The Band of Brothers: MP3s/Lyrics

• MP3 play whole song, hi-fi (broadband)
• MP3 play whole song, lo-fi (modem)

Note from Michael: This song relates the journey of my ancestor Mathew Quigley to America from Ireland sometime in the 19th century. In some measure the lyrics reflect my own journey in attempting to uncover any information about Mathew. Records of his passage were impossible to confirm; but it is probable that he, his father and his sister traveled on the "William F. Storer". Also, although Roger Craig "proposed a revolt" onboard the W. F. Storer, the revolt almost certainly did not occur during Mathew's passage. However, it was a historical detail I couldn't pass up, as Craig's effort to protest the deplorable conditions aboard ship was just the dramatic touch I needed. For his efforts Roger Craig was imprisoned, and later pardoned by President Abraham Lincoln. In 1874, Mathew was to marry Jenny Scantlin, the daughter of Daniel Scanlon, who is the subject of another song of mine, "Walking Home From Virginia".

Oh-oh-oh! We’re coming, America. Oh-oh-oh! Goodbye to the Green.

D’ya think that we’ll find a wee bit of heaven? Over this ocean, over this sea.

Young Matthew Quigley gazed over the larboard; raising his hand, he shielded his brow.

He wondered, if ever, he’d get off this deathship, that’d taken his mother before her time.

And it’s Oh-oh-oh! We’re coming, America. Oh-oh-oh! Goodbye to the Green.

D’ya think that we’ll find a wee bit of heaven? Over this ocean, over this sea.

He had boarded the William F. Storer in August, ready to voyage for about fifty days.

His mother, his father, his sister Catherine, were packed down in steerage with no room to breathe.

And it’s Oh-oh-oh! We’re coming, America. Oh-oh-oh! Goodbye to the Green.

D’ya think that we’ll find a wee bit of heaven? Over this ocean, over this sea.

When they’d been sailin’ about a fortnight, Matthew heard rumor the ship was diseased.

The fever had taken ahold of the families of Roger Craig and Johnnie O’Shea.

And it’s Oh-oh-oh! We’re coming, America. Oh-oh-oh! Goodbye to the Green.

D’ya think that we’ll find a wee bit of heaven? Over this ocean, over this sea.

Now, Roger Craig was proposing to revolt. "Turn the ship ‘round, we’ll sail her back home."

But we all knew we hadn’t a homeland. The famine had taken our island away.

And it’s Oh-oh-oh! We’re coming, America. Oh-oh-oh! Goodbye to the Green.

D’ya think that we’ll find a wee bit of heaven? Over this ocean, over this sea.

Now, what is the gain of this sad journey? Surely our children will live poor as we.

Perhaps it will take a few generations, for the brave Irish their future to see.

And it’s Oh-oh-oh! We’re coming, America. Oh-oh-oh! Goodbye to the Green.

D’ya think that we’ll find a wee bit of heaven? Over this ocean, over this sea.