Joseph Mary Plunkett Lyrics

I wrote this song for the memory of a man they knew as

Joseph Mary Plunkett

A poet, a laureate, a soldier not

In Kilmainham gaol he tied the knot

Joseph came from his bed, poems to recite in his head

He fired his bullets with the spoken tongue

He had no need for a gun

The wind blows in from the Irish Sea

Flutters the flag of liberty

Joseph's words upon the wall

Blood on the Rose, a Christian call

Joseph read the verses he'd wrote

To comfort those who shook the most

They felt him grab their shoulders tight

His voice was soft but the cause was right

The wind blows in from the Irish Sea

Flutters the flag of liberty

From the GPO to Kilmainham gaol

Sentence was passed to no avail

The British soldiers stood five plus one

Lifted their heads and pointed their guns

To ease their conscience some were given blanks

They might as well have been Chieftans tanks

Joseph's words upon the wall

Blood upon the Rose, a Christian call

Joseph read the verses he'd wrote

to comfort those who shook the most

They felt him grab their shoulders tight

His voice was soft but the cause was right

The wind blows in from the Irish sea

Flutters the flag of liberty

Grace was there by Joseph's side, 15 minutes before he died

In Kilmainham gaol their vows were spoke

Bullets were fired, her heart was broke

Joseph's words upon the wall

Blood upon the Rose, a Christian call

Joseph read the verses he'd wrote

To comfort those who shook the most

They felt him grab their shoulders tight

His voice was soft but the cause was right

The wind blows in from the Irish Sea

Flutters the flag of liberty

Freedom for Ireland fought and won

By a man of words, not the gun