The Great Hunger

It was in the year 1845
A great hunger came o’er the land
And it was the neglect of the rulers
To be that no crops could the soil command
Yet the farmer he tilled he toiled
And he sowed and he planted with his strong hands
A great hunger came o’er the land

The moon it shone bright o’er the late autumn skies
‘Twas the finest a harvest moon
Yet it was not a sight of joy to be seen
For then again too soon
Crop failure had turned the sweetness all
Sour in the hearts of all Ireland
A great hunger came o’er the land

Now the men they grow weak and the women are pale
And the children are dying now
The cold winter months will soon pass us by
Without hope In the early spring
And the people will cry with a hungry plea
Without hope of a helping hand
A great hunger came o’er our land

The birds they are singing way out of tune
As the cart pulls the donkey along
The crops they have failed us again in this year
Oh, then tell me what caused this wrong?
Was it the curse of a witch that caused this bad deed?
Or the work of a devil’s hand?
A great hunger came o’er the land

Not a devil or witch had a hand in this deed
Of this I assure you now
But the cuckoo of men this crippling foe
Though it’s little that you might have
He’s exploited the work of the labouring man
And while his belly expands
A great hunger came o’er the land