Green Island

The island lies like a leaf upon the sea

Green island like a leaf new-fallen from the tree

Green turns to gold

As morning breeze gently shakes the barley

Bending the yellow corn

Green turns to gold

There's purple shadows on the distant mountains

Sun in the yellow corn

They came in their long ships from lands across the sea

They came in their long ships – they saw the land was green

Wind in the barley

Trout and salmon leaping in the rivers

Sun in the yellow corn

Leaping ashore

They slaughtered those laboured in the barley

Scything them down like corn

The long ships sailed away and new invaders came

With long bow and lance bringing death in England's name

With sword and with mace

They went reaping though the fields of barley

They plundered the yellow corn

Crop followed crop

They prospered in their killing fields of barley

The harvest of new young corn

Marching down the years the men of war they came

With bombs, assassins, bullets, CS gas and guns

Ghosts from the past

Are chasing shadows through the fields of barley

Hiding in the new young corn

Nine hundred years

They tried to trap the wind that shakes the barley

Sun in the yellow corn

The island lies like a leaf upon the sea

Green island like a leaf new-fallen from the tree

Green turns to gold

As morning breeze gently shakes the barley

Bending the yellow corn

No force on Earth

Can ever trap the wind that shakes the barley

Sun in the yellow corn