Clip of the Day~O'Brien sings The Minstrel Boy

This is my all time favorite scene from STAR TREK: The Next Generation. In The Wounded, O'Brien sings the first verse of a classic Irish folk song (and war song) called The Minstrel Boy (lyrics below):



There is another fine version of this song--more rousing than O'Brien's, if not as emotionally taut--by Danny Quinn:



And Star Trek: Deep Space Nine also made good use of the song:



And now for the lyrics. I'm giving you both verses, even though O'Brien sings only the first:

The Minstrel Boy

The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone
In the ranks of death you will find him;
His father's sword he hath girded on,
And his wild harp slung behind him;
"Land of Song!" said the warrior bard,
"Tho' all the world betrays thee,
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee!"

The Minstrel fell! But the foeman's chain
Could not bring that proud soul under;
The harp he lov'd ne'er spoke again,
For he tore its chords asunder;
And said "No chains shall sully thee,
Thou soul of love and brav'ry!
Thy songs were made for the pure and free,
They shall never sound in slavery!"

I've also seen a third verse to this song, allegedly added by the Irish regiments fighting for the Union during the American Civil War:

The Minstrel Boy will return we pray
When we hear the news we all will cheer it,
The minstrel boy will return one day,
Torn perhaps in body, not in spirit.
Then may he play on his harp in peace,
In a world such as Heaven intended,
For all the bitterness of man must cease,
And ev'ry battle must be ended.

Clip of the Day

Here's The Dubliners' version of Whiskey in the Jar, to be listened to while reading The Bold Deceiver (see post below.) Thanks to 'Inky' for finding this link:




(As with most traditional songs, there are lots of variations of the lyrics. I learned this song with the line: "Stand and deliver for I am a bold deceiver!" But this version has, "Stand and deliver for you are a bold deceiver!")