The Foggy Dew
The Davitts Lyrics

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As down the glen one Easter morn to a city fair rode I
There Armed lines of marching men in squadrons passed me by
No fife did hum nor battle drum did sound it's dread tatoo
But the Angelus bell o'er the Liffey swell rang out through the foggy dew

Right proudly high over Dublin Town they hung out the flag of war
'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky than at Sulva or Sud El Bar
And from the plains of Royal Meath strong men came hurrying through

While Britannia's Huns, with their long range guns sailed in through the foggy dew

'Twas Britannia bade our Wild Geese go that small nations might be free
But their lonely graves are by Sulva's waves or the shore of the Great North Sea
Oh, had they died by Pearse's side or fought with Cathal Brugha
Their names we will keep where the fenians sleep 'neath the shroud of the foggy dew

But the bravest fell, and the requiem bell rang mournfully and clear
For those who died that Eastertide in the springing of the year
And the world did gaze, in 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.

Overall Meaning

The Foggy Dew by The Davitts is a song filled with historical significance and political undertones. The song speaks of an Easter morning when the singer rode down to Dublin city fair, where he encountered a procession of armed soldiers marching in unison. The soldiers were not accompanied by any fife or drum, but the ringing of the Angelus bell over the Liffey river could be heard amidst the foggy dew. The singer then goes on to describe the hanging of the war flag in Dublin and how it was better to die defending their land than to die in foreign lands like Sulva and Sud El Bar. The arrival of soldiers from Royal Meath followed by the arrival of the British army is also highlighted. The song then speaks of the reasons behind the Irish soldiers' involvement in the war - to ensure freedom for small nations. The song then concludes with a description of the requiem bell ringing mournfully for the people who lost their lives fighting in the war, and how the fight for freedom can never be forgotten.

The song is a tribute to the Irish War of Independence and the Easter Rising that took place in Dublin in April 1916. It relates to the political and social turmoil that Ireland experienced at the time as the Irish nationalist movement fought against British rule. The song conveys how even in the face of grave danger and almost certain death, the soldiers fought fervently because they believed they could bring about change and freedom to their land.

Line by Line Meaning

As down the glen one Easter morn to a city fair rode I
I rode down a valley to a city fair on Easter morning.

There Armed lines of marching men in squadrons passed me by
I saw lines of armed men march past me.

No fife did hum nor battle drum did sound it's dread tatoo
There wasn't any music to be heard.

But the Angelus bell o'er the Liffey swell rang out through the foggy dew
But I heard the Angelus bell ring out over the river Liffey amidst the fog.

Right proudly high over Dublin Town they hung out the flag of war
They hoisted the war flag proudly over Dublin Town.

'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky than at Sulva or Sud El Bar
It's better to die in Ireland than at Sulva or by Sud El Bar.

And from the plains of Royal Meath strong men came hurrying through
Strong men from the plains of Royal Meath rushed to join the fight.

While Britannia's Huns, with their long range guns sailed in through the foggy dew
Britannia's Huns, with their long range guns, came in through the foggy dew.

'Twas Britannia bade our Wild Geese go that small nations might be free
Britannia sent our Irish soldiers so that small nations could be free.

But their lonely graves are by Sulva's waves or the shore of the Great North Sea
Their lonely graves are by the waves of Sulva or the shore of the Great North Sea.

Oh, had they died by Pearse's side or fought with Cathal Brugha
Oh, if they had died beside Pearse or fought with Cathal Brugha.

Their names we will keep where the fenians sleep 'neath the shroud of the foggy dew
We will keep their names where the Fenians sleep under the foggy dew.

But the bravest fell, and the requiem bell rang mournfully and clear
But the bravest soldiers died, and the bell tolled mournfully and clearly.

For those who died that Eastertide in the springing of the year
For those who died that Easter time in the beginning of the year.

And the world did gaze, in deep amaze, at those fearless men, but few
The world watched in amazement at those few fearless men.

Who bore the fight that freedom's light might shine through the foggy dew
Those men fought so that freedom's light could shine through the foggy dew.

Ah, back through the glen I rode again and my heart with grief was sore
I rode back through the valley heartbroken.

For I parted then with valiant men whom I never shall see more
I left behind brave men whom I will never see again.

But to and fro in my dreams I go and I'd kneel and pray for you,
In my dreams, I go back and forth and kneel and pray for you.

For slavery fled, O glorious dead, When you fell in the foggy dew.
Slavery ceased when you fell in the foggy dew, oh glorious dead.

Writer(s): R. SARC

Contributed by Caroline W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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