Ye Jacobites By Name
Shannon Lyrics


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Ye Jacobites by name lend an ear, lend an ear
Ye Jacobites by name lend an ear
Ye Jacobites by name your faults I will proclaim
Your doctrines I must blame, you shall hear.

What is right and what is wrong by the law, by the law
What is right and what is wrong by the law
What is right and what is wrong, a short sword and a long
A weak arm and a strong for to draw.

What makes heroic strife famed afar, famed afar?
What makes heroic strife famed afar?
What makes heroic strife, to whet the assassin's knife
Or hunt a parent's life with bloody war.

Then leave your schemes alone in the state, in the state
Then leave your schemes alone in the state
Then leave your schemes alone, adore the rising sun
And leave a man alone to his fate, aleave a man alone to his fate.

Ye Jacobites by name lend an ear, lend an ear
Ye Jacobites by name lend an ear
Ye Jacobites by name your faults I will proclaim
Your doctrines I must blame, you shall hear.

Then leave your schemes alone, adore the rising sun




And leave a man alone to his fate...
And leave a man alone to his fate.

Overall Meaning

In the song "Ye Jacobites By Name," Shannon calls upon the Jacobites to heed his words and listen to what he has to say about their faults and doctrines. He questions their understanding of right and wrong, suggesting that it cannot be determined by merely the law but rather by individual strength and skill. Shannon also speaks on the nature of heroic strife, considering the consequences of waging war and assailing innocent individuals. Ultimately, Shannon urges the Jacobites to abandon their schemes and embrace the rising sun, leaving people to their own fate.


The song draws its inspiration from the Jacobite uprisings of the 17th and 18th centuries in Scotland, which aimed to restore the Catholic House of Stuart to the throne of England. Shannon’s rendition is highly critical of the Jacobites and their various encounters with the English army. The song serves as a political statement in support of the government, which sought to crush the uprising and demonstrate the harsh realities of war.


Line by Line Meaning

Ye Jacobites by name lend an ear, lend an ear
Oh Jacobites, please pay attention to what I have to say.


Ye Jacobites by name your faults I will proclaim
There are things you've done wrong that I will point out.


Your doctrines I must blame, you shall hear.
I can't agree with your beliefs and I'll tell you why.


What is right and what is wrong by the law, by the law
There are clear rules about what is right and what is wrong, according to the law.


What is right and what is wrong, a short sword and a long
Sometimes what's right depends on using either a short sword or a long one, depending on the situation.


A weak arm and a strong for to draw.
Sometimes what's right depends on whether you're physically strong enough to defend yourself or not.


What makes heroic strife famed afar, famed afar?
Why do we hear stories about heroic battles from far away?


What makes heroic strife, to whet the assassin's knife
Unfortunately, sometimes what makes a battle seem heroic is really just encouraging people to become assassins.


Or hunt a parent's life with bloody war.
Other times, people will go to war just to kill their fellow humans, even if it's someone's mother or father.


Then leave your schemes alone in the state, in the state
It's not a good idea for you to plot things in the state, in the government.


Then leave your schemes alone, adore the rising sun
Instead, it's best to let go of your plots and just accept the natural order of things.


And leave a man alone to his fate, aleave a man alone to his fate.
Sometimes it's better to just let a man be and let fate take its course.


Ye Jacobites by name lend an ear, lend an ear
Once again, Jacobites, listen to what I'm saying.


Ye Jacobites by name your faults I will proclaim
I'm going to make sure you know what you've done wrong.


Your doctrines I must blame, you shall hear.
I don't agree with your beliefs and I want you to know why.


Then leave your schemes alone, adore the rising sun
It's better for everyone to just accept what's happening naturally.


And leave a man alone to his fate...
We should just let people be and see what happens.




Contributed by Jake F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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