Sinéad O’Connor

Released: October 8, 2002

Songwriter: Traditional Traditional Irish Folk

Producer: Alan Branch Dónal Lunny Adrian Sherwood Sinéad O’Connor

[Verse 1]
Well it's by the hush, me boys
And that's to mind your noise
And listen to poor Paddy's sad narration
I was by hunger stressed
And in poverty distressed
So I took a thought I'd leave
The Irish nation

[Verse 2]
Well I sold me horse and cow
My little pigs and sow
My father's farm of land
I then departed
And me sweetheart Bid McGee
I'm afraid I'll never see
For I left her there that morning
Broken-hearted

[Chorus]
Here ye boys
Now take my advice
To America I'll have ye
Not be coming
There is nothing here but war
Where the murderin' cannons roar
And I wish I was at home
In dear old Dublin

[Verse 3]
Well meself and a hundred more
To America sailed o'er
Our fortunes to be making
We were thinkin'
When we got to yankee land
They put guns into our hands
Saying "Paddy, you must go
And fight for Lincoln"

[Chorus]
Here ye boys
Now take my advice
To America I'll have ye
Not be coming
There is nothing here but war
Where the murderin' cannons roar
And I wish I was at home
In dear old Dublin

[Verse 4]
General Meagher to us he said
If you get shot or lose your head
Every mother's son of youse
Will get a pension
Well in the war I lost me leg
And all I've now's a wooden peg
And by soul it is the truth
To you I mention

[Chorus]
Here ye boys
Now take my advice
To America I'll have ye
Not be coming
There is nothing here but war
Where the murderin' cannons roar
And I wish I was at home
In dear old Dublin

[Verse 5]
Well I think meself in luck
If I get fed on Indianbuck
And old Ireland is the country
I delight in
To the devil I would say
God curse Americay
For in truth I've had enough
Of your hard fightin'

[Chorus]
Here ye boys
Now take my advice
To America I'll have ye
Not be going
There is nothing here but war
Where the murderin' cannons roar
And I wish I was at home
In dear old Dublin

[Outro]
I wish I was at home
I wish I was at home
I wish I was at home
In dear old Dublin

Sinéad O'Connor (who goes by Shuhada' Sadaqat in her private life) is an Irish singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the late 80s with her album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success with her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares to You” in 1990.

O'Connor was discovered in 1985 when Nigel Grainge of Ensign Records saw her band Ton Ton Macoute perform. Although he was not fond of the band’s music, he was impressed by O'Connor’s ‘amazing voice’. Grainge had O'Connor record four songs with Karl Wallinger (World Party) and signed her to his label. O'Connor’s first single was the song “Heroine” which she co-wrote with U2’s guitarist The Edge for the film Captive.

Her debut album The Lion and the Cobra was a sensation when it was released in 1987, reaching gold record status and earning a Best Female Rock Vocal Performance Grammy nomination. O'Connor’s debut single “Troy” charted in The Netherlands and Belgium, and “Mandinka”, released in late 1987, cracked the top 20 in the UK and top 30 in three other European countries, helping her album chart well in Europe. Spin Magazine described the album as a “remarkable, still-spine-tingling first record”.

more tracks from the album

Sean-Nós Nua

From the album

Sean-Nós Nua (2002)

Sinéad O’Connor popular songs

Paddy’s LamentSinéad O’Connor

Sinéad O’Connor

Sean-Nós Nua