If They’d Only Give Old Ireland to the Irish

From the musical “Down Limerick Way”, 1919
Words by Queenie Hewlett
Music by Ben M. Jerome

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The sheet music:

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Accompaniment by Denise Coulbeck:

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Lyrics

1. My soul is a storm-tossed ship
   And my heart is a broken mast
   There’s a grievance I’ve had
   Handed down by my dad
   ‘Tis a grievance will stick to the last
   You could have all the rest of the earth
   If the wish of my heart could come true
   To set free the land of my birth
   There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do

Chorus:
If they’d only give old Ireland to the Irish
That is my wish for the Irish
What a heaven it would be
For the likes of you and me
And we never will be happy
Till the day they set her free
Then we’ll go back to Erin
Where all will be wearin’
The smile that makes the Irish so worth while
When we kiss the Blarney Stone
And the pipes play “Garry Owen”
Every lad would fill his hod
With a bit of the old sod
If they’d only give old Ireland to the Irish

2. My soul was a storm-tossed ship
   And my heart was a drifting mast
   But a hope I have now
   I can’t doubt it somehow
   That the future won’t be like the past
   For the time sure is here when our land
   As the home of the free, will be known
   And all true sons of Erin can stand
   On a soil that is all of their own

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Sung by Laurence Rubenstein: