters in the foggy dew. Although many have fallen, their names will be remembered where the Fenians sleep under the shroud of the foggy dew. The ballad ends with the singer returning home, where he kneels and prays for the fallen freedom fighters, knowing that slavery fled when they fell in the foggy dew.
Line by Line Meaning
'Twas down the glen one Easter morn
One Easter morning, I traveled down the glen
To a city fair rode I.
I rode to a city fair.
When armed line of marching men
A line of armed marching men
In squadrons passed me by.
passed by in squadrons.
No pipes did hum, no battle drum
There was no sound of pipes or a battle drum.
Did sound its loud tattoo
Playing its loud notes.
But the Angelus bell o'er the Liffey's swell
However, the Angelus bell over the Liffey's swell
Rang out in the foggy dew.
rang out in the foggy dew.
Right proudly high over Dublin town
Proudly hanging high over Dublin town
They hung out a flag of war.
was a flag of war.
'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky
Dying under an Irish sky was better
Than at Suvla or Sud el Bar.
Than dying in Suvla or Sud el Bar.
And from the plains of Royal Meath
Strong men came from the plains of Royal Meath
Strong men came hurrying through;
and hurried through;
While Brittania's huns with their great big guns
Meanwhile, Britain's enemy with their big guns
Sailed in through the foggy dew.
sailed in through the foggy dew.
O' the night fell black and the rifles' crack
Night fell dark, and rifles cracked.
Made "Perfidious Abion" reel
It made perfidious Albion stumble.
'Mid the leaden rail, seven tongues of flame
Amidst the gunshot, seven flames
Did shine o'er the lines of steel.
shone over the steel lines.
By each shining blade a prayer was siad
Beside each shining sword, a prayer was said
That to Ireland her sons be true,
That Ireland's sons be true
And when morning broke still the war flag shook
When morning came, the war flag still shook
Out its fold in the foggy dew
Unfolding in the foggy dew.
'Twas England bade our wild geese go
England ordered our wild geese to go.
That small nations might be free.
So that small nations could be free.
But their lonely graves are by Suvla's waves
However, their graves are by the waves of Suvla
On the fringe of the gray North Sea.
on the edge of the gray North Sea.
But had they died by Pearse's side
If they had died beside Pearse
Or fought with Cathal Brugha,
Or fought with Cathal Brugha,
Their names we'd keep where the Fenians sleep
We would keep their names where the Fenians sleep.
'Neath the shroud of the foggy dew.
under the shroud of the foggy dew.
The bravest fell, and the solemn bell
The bravest died and the solemn bell
Rang mournfully and clear
rang mournfully and clearly
For those who died that Watertide
For those who died on the Watertide
In the springing of the year.
in the spring of the year.
And the world did gaze with deep amaze
The world looked on with amazement
At those fearless men, but few
At those few fearless men.
Who bore the fight that freedom's light
Who fought for the light of freedom
Might shine through the foggy dew.
in the foggy dew.
Ah, back through the glen I rode again
Returning back through the glen
and my heart with grief was sore
My heart was full of sorrow
For I parted then with valiant men
For I parted with brave men then
whom I never shall see more.
whom I will never see again.
But to and fro in my dreams I go and
But in my dreams, I go back and forth
I'd kneel and pray for you,
Kneeling and praying for you
For slavery fled, O glorious dead, when
For, O glorious dead, slavery disappeared when
you fell in the foggy dew.
you fell in the foggy dew.
Contributed by Andrew D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.