Reference is made to James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon, the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland who is accused of sending the 'Specials' or Ulster Special Constabulary, to 'shoot the people down'.
In Christy Moore's version the lyrics in this verse are "the Black and Tans from London came to shoot the people down"[1] Reference is also made to Seaforde Street in the Short Strand area of east Belfast, which was often the scene of armed encounters between the IRA, British forces and loyalist gunmen.
In some versions of the song, there is an allusion to the politics of the Irish Civil War of 1922-1923, 'We're out for our Republic and to hell with your Free State'.
The Belfast Brigade in fact largely supported Michael Collins during the civil war, although many of them changed their opinion when it became clear that the Partition of Ireland would be permanent.
During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), the Connolly Column, an Irish volunteer unit of the 15th International Brigade, sang the song while fighting against Francisco Franco's nationalists.