Traditionally an Irish folk song, this was covered by The Dubliners in 1967 before Thin Lizzy rocked it up in 1972 for their breakthrough hit.
The song tells the story of a bandit in southwest Ireland who robs an English Army Officer to keep his girlfriend Molly happy after she promises to love him forever. She then betrays him and the young man is taken to jail.
Metallica recorded a popular cover of this song on their 1998 Garage, Inc. album - an outlier for them as they rarely mention girls in their songs. Other notable versions are by The Pogues, The Dubliners, U2, Pulp and Smokie. The lyrics of this song can vary from version to version, but most covers use the Thin Lizzy lyrics.
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