Come out ye Black and Tans by The Longkesh Ramblers

Written by Dominic Behan this is a spirited satire on the exploits of the infamous militia who roamed the Irish countryside in the nineteen twenties, spreading murder and terror. Their “gallant deeds“ in Ireland are compare to their campaigns throughout the rest of the “Dominion“, where, for example, their sixteen pounder guns bravely faced the Arabs and the Zulus. It must be added that the natives did have bows and arrows (bronze tracings were later detected on the clothing of the corpses). The song mentions some of the better known patriots who were murdered by the British and today it is still very popular in the streets of Northern Ireland, being often directed against the modern counterpart. COME OUT YE BLACK AND TANS I was born on a Dublin street where the Loyal drums do beat And the loving English feet they tramped all over us, And each and every night when me father’d came home tight He’d invite the neighbours outside with this cho