oh i am a merry ploughboy and i plough the feilds all day till a sudden thought came to my mind that i should roam away for im tired of this civilian life since the day that i was born so im off to join the ira and im off tomorrow morn and were all off to dublin in the green where the helmets glisten in the sun where the bay nets clash and rifles crash to the echo of the thompson gun i ll leave aside my pick and spade i ll leave aside my plough oh ill leave aside my horse and yoke for no more i ll need them now and i leave aside my mary she is the girl i do adore and i wonder if she thinks of me when she hears that canon roar and we re all off to dublin in the green in the green where the helmets glisten in the sun where the bay nets flash and the riffles crash to the rattle of a thompson gun and when the war is over and dear old ireland is free i ll take her to the church to wed and a rebel s wife she ll be well some men fight for silver and some men fight for gold but the i r a are fighting for the land that the saxons stole and we re all off to dublin in the green in the green where the helmets glisten in the sun where the bay nets flash and the riffles crash to the rattle of a thompson gun