Song 7: Paddy's Lament

Paddy's Lament is about an Irish immigrant to America in the hopes of starting over with a new and prosperous life. It was written during the Civil War hence the 'murderin cannons' and violence. This song depicts America as a hellish, bloody, forsaken land. It also speaks of the conscription that occurred among immigrants and others. It is, again, a fairly straight-forward song that tells me quite plainly that America was not a pleasant place to live in during the Civil War and that the Irish thought lowly of America at this time. I actually enjoyed this song because not only the singing was good, but the lyrics were somewhat more modern.