Lillibullero
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Lillibullero is a march that sets the words of a satirical ballad generally attributed to Lord Thomas Wharton to music by Henry Purcell.
The lyrics refer to the effects in Ireland of the Glorious Revolution, an episode in the history of the United Kingdom in which King James II abdicated and fled, and William III was invited by Parliament to the throne. James II then tried to reclaim the crown with the assistance of France; his invasion of Ireland was thwarted at the Battle of the Boyne. The song, put into the mouth of Irish nationalist rebels and satirizing their sentiments, pilloried the supporters of the Catholic King James:
- Oh brother Teague have you heard the decree
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- That we're going to have a new deputy
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- Refrain:
- Lero Lero Lillibullero
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- Lero Lero Lero Lero
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- Oh by my soul it is a Talbot
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- And he will cut every Englishman's throat
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- Refrain
- Now Tyrconnell is come ashore
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- And we shall have commissions galore
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- Refrain
- And everyone that won't go to Mass
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- He will be turned out to look like an ass
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- Refrain
- Now the heretics all go down
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- By Christ and St Patrick's the nation's our own
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- Refrain
- There was an old prophesy found in a bog
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- The country'd be ruled by an ass and a dog
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- Refrain
- Now this prophesy is come to pass
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- For Talbot's the dog and Tyrconnell's the ass
- Lillibullero bullen a la
- Refrain
The song's title and the words of the refrain have been interpreted as a garbled version of the Irish words (an) lile ba léir é, ba linn an lá, "(the) lily was clear and ours was the day". The lily may be a reference to the fleur de lis of France.
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The Protestant Boys
Other words have been set to the tune. Of these words, the most well known, or notorious, is The Protestant Boys, an Ulster Protestant folk lyric which is sung and played by the Orange Order during its parades, which have been made the subject of controversy during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. These lyrics begin:
- The Protestant Boys are loyal and true
- Stout hearted in battle and stout-handed too
- The Protestant Boys are true to the last
- And faithful and peaceful when danger has passed
- And Oh! they bear and proudly wear
- The colours that floated o'er many a fray
- Where cannons were flashing
- And sabers were clashing
- The Protestant Boys still carried the day.
The BBC and Lillibullero
The tune of Lillibullero was adopted by the British Broadcasting Corporation's World War II programme Into Battle and became the unofficial march of the Commando Regiment of the British Army. Since its association with the BBC's role in the war, various recordings of Lillibullero have been played by the BBC as an identity signal. These include a marching band and a symphony orchestra. The current recording is performed by a string orchestra and is played on the BBC World Service several times a day.
See also: The Boyne Water; Croppies Lie Down
REME
Lillibullero is the (official) Regimental March of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. This Corps was established during the Second World War and so the wartime use by the BBC desccribed above may well have played a part in its selection.
External links
- BBC web page including a sung recording of Lillibullero (http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/learning/william/flash/lillibullero/lillibullero.shtml)
- Complete lyrics to The Protestant Boys (http://ingeb.org/songs/theprote.html)