“Man is Free by Nature”
Description
"Why vainly do we waste our time, Repeating our oppression? ... See Gallia's bright example; The glorious scene before our eyes, Let's every tyrant trample.... future ages prove this truth, That man is free by nature"
Notes
Moylan: "This song may have been written by Thomas Russell." - BS
It does sound like something Russell (1767-1803) might have written, since he was a radical -- reportedly a friend of Wolfe Tone -- hung in the aftermath of Robert Emmet's rebellion. If so, though, he obviously lived to see the promise of the French Revoution drowned in blood. Indeed, it's hard to see how the song could have been published as late as 1796, assuming the author was rational; the Terror had run from 1793-1794, which should have shown how dangerous uncontrolled "populist" movements could be. - RBW
Historical references
- July 14, 1789 - The Bastille is taken, marking the beginning of the French Revolution
- 1791-1792 - Thomas Paine publishes _The Rights of Man_
Cross references
- cf. "The Glorious Exertion of Man" (subject of the French Revolution)
References
- Moylan 12, "Man is Free by Nature" (1 text, 1 tune)
- BI, Moyl012