"Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" is a popular Irish traditional anti-war and anti-recruiting song. Some claim it is the basis for the American popular song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home". Although no published version is known to pre-date the 1863 "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again" , the Irish song is generally dated to the early 19th century, when Irish troops served the British East India Company. (liner notes for Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye (Johnny Fill Up the Bowl/When Johnny Comes Marching Home from the Clancy Brothers ). The original refers to the soldiers from Athy, County Kildare that fought in "Sulloon" (Ceylon - now Sri Lanka) for the East India Company. It has become a definitive anti-war song.
The song is also known as Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye.
The following is the version most commonly sung today. The last verse appears to be a relatively recent addition and does not appear in the version presented in Padraic Colum's (1922) Anthology of Irish Verse . Some common variations follow the lyrics.
