Come Out Ye Black and Tans
The Davitts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the loving English feet walked all over us;
And every single night, when me Da would come home tight,
He'd invite the neighbours outside with this ;
Come out you Black and Tans;
Come out and fight me like a man;
Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders;
Tell her how the I.R.A. made you run like hell away
Come, let us hear you tell
How you slandered great Parnell,
When you thought him well and truly persecuted,
Where are the sneers and jeers
That you lovely let us hear,
When our heroes of sixteen were executed.
Oh, come out you Black and Tans;
Come out and fight me like a man;
Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders;
Tell her how the I.R.A. made you run like hell away
From the green and lovely lanes in Killeshandra.
Come, tell us how you slew
Them ol' Arabs two by two;
Like the Zulus, they had spears and bows and arrows;
How you bravely faced each one,
With your sixteen pounder gun,
And you frightened them poor natives to their marrow.
Oh, come out you Black and Tans;
Come out and fight me like a man;
Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders;
Tell her how the I.R.A. made you run like hell away
From the green and lovely lanes in Killeshandra.
Ah, the time is coming fast
And I think those days are here,
When those English johnnies heels will run before us;
And, if there be a need,
Then our kids will say "Godspeed!",
With a verse or two of singing this fine .
Oh, come out you Black and Tans;
Come out and fight me like a man;
Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders;
Oh and how the I.R.A. made you run like hell away
From the green and lovely lanes in Killeshandra.
Oh, come out you Black and Tans;
Come out and fight me like a man;
Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders;
Oh and how the I.R.A. made you run like hell away
From the green and lovely lanes in Killeshandra.
The song "Come Out Ye Black and Tans" by The Davitts is a traditional Irish anti-British song that speaks about the Irish fight for independence during the Troubles. The lyrics invoke the history of British oppression in Ireland, referencing the Royal drums beating on Dublin streets and English feet walking all over the Irish people. The singer talks about his father, who would invite his neighbors outside to taunt and challenge the Black and Tans, a notorious group of British paramilitary forces who were brought in to quell the Irish rebellion. The singer is proud of the I.R.A. (Irish Republican Army) and the heroes of 1916 who were executed. The song takes an aggressive tone as the singer challenges the Black and Tans to come out and fight like men.
The song is filled with sarcasm and irony as it mocks the Black and Tans for claiming to have won medals down in Flanders, a reference to their involvement in World War I. The singer suggests that the Black and Tans fled from the green and lovely lanes in Killeshandra when faced with the I.R.A.'s resistance. The chorus, "Come out ye Black and Tans, come out and fight me like a man" is a call to action, a demand for the Black and Tans to face the challenge that they have inflicted on Ireland.
Overall, "Come Out Ye Black and Tans" is a powerfully emotive and atmospheric song, with strong historical overtones and a message of pride and defiance. It has remained a popular song in Ireland, especially during times of political unrest, and has been covered by many notable musicians.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born on a Dublin street where the Royal drums did beat,
The singer was born in a place where the British army drummed and marched.
And the loving English feet walked all over us;
The English showed their dominance in the singer's neighborhood.
And every single night, when me da would come home tight,
Every night, when the singer's father was drunk,
He'd invite the neighbors outside with this;
He would call on the neighbors to join in.
Come out ye Black and Tans;
Black and Tans refer to the British soldiers.
Come out and fight me like a man;
The singer challenges the soldiers to fight him fair and square.
Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders;
The singer mocks the soldiers for winning medals in a war they shouldn't have been fighting.
Tell her how the I.R.A. made you run like hell away
The singer taunts the soldiers for being scared of the Irish Republican Army.
From the green and lovely lanes in Killeshandra.
Killeshandra is a town in Ireland known for its picturesque scenery.
Come, let us hear you tell
The singer invites the soldiers to speak up and tell their stories.
How you slandered great Parnell,
The singer accuses the soldiers of speaking ill of an Irish nationalist leader named Parnell.
When you thought him well and truly persecuted,
The soldiers believed the leader was justly oppressed.
Where are the sneers and jeers
The singer asks where the insults and mockery from the soldiers towards Irish revolutionaries have gone.
That you lovely let us hear,
The singer remembers the hurtful things the soldiers said before.
When our heroes of sixteen were executed.
The singer reminds the soldiers of the Irish rebels who died for their cause in 1916.
Come out ye Black and Tans;
Repetition of the chorus.
Come out and fight me like a man;
Repetition of the challenge.
Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders;
Repetition of the mockery.
Tell her how the I.R.A. made you run like hell away
Repetition of the taunt.
From the green and lovely lanes in Killeshandra.
Repetition of the setting.
Come, tell us how you slew
The singer invites the soldiers to boast of their accomplishments.
Them ol' Arabs two by two;
The singer refers to a different war in which the British fought against Arabian people.
Like the Zulus, they had spears and bows and arrows;
The people they fought against were armed with archaic weapons.
How you bravely faced each one,
The singer mocks the soldiers for feeling brave when facing inferior opponents.
With your sixteen pounder gun,
The soldiers had advanced artillery that gave them an unfair advantage.
And you frightened them poor natives to their marrow.
The singer accuses the soldiers of scaring innocent people.
Oh, come out ye Black and Tans;
Repetition of the chorus.
Come out and fight me like a man;
Repetition of the challenge.
Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders;
Repetition of the mockery.
Tell her how the I.R.A. made you run like hell away
Repetition of the taunt.
From the green and lovely lanes in Killeshandra.
Repetition of the setting.
Ah, the time is coming fast
The singer believes that a change is coming.
And I think those days are here,
The singer is certain that the time has come.
When those English johnnies heels will run before us;
The singer is optimistic that the British will surrender.
And, if there be a need,
If necessary,
Then our kids will say "Godspeed!",
The singer imagines that future generations will continue the fight for Ireland.
With a verse or two of singing this fine.
They will celebrate their victory through songs.
Oh, come out ye Black and Tans;
Repetition of the chorus.
Come out and fight me like a man;
Repetition of the challenge.
Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders;
Repetition of the mockery.
Oh and how the I.R.A. made you run like hell away
Repetition of the taunt.
From the green and lovely lanes in Killeshandra.
Repetition of the setting.
Contributed by Muhammad N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Barrie Forsyth
where do i get the word to I will love you forever by the davitts
Dave
Great song.
Declan Duane
Great stuff
Patrick Ball
It should be, made you run away like hell from the hills fields of west Cork.
Diego Michelassi
Ireland and Argentine one only heart. Sorry mi english is limeted. Tks Irish
Mogster
Gotta love da' argentines lad
Keo B
The Town that they mention Killeshandra is where I am from. :)
Jared Walden
Respect from your Irish brother in Florida. Long Live Ireland!
Keo B
are you if Irish decent?
Piankhi the Greater
Respect from Antarctica! 🇦🇶