Standard (EADGBE)

John Riley came from Galway Town in the years of the Irish hunger

And he sailed away to Amerikay when the country was much younger . . .

Now the place was strange and work was scarce, and all he knew was farming

So he followed his other Irish friends to a job in the U S Army

Chorus

Adventure calls and some men run

And this is their sad story

Some get drunk on demon rum And some get drunk on glory

Now they marched down Texas way to the banks of the Rio Grande

And they built a fort on the banks above to taunt old Santa Annay

They were treated bad and paid worse, and then the fighting started

And the more they fought the less they thought of the damn old U S Army

Chorus

Now when the church bells ring on a Sunday morn it set his soul to shiver

He saw the senoritas washing their hair on the far side of the river

Then John Riley and 200 more Irish mercenaries

They cast their lot, right or not, south of the Rio Granday

Chorus

Now they fought bravely under the flag of the San Patricios

Till the Yankee soldiers beat them down at the battle of Churubusco

Then 15 men were whipped like mules, on their cheeks had a hot iron branded

They had to dig the graves of 50 more who were hanging fate-in-handed

CHORUS then full INSTR verse

Now John Riley stands and drinks alone at a bar in Vera Cruz,

And he wonders if it matters much if you win or if-a you lose

"I'm a man who can't go home, I'm a vagabond," says he,

"I'm a victim of some wanderlust and divided loyalty."