Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye
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"Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" is an Irish traditional anti-war and anti-recruiting song and the basis for the American popular song When Johnny Comes Marching Home. Although no published version is known to pre-date the 1863 "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again" [1], the Irish song is generally dated to the early 19th century, when Irish troops served the British East India Company. (liner notes for Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye (Johnny Fill Up the Bowl/When Johnny Comes Marching Home from the Clancy Brothers, excerpted at [2]).
The original refers to the soldiers from Athy, County Kildare that fought in "Sulloon" (Ceylon - now Sri Lanka) for the East India Company. It has become a definitive anti-war song.
The following is the version most commonly sung today. The last verse appears to be a relatively recent addition and does not appear in the version presented in Padraic Colum's (1922) Anthology of Irish Verse [3]. Some common variations follow the lyrics.
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[edit] Lyrics
While goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo
While goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo
While goin' the road to sweet Athy
A stick in me hand and a drop in me eye
A doleful damsel I heard cry,
Johnny I hardly knew ye.
With your drums and guns and drums and guns, hurroo, hurroo
With your drums and guns and drums and guns, hurroo, hurroo
With your drums and guns and drums and guns
The enemy nearly slew ye
Oh my darling dear, Ye look so queer
Johnny I hardly knew ye.
Where are your eyes that were so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are your eyes that were so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are your eyes that were so mild
When my heart you so beguiled?
Why did ye run from me and the child?
Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye.
Where are your legs that used to run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are your legs that used to run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are your legs that used to run
When you went for to carry a gun
Indeed your dancing days are done
Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye.
I'm happy for to see ye home, hurroo, hurroo
I'm happy for to see ye home, hurroo, hurroo
I'm happy for to see ye home
All from the island of Sulloon
So low in flesh, so high in bone
Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye.
Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg,
Ye're an armless, boneless, chickenless egg,
Ye'll have to be put with a bowl out to beg,
Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye.
They're rolling out the guns again, hurroo, hurroo
They're rolling out the guns again, hurroo, hurroo
They're rolling out the guns again,
But they never will take our sons again,
No they never will take our sons again,
Johnny I'm swearing to ye.
[edit] Variations
- The repeating chorus line "With your drums and guns and drums and guns" is sometimes sung as "With your drums and guns and guns and drums."
- "Why did ye skedaddle from me and the child?" sometimes replaces "Why did ye run from me and the child?"
- "Ceylon" sometimes replaces "Sulloon".
[edit] Other
- A book by Kenneth O'Donnell about the truncated presidency of John F. Kennedy was titled, Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye. It was published in 1983, six years after O'Donnell's death.
