Lilliburlero

Lilliburlero, also known as The Protestant Boys, is a march that sets the doggerel lyrics of a ballad generally attributed to Lord Thomas Wharton to music by Henry Purcell.

The original lyrics refer to the Glorious Revolution, an episode in the history of the United Kingdom in which King James II abdicated and fled, and William I was invited by Parliament to the throne. James II then tried to reclaim the crown with the assistance of France; his invasion of Ireland was thwarted at the Battle of the Boyne. The original lyrics themselves are cast in the form of a satirical speech put in the mouth of Irish nationalist rebels. They include these words and the chorus:

But if dispense do come from de Pope,

Lilliburlero, bullen a la,

We'll hang Magna Carta and dem in a rope.

Lilliburlero, bullen a la.

. . . .

Who in all France have taken a swear,

Lilliburlero, bullen a la,

Dat they will have no Protestant heir,

Lilliburlero, bullen a la.

Chorus:

Lero, lero, lilliburlero,

Lilliburlero, bullen a la.

Lero, lero, lilliburlero,

Lilliburlero, bullen a la.

The meaning of the chorus and the refrain are also obscure, but they have been interpreted as a garbled version of the Irish words an lile ba léir é ba linn an lá, "the lily was clear, the day was ours." The lily may be the fleur de lis of France.

Purcell's music, without these lyrics, is used as the theme music of the BBC World Service.

Other words have been set to the tune. Of these words, the most well known, or notorious, is The Protestant Boys, an Ulster Protestant folk lyric which is sung and played by the Orange Order during its parades, which have been made the subject of controversy during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. These lyrics begin:

The Protestant Boys are loyal and true

Stout hearted in battle and stout-handed too

The Protestant Boys are true to the last

And faithful and peaceful when danger has passed

And Oh! they bear and proudly wear

The colours that floated o'er many a fray

Where cannons were flashing

And sabers were clashing

The Protestant Boys still carried the day.

The BBC and Lillibulero

The tune was adopted by the British Broadcasting Corporation's World War II program Into Battle and became the unofficial march of the Commando Regiment of the British Army. Since its association with the BBC's role in the war, various recordings of Lilliburlero have been played by the BBC as an identity signal. These include a marching band and a symphony orchestra. The current recording is performed by string orchestra and is played on the BBC World Service several times a day.

See also: The Boyne Water; Croppies Lie Down