It was on Good Friday morning, all in the month of May.
A German ship was signalling beyond there in the bay
We have twenty thousand rifles all ready here to land,
But no signal answer came to them from lonely Banna Strand.
‘No signal answer from the shore', Sir Roger sadly said.
‘No comrades there to welcome me, alas, they must be dead.
But I must do my duty, and at once I mean to land.’
So in a boat he rowed away to lonely Banna Strand.
A motor car was flying through the early morning’s gloom.
A sudden crash and in the stream it fell to meet its doom.
Two Irish boys lay dying there, just like their hopes so grand.
They could not give the signal now from lonely Banna Strand.
The German ship was lying there with rifles in galore.
Up comes a British ship and spoke, ‘No Germans reach our shore.
You are our empire’s enemies, and so we bid you stand.
No German ship will n’er pollute our lonely Banna Strand.’
They sailed for Queenstown Harbour, says the Germans: ‘We’re undone.’
The British ship out-mastered, man for man and gun for gun.
We have twenty thousand rifles but they never will reach land.
We’ll sink them all and bid farewell to lonely Banna Strand.
The R.I.C.’s was searching for Sir Roger high and low.
They found him at McKenna’s Fort – says: ‘There you are, our foe.’
Says he, ‘I’m Roger Casement, I came to my native land.
I meant to free my countrymen on lonely Banna Strand.’
They took Sir Roger prisoner and they sailed for London Town.
And in the Tower they led him as a traitor to the Crown.
Says he, ‘I am no traitor', but his trial he had to stand,
For bringing German rifles to lonely Banna Strand.
It was in an English prison that they led him to his death.
‘I am dying for my country', he said with his last breath.
He’s buried in a foreign tomb far from his native home,
And the wild waves sing his Requiem on lonely Banna Strand.
[They took Sir Roger home again in the year of '65,
And with his comrades of '16 in peace and tranquil lies,
His last fond wish, it is fulfilled, for to lie in his native land,
And the waves will roll in peace again on the lonely Banna Strand]
A German ship was signalling beyond there in the bay
We have twenty thousand rifles all ready here to land,
But no signal answer came to them from lonely Banna Strand.
‘No signal answer from the shore', Sir Roger sadly said.
‘No comrades there to welcome me, alas, they must be dead.
But I must do my duty, and at once I mean to land.’
So in a boat he rowed away to lonely Banna Strand.
A motor car was flying through the early morning’s gloom.
A sudden crash and in the stream it fell to meet its doom.
Two Irish boys lay dying there, just like their hopes so grand.
They could not give the signal now from lonely Banna Strand.
The German ship was lying there with rifles in galore.
Up comes a British ship and spoke, ‘No Germans reach our shore.
You are our empire’s enemies, and so we bid you stand.
No German ship will n’er pollute our lonely Banna Strand.’
They sailed for Queenstown Harbour, says the Germans: ‘We’re undone.’
The British ship out-mastered, man for man and gun for gun.
We have twenty thousand rifles but they never will reach land.
We’ll sink them all and bid farewell to lonely Banna Strand.
The R.I.C.’s was searching for Sir Roger high and low.
They found him at McKenna’s Fort – says: ‘There you are, our foe.’
Says he, ‘I’m Roger Casement, I came to my native land.
I meant to free my countrymen on lonely Banna Strand.’
They took Sir Roger prisoner and they sailed for London Town.
And in the Tower they led him as a traitor to the Crown.
Says he, ‘I am no traitor', but his trial he had to stand,
For bringing German rifles to lonely Banna Strand.
It was in an English prison that they led him to his death.
‘I am dying for my country', he said with his last breath.
He’s buried in a foreign tomb far from his native home,
And the wild waves sing his Requiem on lonely Banna Strand.
[They took Sir Roger home again in the year of '65,
And with his comrades of '16 in peace and tranquil lies,
His last fond wish, it is fulfilled, for to lie in his native land,
And the waves will roll in peace again on the lonely Banna Strand]
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