In eleven sixty-seven, they came to Ireland on the make
They were followed by invasions and by conquests in their wake
The kings and queens of England made the land a battleground
They took the land by fraud, defeat;
By poison, murder and deceit!

Murder, plunder, Faugh a Ballagh, clear the way
Cheating, stealing, diddly-idel-day
Ducking, diving, Faugh a Ballagh, clear the way
Diddly-aidel-doh, diddly-idel-day

Then by the fifteenth century they held precariously to the Pale
The invaders were more Irish than the Irish, that's the tale
A fat greedy king (called Henry)'s dick was bigger than his brain
Imposed a reformation — confiscating, usurpation!

And you'll never beat the Irish, no matter what you do
You can put us down and keep us out, but we'll come back again
You know we are the fighting Irish and we fight until the end
You know, you should have known:
You'll never beat the Irish

That virgin Queen Elizabeth brought more turmoil to our land
She decimated Munster, scorched the earth and all at hand
Then James the first and Charles the Mad
Brought other greedy bands
They took the land of Ulster,
Killed their Chieftains — poisoned, plundered!
Murder, plunder, Faugh a Ballagh, clear the way
Cheating, stealing, diddly-idel-day
Ducking, diving, Faugh a Ballagh, clear the way
Diddly-aidel-doh, diddly-idel-day

And by defective titles, they cheated Connacht and the West
Across the seventeenth century from war we had no rest
The curse of Cromwell plagued the land
Till our towns ran red with blood
Then the Battle of the Boyne was fought
By William, James and foreign hoards

And you'll never beat the Irish, no matter what you do
You can put us down and keep us out, but we'll come back again
You know we are the fighting Irish and we fight until the end
You know, you should have known:
You'll never beat the Irish

Murder, plunder, Faugh a Ballagh, clear the way
Cheating, stealing, diddly-idel-day
Ducking, diving, Faugh a Ballagh, clear the way
Diddly-aidel-doh, diddly-idel-day

Murder, plunder Faugh a Ballagh, clear the way
Cheating, stealing, diddly-idel-day
Ducking, diving, Faugh a Ballagh, clear the way
Diddly-aidel-doh, de-diddly-idel-day