Van Diemen's Land (song)

Song infobox
Name = Van Diemen's Land


Type = Song
Artist = U2
alt Artist =
Album = Rattle and Hum
Published =
Released = 10 October 1988
track_no = 2
Recorded =
Genre = Rock
Length = 3:05
Writer = The Edge
Composer = The Edge
Label = Island
Producer = Jimmy Iovine
Background =
Tracks =
prev = "Helter Skelter" (Live)
prev_no = 1
next = "Desire"
next_no = 3

"Van Diemen's Land" is the second track from U2's 1988 album, "Rattle and Hum". A quiet song, in a folk style, it is one of only three songs with lead vocals by The Edge (the other two being "Seconds" and "Numb").

The music is based on the traditional Scottish folk song "O Waly, Waly," also known as "The Water is Wide".fact|date=January 2008

There is one additional verse of the song that appears only in the notes with the album:

"Still the gunman rules and the widows pay
"A scarlet coat now a black beret
"They thought that blood and sacrifice
"Could out of death bring forth a life

Van Diemen's Land is the former name for the island of Tasmania when the British used the Australian continent as a penal colony. Many Irishmen were amongst those sent to Australia. The song is dedicated to Irish poet John Boyle O'Reilly.