I am Kilrain and I'm a fightin' man and I come from County Clare And the Brits would hang me for a Fenian so I took me leave of there And I crossed the ocean in the 'Arrianne' the vilest tub afloat And the captain's brother was a railroad man and he met us the boat So I joined up with the 20th Maine like I said my friend I'm a fighting man And we're marchin' south in the pouring rain and we're all goin' down to Dixieland
I am Kilrain of the 20th Maine and we fight for Chamberlain ‘Cause he stood right with us when the Johnnies came like a banshee on the wind When the smoke cleared out of Gettysburg many a mother wept For many a good boy died there, sure, and the air smelted just like death
I am Kilrain of the 20th Maine and I'd march to hell and back again For Colonel Joshua Chamberlain - we're all goin' down to Dixieland
I am Kilrain of the 20th Maine and I damn all gentlemen Whose only worth is their father's name and the sweat of a workin' man Well we come from the farms and the city streets and a hundred foreign lands And we spilled our blood in the battle's heat Now we're all Americans
I am Kilrain of the 20th Maine and did I tell you friend I'm a fightin' man And I'll not be back this way again, ‘cause we're all goin' down to Dixieland