"Emerald" was released as the B Side of "The Boys Are Back In Town" on the Vertigo label in April 1976.
Emerald
Thin Lizzy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With their shields and their swords
To fight the fight they believed to be right
Overthrow the overlords
To the town where there was plenty
They brought plunder, swords and flame
When they left the town was empty
From their graves I heard the fallen
Above the battle cry
By that bridge near the border
There were many more to die
Then onward over the mountain
And outward towards the sea
They had come to claim the emerald
Without it they could not leave
The lyrics of Thin Lizzy's song Emerald tell a story about a group of men who came down from the glen to fight for what they believed to be right. With their shields and swords, they marched to a town where there was plenty, but their intentions were not peaceful. They came to conquer and pillage, leaving the town empty and devoid of life. The lyrics paint a very violent and gruesome picture of a battle that took place, with the fallen soldiers being heard from beyond the grave. The bridge near the border saw many more men die before the battle was over.
As the men moved forward in their quest for the emerald, their journey took them over the mountain and towards the sea. Their only aim was to claim the emerald, which seems to be a symbol of power or victory. The final line of the song suggests that without the emerald, the men could not leave. The song creates a very intense and violent image of war, with the lyrics painting a picture of devastation and loss.
Overall, Emerald is a powerful song that tells a story of war, destruction and the quest for power. It is a haunting reminder of the consequences of war and the devastating effect it can have on innocent people.
Line by Line Meaning
Down from the glen came the marching men
A group of soldiers from the valley arrived marching
With their shields and their swords
They came armed with shields and swords to help them fight
To fight the fight they believed to be right
They were determined to fight for what they thought was fair and just
Overthrow the overlords
They wanted to overthrow the rulers who were controlling everything
To the town where there was plenty
They moved to a town which was full of riches
They brought plunder, swords, and flame
They stole, burned, and destroyed anything that they could find in the town
When they left the town was empty
When they finished their mission, they left the town completely deserted
Children would never play again
The aftermath of their destruction left the children with nowhere and nothing to play with
From their graves I heard the fallen
As a repercussion of the war, the soldiers who died were heard from their graves
Above the battle cry
Their voices were heard above the loud war sounds
By that bridge near the border
In that specific location close to the border
There were many more to die
There were plenty more people set to perish in the same battle
Then onward over the mountain
They had to cross the mountain to get to where they wanted to go
And outward towards the sea
They continued to move towards the sea to get to their destination
They had come to claim the emerald
They had come to take the emerald as their own
Without it they could not leave
They needed the emerald to be able to escape from where they came from
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN DAVID ROBERTSON, BRIAN MICHAEL DOWNEY, PHILIP PARRIS LYNOTT, WILLIAM SCOTT GORHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jonnyblade46
Amazing song. Amazing band.
They were so innovative, mixing irish folk and rock.
One of the greatest crossover bands ever.
They mixed blues, soul, funk, jazz, folk, pop and excellent lyrics.
And don't forget, a frontman with a huge afro haircut.
Not your typical rocker in the 70's.
@Vivi-sr4tz
Emerald
Thin Lizzy
Down from the glen came the marching men
With their shields and their swords
To fight the fight they believed to be right
Overthrow the overlords
To the towns where there was plenty
They brought plunder, swords and flame
When they left, the town was empty
And children would never play again
From their graves I heard the fallen
Above the battle cry
By that bridge near the border
There were many more to die
Then onward over the mountain
And outward towards the sea
They had come to claim the Emerald
Without it, they could not leave
@ryanguy7456
It amazes me how this song took a back seat to "The Boys Are Back In Town" and "Jailbreak". In my opinion, this is the best song on the album, and it receives zero airplay on the radio. The whole album is really great, but this song alone makes the album a must have for any music collection. Fantastic song. Epic album. Legendary band. R.I.P. Phil Lynott and thank you very much for the music.....
@pigvomit526
Ryan Guy
AGREED
@criticalbill7715
This fits into a theory I have that some artists are unfortunately known only by their commercial successes. This is the perfect example. Ask most people to name another TL song besides TBABIT and you'll get a blank look.
@robertdewey6084
This is my favorite Thin Lizzy song. The dual guitars own this tune and the lyrics are pretty cool too!
@NorthwestMusicScene
My favorite song on the album for sure. The guitars are just so brutal.
@bryanhay2356
The studio execs just wanted to make a fast buck so they promoted those two songs on the radio in America at least I know then Lucy was the only rock band that ever came out of Ireland including you f**** two Crestview to wasn't a rock band anyway they blow
@raymondgilbert1168
The greatest Thin Lizzy track of all time... I air guitar'd the f*ck out of this when I was 13!
59 and still doing it ..Rock In Peace xx
@TheDoorman55
During the dueling solos, which side did you play? Can't be both. Your friend, real or imaginary, had to have their turn.
@t7pdtdyfulll287
No way what are you smoking
@user-ww3ng5ok4n
Mate yiu and me both shook my head so much great track to rock out too at 65 lmao 😂