“It Was A' For Our Rightful' King”

Description

"It was a' for our rightfu' king We left fair Scotland's strand; It was a' for our rightfu' king We e'er saw Irish land...." "Now a' is done that men can do, And a' is done in vain." The defeated soldier must leave his love and go into exile

Supplemental text

It Was A' For Our Rightful' King
  Complete text(s)

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Originally from the Scots Musical Museum, volume 5, 1796. As printed
in William Beattie and Henry W. Meikle, Robert Burns, p. 236.

It was a' for our rightfu' king
  We left fair Scotland's strand;
It was a' for our rightfu' king
  We e'er saw Irish land, my dear,
    We e'er saw Irish land.

Now a' is done that men can do,
  And a' is done in vain:
My Love and Native Land fareweel,
  For I maun cross the main, my dear,
    For I maun cross the main.

He turn'd him right and round about,
  Upon the Irish shore,
And gae his bridle reins a shake,
  With, adieu for evermore, my dear,
    With, adieu for ever more.

The soger frae the wars returns,
  The sailor frae the main,
But I har parted frae my love,
  Never to meet again, my dear.
    Never to meet again.

When day is gane, andnight is come,
  And a' folk bound to sleep;
I think on  him that's far awa,
  The lee-lang night & weep, my dear.
    The lee-lang night & weep.

Historical references

• 1685-1688 - Reign of James II (James VII of Scotland), the last Catholic king of Britain
• 1688 - Glorious Revolution overthrows James II in favor of his Protestant daughter Mary II and her husband and first cousin William III of Orange
• Mar 12, 1689 - James arrives in Ireland and begins, very hesitantly, to organize its defense.
• April-July, 1689 - Siege of Londonderry. James's forces fail to capture the Protestant stronghold, leaving Ireland still "in play" for William
• August, 1689 - Marshal Schomberg brings the first of William's troops to Ireland. James continues to be passive, allowing more troops to reinforce them
• March, 1690 - James receives reinforcements from France but still does nothing
• June 14, 1690 - William lands in Ireland
• July 1, 1690 - Battle of the Boyne. William III crushes the Irish army of James, at once securing his throne and the rule of Ireland. Irish resistance continues for about another year, but Ireland east of the Shannon is his; James flees the country, and many of his followers also depart into exile, to become the "Wild Geese" of Irish legend

Cross references

• cf. "Mally Stewart" (tune)

References

1. ADDITIONAL: Charles Sullivan, ed., Ireland in Poetry, p. 89, "The Farewell" (1 text)
2. Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; #196, "The Farewell" (1 text)
3. ST SMM5IWAF (Full)
4. Roud #5789
5. BI, SMM5IWAF