My dad, who grew up a Celtic supporter in Lanarkshire in the late 1940s and early ‘50s in the aftermath of World War Two, learnt this song from classmates at Our Lady’s High in Motherwell. It didn’t take too much persuasion to get him to sing it when I was in my early teens, although he was always mindful to leave out the swearing (which was ironic given how much he swore the rest of the time!).
Songs like this, taught by parents and older relatives, never leave you. The oral tradition of songs, poems, folktales and myths being passed down the generations is a feature of all communities and has been a key factor in how identities are shaped and maintained from the beginning of time. Football is no different and many of the songs sung by Celtic fans and other today have been sung for decades.
These are the words as I remember them. I’ve met a few Celtic fans down the years who know the song and especially the tune but the words often wary in a line or two and there are other versions kicking about also. Whether it was ever song by large numbers of fans in The Jungle or away terracings isn’t known:
Bless ‘em all, Bless ‘em all
The Pope and St. Vincent de Paul
My God bless the Rangers – may they roast in hell
May God bless the Diamonds – may they roast as well!
And the green flag will fly sky high
And Celtic will fight ‘til they die
For we won’t be mastered
By no Orange b*stard
So come on my Celtic don’t die!
It was clear that at the time Celtic’s big rivals, at least as far as Lanarkshire schoolboys were concerned, were Rangers and Airdrie – teams with strong Protestant identities. St Vincent de Paul is an interesting mention as it was local conferences (branches) of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Glasgow’s East End who organised the dinner tables in the Catholic parishes of Sacred Heart (Bridgeton), St. Mary’s (Calton) and St. Michael’s (Parkhead) that Brother Walfrid founded Celtic FC to raise funds for to encourage children to attend school.
One more hardcore (and even less ecumenical) version I heard once on an awayday went along these lines:
Bless them all, Bless them all
The Pope & St. Vincent de Paul
F*ck yer King Billy cos he’s down in hell
And f*ck yer John Knox cos he’s down there as well
When the green flag is flying so high
The Celtic will fight till they die
For we won’t be mastered by no Orange b*stard
Bless them all, bless them all.
It was originally sung with very different lyrics by British soldiers as far back as the 19th century. It criticised officers and sergeants and the drudgery of army life and usually went by the title of ‘Sod ‘Em All’ or, more likely, ‘F*ck ‘Em All.’ Sanitised versions became popularised during World War Two and were commercially released by popular singers and artists such as Vera Lynn, George Formby and Billy Cotton.
Here is George Formby’s version of the song with nary a mention of St Vincent de Paul:
For more stories about Celtic songs, poems and chants and attempts to rediscover lost classics, click here. If you know any other versions or similar songs, please get in touch.
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