Black 47

AMERICAN WAKE
Open up the door, she's standin' there With the smile in her eyes but the gray in her hair
Betrays the fact you strayed far from home With your drinkin', your smokin', your whorin' around
Sit down by the fire, put your feet on the grate
Spend the night reminiscin' 'til the hour grows late
Always remember at the end of the day
You can always go home - you just can't stay
Then it's off to the pub for to see your old mates
Ah, they all look older, but nothin' has changed
And you drink 'til you're nearly out of your head
"Hey, what are yez all doin' snakin' off to bed"
Then you're outside her flat but she's no longer there
And the tears scald your eyes as you think of her hair
In the photo they sent you of her wedding day
You can always go home - you just can't stay
Then you see her at Mass with the kids at her side
And it all comes back in the blink of an eye
The tears and the laughter, the love and the lies
And that dress she wore the night you said good-bye
Then her husband says "it's good to have you back"
And she smiles for a moment and squeezes your hand
But you know what she's thinkin', she doesn't have to say
You can always go home - you just can't stay
And you swear to yourself time and time again
It was all in the past, she don't mean anything
Now your life is full of laughter and bars What did you leave behind, just the sun, the moon and the stars
Then it's up in the mornin' at the crack of dawn
With your stomach churnin', she says "c'mon now, Sean,
You'll be late for the plane," but that crack in her voice
Betrays the fact that you made your choice
A long time ago, now there's no turnin' back
'Cause last night you had your American Wake
And the bells are still ringin', can't you hear what they say
You can always go home - you just can't stay
Say good-bye in the wind and the pourin' rain
One last drink at Shannon Airport, then we're outa here,
History around here, catch you again next year
Landin' at Kennedy, all you feel is the pain, But it's too late, 'cause last night you had your American Wake.

40 SHADES OF BLUE
Oh it's midnight on the Bowery and your feet are soakin' wet
And you've drank your last brass farthin'
You'd sell your soul for a cigarette
And the sounds from CBGBs are comfortin' to you
Then you think of the green fields of Ireland
And you feel 40 shades of blue
Ah you're back on the drink since September
And your head feels like a sieve
And you know that you're goin' from bad to worse
But you just don't give a shit
And the hymns from the Sally Army sound heavenly and true
Then you think of your friends and your family
And you feel 40 shades of blue
Ah you've got a great future behind you
But you're goin' nowhere fast Just up and down the Bowery from Canal Street to old St. Marks
And you wonder what she's up to now
Did she really find somebody new Ah how the hell could she just walk out like that
On your 40 shades of blue
And you wonder how it came to this
Was it always in the cards 'Cause workin' is for idiots And you loved the smell of bars
And the letters that you sent back home
Were full of all the things you'd done
But they don't say you're down there on Bleecker Street With your hand out on the bum
Now the dawn's comin' up on the Bowery
And you're heartsick and soakin' wet
With your tongue hangin' out for some Irish Rose
You'd sell your soul for a cigarette
And someday
I'm gonna give up this drinkin'
But then maybe someday
I'll win the lottery too
Then I'll go back home to old Wexford Town And paint her 40 shades off blue"

© Starry Plough Music (BMI)

BLACK '47
Everything is still
Not a chicken not a body
Just an awful sickenin' silence roarin' in my ears
And the fog of death deepens and lies upon the land
An ould wan rolls over on her back
The grass stains all green upon her chin I can still hear her keenin' and screamin' in the wind
God's curse upon you Lord John Russell
May your blackhearted soul rot in hell
There's no love left on earth
And god is dead in heaven
In the dark and deadly days of Black 47
God's curse upon you Lord Trevalian
May your great Queen Victoria rot in hell
'Til England and its Empire
Answer before heaven
For the crimes they committed in Black 47
Paudie says "c'mon now Don't look back, she's not livin', she's a phantom And she'll curse us if we look into her eyes"
Oh God, I must be dyin' - the fever's in me brain
For can't you see that pack of children up ahead
The beards of old men sproutin' from their chins
Can't you hear their screams of hunger on the wind
Oh darlin' Paudie save me I think I'm sinkin' fast, me blood is boilin'
Don't let me die here in a ditch If the hunger doesn't get me - the fever surely will
So Paudie picked me up and threw me 'cross his shoulders
He nursed me everyday 'til we reached Amerikay
Screamin' and shoutin' like a madman at the wind

BLACK ROSE
Mister Frankie Diamond was my best friend We were partners in a business down on C & 7th
Nothin' ever got this good brother down He was a real live wire in an electric town
Frankie started hangin' with an uptown girl
A Harlem lady in the social whirl
On Saturday night he'd put on his best clothes
And go out steppin' with his Black Rose
Now Frankie went upstate for a couple of years
A guest of the nation and he was in tears
He called me up, he said "hey friend of mine I got one favor to ask you while I'm doin' my time She's the Queen of New York City
She bewitch all men soul
She the blood that flow right through me So don't be messin' with my Black Rose
Keep your hands off my Black Rose" My Black Rose, he don't own ya...
While Frankie was upstate, his Harlem girl
Continued to spiral in her social whirl
So I paged her from my gig on East 7th I said,
"Hey, babe, you doin' anythin' round about 11?"
She said "Uh-uh" in her uptown voice
So we met at Beiruit for cocktails and ice
When she crossed that room in her tight red dress
I wasn't thinkin' of Frankie, I have to confess
She said "hey, best friend, let's go back to my place I need to fix my mascara and remodel my face"
But it rained on the way back to her house
And when she closed the door she took off her blouse
She's the Queen of New York City
She bewitch all men soul Next thing I know I'm whisperin' sweet nothin's Lyin' in bed with my Black Rose I'm makin' love to my Black..
My Black Rose, he don't own ya
So stay with me tonight...
At nights I'd lie there and listen to her breathe
With the sweat on my brow, how could she sleep

So deep, so sweet as calm as a rock
While I pushed back the seconds oozing from the clock
Now the letters I wrote Frankie returned unread
The word leaked out I'd be better off dead
But in the crimson dawn, Black Rose would unfold
And drain all the poison from my soul
Now I'm standin' up here on forty deuce
Another terminal man waitin' for his bus
Here come Frankie with his head all shaved
Is that a piece in his pocket, or is it a blade
Now I'm lyin' face down in the terminal dirt
With a hole in my chest, but I don't feel no hurt I don't wanta go to heaven, I been there before
Just spent two years in paradise with my Black Rose
She's the Queen of New York City
She bewitch all men soul
When you go and find her body
Bury me next to my Black Rose
Still in love with my Black Rose
She's up in heaven now, my Black Rose
You won't be makin' love to my Black...
My Black Rose, he don't own ya...
So stay with me tonight, for the rest of your life
Roisin dubh, me no can get over you
A time is in me mind no matter what I do
Roisin dubh me no can get over you
Now Frankie comin' back and I know that I am through
Mister Frankie Diamond tell me do the right thing
Watch his girl while he away at Sing Sing
But me and Rosie, we have a little fling
Now Frankie comin' home, wicked trouble it will bring
Wicked trouble it will bring
Lord Have Mercy!

THE BELLS OF HELL

I met her in the Strand
Readin' books to beat the band
We got talkin' about the Tropic of Capricorn
And all the things therein
Includin’ sex and drugs and gin
So I asked her if she’d fancy a libation?
She said she didn't mind
She was just out killin' time
Her husband wouldn’t be home ‘til the morning
"Is that a fact?" says I,
“I got the very place in mind”
So we went waltzin' off down to the Bells of Hell

There were drinks and eyebrows raised
When we stepped into the haze
Every blaggard at the bar was gettin' plastered
And mentally undressin'
My love’s Yves St. Laurent fashions
I could tell that I was treadin' on disaster
Ah, Malachy, me dear,
What kind of joint are you runnin' here
There's a fellah in a dress givin' me the once over
"My good man have no fear
That's a bishop from the County Clare
Everyone’s welcome down the Bells of Hell.”

Lester Bangs is on the floor
And there's a couple of Seventh Avenue whores
Explaining life to Billy Altman in the corner
Dennis Duggan’s in a suit
And Nancy Whiskey’s on the jukebox
Peter Myers is cuttin’ loose down the Bells of Hell.

There's a band in the back room
With a wild man playin' the moog synthesizer
Like he's screwin’ a couple of banshees
And a red haired bollocks with glasses
Ah, he’s beatin' the bejaysus
Out of some poor innocent guitar, that place was crazy.
They were singin' "The Girl Next Door"
When my love said "aren't they just adorable
The red haired one suggested something interesting, if rather intimate.”
Just then the bishop in the dress
Took me in a firm embrace
And I passed out cold down at the Bells of Hell

When I returned from space
Nick Tosches was moistenin’ my face
Lookin' pleased as punch, I knew exactly what that fellah’d been up to
My love looked like a mess
She was fixin’ up her dress
Nick winked, “hey, kid, you’ll write a song about this someday when you’re sober”
It was gettin' on for dawn
She said, "I think my husband will be home
But thank you for such a literary evening."
“You’re very welcome, dear, please come again
We always do the best we can
Everyone’s coming down the Bells of Hell.”
I wish I could go back down to the Bells of Hell
Ah, Malachy, take me back down to the Bells of Hell.

BLOOD WEDDING
Carlita is waiting down on C & 9th
In mantilla and lace And her lover's knife
Cries out for revenge But she is silent like a stone
And beautiful in her widow's weeds I wait in the darkness
Forever now alone
Too late for any tear shedding
While his bride waits down on C & 9th For her blood wedding
Why did you have to go out tonight
With the full moon in scarlet
And his silver knife Waiting for you
And the remains of your life
Ticking away like some pitiful clock
And I who could not even be called your wife
Safe and warm in your bedding
And you the bridegroom off on your way
To your blood wedding
And the Ukranian ladies
Light candles in the street
Where his body lay bleeding
And the projects are silent
Bracing for the heat
That must come from his blood wedding
Carlita why do you hate me so much I long for your body I die for your touch On my burning skin
And the smell of your perfume Will always remain on my bed
But I died every time You entered his room I could not let him go on living And now you wait down on C & 9th
Dying to celebrate my blood wedding I wait in the shadows of C & 9th
With my fingers caressing
His sacred knife You loved my body
But he loved my soul
You thought you knew me
But what do men know
Except my lover whose shape is etched in chalk on the street
Soon to be washed away by the rain
While you wait in the darkness dreading
The shock of my knife
At your blood wedding

BOBBY SANDS MP
My name is Bobby Sands, MP
Born in the city of Belfast
Divided by religion
I grew up fast

I was stabbed and I was spat upon
My family run out of its home
There was only one solution
Turn the whole system upside down

But the system had other ideas
I got lifted for carryin' a gun
In a trial without a jury
I got fourteen years from the judge

Screws beat me regularly
But they couldn't break me because
I had the love of my comrades
And a burnin' faith in my Cause

Still I left a girl outside pregnant
Married her while on remand
Now I got a son and a pain in my heart
When he doesn't recognize his old man

Your soul's on ice oh oh oh oh
But they can't stop the desire
To break on out oh oh oh oh
When your heart is on fire

We wouldn't wear their convict clothes
So they stripped us to the bone
Threw in some threadbare blankets.....

And when they jeered us about our nakedness
As we slopped out down the halls
We wouldn't come out of their prison cells
We smeared shit on their prison walls

Stuck in an eight foot concrete box
With a bible, a mattress
And the threat of violence every day....

Can I make it through these fourteen years
Will my son remember my face
I don't blame her for the separation
But for Christ's sake let him keep his name

Your soul's on ice oh oh oh oh
But they can't stop the desire
To break on out oh oh oh oh
When your heart is on fire

Five simple things we ask of them
Five simple things denied
But Thatcher will not compromise....

I ask my Mother's permission
To finally break her heart
We have come to a decision
......Hunger Strike

Three comrades starve behind me
I pray to God that my
Death will lead to compromise....

I can no longer see your face
My bones break through my skin
I'm goin' back to Belfast City
You can't cage my spirit in

Your soul's on ice
But they can't stop the desire
To break on out
When your heart is on fire

BROOKLYN, GOODBYE
Josie, are you listenin', can you pull the veil apart
Is the circle still unbroken, can you touch my serpent heart
Is the light still in your window, the latch open on your door
Or does some stranger occupy my footprints on your floor
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye in the wind and the pourin' rain
Latino boys call out your name
Why can't you still be mine
Brooklyn, goodbye

Why did I ever leave you, was I clean out of my head
To rise up on that blue Monday and quit your perfumed bed
Though it all made perfect sense, I was such a fool
To leave behind the one who loved me more than all the world

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye in the wind and the pourin' rain
Latino boys call out your name
It's getting harder to recall when you were mine
Brooklyn, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye,
I just can't deal with the way
Those Bay Ridge boys all know your game
Why can't you still be mine
Brooklyn, goodbye

Now the storm is over and the streets are sparkling clean
Do you sit upon your fire escape and read your Mister Greene
Though we did the best for everyone concerned
The price we paid cannot be measured in literary terms

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye in the wind and the pourin' rain
Down on 47th, Latino boys call out your name
It's getting harder to recall when you were mine
Brooklyn, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye,
I just can't deal with the way
Those Bay Ridge boys all know your game
Why can't you still be mine
Brooklyn, goodbye

CHANGE
I remember you back in 1992
When they were putting us down
Trying to tramp us into the ground
You exploded like a flame in the night
With a righteous indignation
Told us "everything gonna be alright"

Change come slowly like the ocean
But it keep on comin' nonetheless
Take my hand, oh dear companion,
We may not find happiness
But peace and then some real contentment
And a measure of social justice
Oh change come slowly like the ocean
But they can't stop the tide
And they're never ever goin' to stop us

They've got the bullets and the guns
And the propaganda machine
All we ever had was an impossible dream
You stood tall as steel in the flaming night
Said "let us have no fear
The victors will be those who can the most endure

Sally came to me with flames in her eyes
And her long hair blowin' in the breeze
She said "dry up your tears, boy, we've been down too long
It's time we were up off our knees"

Oh the stars in the heavens are blazin' tonight
The moon she is glidin' on high
And the drum roll of liberty beats in my heart
As the warm winds of change blow by

Don't ask me to be a slave anymore
I couldn't be if I tried
For the pipes scream an anthem of hope in my heart
As the warm winds of change blow by

She moved like a ghost through the enemy lines
But her laugh was defiant and clear
She kissed me hard on the mouth and said "goodbye,
I'll love you forever, my dear"

CZECHOSLOVAKIA
One bright and sunny mornin' down on Avenue B
As I was returnin' home from a night of debauchery
I met me landlord, Boris, "yo," says he
Would you ever go over to Czechoslovakia
Marry me daughter for me

He waved a pistol and 5000 dollars in me face
She better be a virgin, when she hits the States
I told him I had some business with the Pope in Rome
So he threw in a ticket to Italy on me way back home

Would you ever go over to Czechoslovakia, marry me daughter for me
She's the finest girl in Prague, you'll ever see
Her name is Citizen Gerty, a communist is she
She wants to come to America, be a capitalist like me

When I landed in 'Slovakia, I drank a dozen pints
But when I caught a glimpse of Gerty I nearly died of fright
She was 6 feet in her stockings, she viewed me with dismay
"Is this the best they can do for me in the dear old USA"

But despite me splittin' headache, I wooed her like a man
And very soon thereafter we were married in Prague
I remembered Boris' pistol and me vow of chastity
But when she pinned me to the bed that night, I gave up instantly

Bright and early next mornin' I went to see the Pope in Rome
Gerty left for America, make New York her home
She landed down on Avenue B lookin' for a mansion grand
Boris was drunk, the building stunk, the city was mad
She'd been had,
this was the height of depravity - not what she'd seen on MTV

I wasn't farin' much better with the Holy Father in Rome
Some Turkish wiseguy whacked him and he wasn't even at home
So I landed back in New York oh so sad
Stared down the barrel of Boris's gun, jeez was he ever mad

He accused me of buggerin' his daughter but to make matters worse
She'd spent over 20 grand in Macy's and in Sak's
She sat there in her underwear, gave me a dirty wink
But when I thought about her credit cards me love began to shrink

So we drove her out to Kennedy 14 trunks and all
And we said a prayer for the Holy Father back in Rome
But as her plane rose over Rockaway, Boris he said to me
Would you ever go over to Czechoslovakia and marry me daughter for me.....

DANNY BOY

Danny came over to old New York
From Bandon town in the county Cork
He got a room on the avenue in Woodside Queens
And a job off the books doin' demolition
He was kind of different than everyone else Oh he liked to hang out all by himself
Didn't hit those bars in Sunnyside Queens
Went straight into the Village to check out the scene
One day on the job the foreman said
"Hey Danny Boy we think you're a fag With your ponytail and that ring in your ear
Hey, we don't need no homos foulin' up the air"
Danny just smiled and picked up a 2 by 4
And he split that jerk from his jaw to his ear
Said "you can stick your job where the sun don't shine
But you're never gonna stop me bein' what I am, boy!"
Then he met a man down in Sheridan Square
They moved in together for a couple of years
Said it was the happiest he'd ever been
Doin' what he wanted and livin' his dream We used to drink together down on Avenue B
One gray dawn he confessed to me
"Love's the only thing that makes the world go round
And I'm never gonna see another sunset over sweet Bandon town"
Last time I saw Dan he was in a hospital bed
Two tubes hangin' out the nose of his head
But he smiled at me with them stone blue eyes
And he said, "hey, how you doin', guy?
I'm history 'round here in a couple of weeks
But I did what I wanted - I got no regrets
So, when you think of me crack a beer and smile
Hey, life's a bitch and then you die"
Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are callin'
From glen to glen, and down the mountainside
The summer's gone and all the flowers are dyin'
'Tis you, 'tis you, must go and I must bide
But come you back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be there in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny Boy, Oh Danny Boy, I love you so I love you so,
Danny Boy, I love you so

DIFFERENT DRUMMER

Born on a black monday, me mother screamin' curses
Me ould lad in the pub losin' money on the horses
Me Granny kicked in the door, said "get a job you bastard"
And I come rollin' into the world, a walkin' talkin' disaster
With a toot on the flute and a twiddle on the fiddle oh
Music in me soul and a beat on me boombox oh
Up down turn around and crash into the wall
Dancin' to the beat of me own different drummer oh
At the age of 16 years I was apprenticed to a grocer
But they never knew me name, all they wanted was
'Yes and no sir'
So I bought a cheap guitar, I learned to write me poetry
And me and rock and roll set off to see the country
Oh we played in pubs and dancehalls, we even played in brothels I learned all about the good life through the ass end of a bottle
I learned about love from many's the fine lady
But I was always searchin' for me one true darlin' baby
Oh I searched from coast to coast from Florida to Canada
With me heart upon me sleeve screamin' out "hi, where are yeh"
'Til I went home with a six foot girl from the south side of Chicago
But it turned out she was a man, oh can you imagine the disaster?
But the sweetest girl of all was from the state of California
Ah she took me home to bed, kept me rockin til the mornin'
Then the door came crashin' in, in the midst of me shenanigans
And her husband beat me up so bad, I'll never get it up again
Oh I'm goin' back to Brooklyn with me tail between me legs oh I'm givin' up this rock and roll, 'tis far too dangerous work oh
Stay at your steady jobs, me boys, get married and have babies
And keep the hell away from them California ladies

© Starry Plough Music (BMI)

DOWNTOWN BAGHDAD BLUES

Got a buddy in Najaf, he’s playing it straight
Prays to the Lord Jesus Christ every night
Got a homey in Samarra goin’ up the wall
Every time he hear an Islamic prayer call
Me, I don’t care much for Jesus or Mohammed
They don’t stop bullets to the best of my knowledge
Later for the both of you, catch you in eternity
Hopefully, towards the end of this century

I didn’t want to come here, I didn’t get to choose,
I got the hup, two, three, four Downtown Baghdad Blues.

I wish I was back home rootin’ for the Padres
‘Stead of dodgin’ bullets from Mookie El Sadr
I wish I was back in the land of Giuliani
Instead of takin’ heat from Ayatollah Sistani
Don’t know what I’m doin,’ but one thing is clear
Twenty years old, I can kill but I can’t buy a beer
Keep your head down, don’t get your brain cells fried
You’ll be home by Christmas - dead or alive!

I wish I was back in the US of A
Instead dodgin’ rockets in Falluji-ay
There’s a lady with my tattoo on her so special
Dream of her and me out in the desert
She ridin’ round in her Daddy’s Ford Explorer
I’m kickin’ in doors, hey, I thought this war was over
Got sand in my nose, sand in my eyes
But the sand can’t cover up the sights of a
Sniper with my number, got his finger on the trigger
Hope my baby’s okay, still waitin’ for a letter
All I get are emails, so much unsaid
It’s hot here, baby, but it’s so cold inside my head.

Mission accomplished, yeah, up on deck
Got no armor for my Humvee, left facin’ this train wreck
Shia don’t like me, want Islamic Revolution
Sunni say civil war is part of the solution
Maybe someday there’ll be peace in Fallujah
McDonald’s on the boulevard, Cadillac cruisin’
I’m tryin’ hard to keep this whole thing straight
But will someone tell me what am I doin’ here in the first place?

ELVIS MURPHY

I’ll never forget that day back in 1969
At my sister’s wedding reception
I was still wearing corduroy short pants
Hadn’t had my first erection
The band was playin’ waltzes
The crowd was getting’ bored
When this teddy boy materialized on the floor
He jumped up on the stage
Like a tiger from a cage
Yeah, he changed my whole life direction

Oh, Elvis Murphy, Jailhouse Rock knocked me out that day
And Love Me Tender almost melted me away
And my Blue Suedes were here to stay
The crowd was goin’ crazy, all dancin’ and then
Hey, I knew I’d never be the same again.

When I left school, I got a job in a bank
Be a real successful person
I’d work all day in my three-piece suit
But at night I’d be guitar rehearsin’
My boss said “young man, concentrate on your work!”
But Elvis said “hey, kid, I got this gig in Hamburg
For fifty quid a week,” I was so thrilled I couldn’t speak
I told my boss to shove his dumb occupation.

I hear his song but I still think of you
Oh, man, I’d do anything just to have a drink with you
The way you moved and played your guitar
Oh, Elvis baby, you just showed me the way.

The years flew past, some slow some fast
Many a short lived sensation
I got a job with a band in the States
Had to find my own generation
So, come on Elvis don’t you be no square
Just ‘cause you got six kids don’t mean
You don’t care
The Sixties is gone but the party goes on
Rock ‘n Roll is your only salvation.

FANATIC HEART
I remember your eyes from the 12th of July
When the sirens were screamin' and the flames lit the sky
And you held me so tight, thought you'd never let go
'Til the bullets exploded on the pavement below
And I laid you down next to a burnt out car
Screamed out for help but you were gone too far
Still got that picture of you locked away from the start
Developing inside my fanatic heart
I went around in a daze for a couple of years
With the blood in my veins frozen over with tears
And I did anything that they asked me to do
'Cause all I could see was that picture of you
And the young ones passin' by'd say, "how's about you - real hard man"
Deep down inside I was just a castle of sand
Still had that picture of you locked away from the start
Developing inside my fanatic heart
Then they took me inside, threw me up against a wall
They put electric prods on my chest and my balls
And they told me to sign things that I knew weren't true
And in the end I did what they told me to do
Then they locked me up and threw away the key
And left me there with just your memory
Now I walk through New York like a grey silhouette
Tryin' hard to remember what I'm supposed to forget
That look in your eyes on the 12th of July
When the sirens were screamin' and the flames lit the sky
Hey I sleep with other women and I hold them through the night
'Cause all I want to do is just get on with my life
But that picture of you won't let me make a new start
It's frozen inside my fanatic heart.

THE FAR SIDE OF THE WALL

We’ve done some things
Terrible but true
Across the blazing years
Letters of fire
Politicians smile
They shake hands for the camera
But some things never change
No wonder that I’m angry at

The voices that I hear
In every sigh and call
Thinking of you holding him
On the far side of the wall
I wish I could reach out
Save you from each and every fall
That I know you’re going through
On the far side of the wall

Remember August days
An ecstasy of blue
Floating through that seaside town
Bodies burning, me and you
Fast forward to the streets
Orange shades of paranoia
We’d go our separate ways
Couldn’t even admit to knowin’ you

Think of me now
And say a silent prayer
When other hands are touching you
Remember, I still care
And in that bleary dawn
A tiny spark of blue
So hold on my darling
Tonight I’m going to break on through

The voices that I hear
In every sigh and call
Thinking of you holding him
On the far side of the wall
I wish I could reach out
Save you from each and every fall
That I know you’re going through
On the far side of the wall

FATIMA
Fatima rises at dawn
The hunger like a flame inside her
It's the feast of Ramadan
And her father's been praying for hours
He wears his disapproval
In a silence, cold but hysterical
Saw her last night with that Christian boy
And his world falls apart in America

Her mother fusses about
Her brother laughs in the kitchen
Then the phone explodes on the wall
Oh, my God, don't let it be Michael
Her father's glare is like violence
Who else would break the tradition
Except someone who laughs at our holy ways
Tears us apart in America

Fatima, you're breaking his heart
He doesn't understand your dilemma
A girl becomes a woman alone
Those who love her
Can no longer help her
Why didn't they tell him back home
Things fall apart in America

Fatima picks up the phone
Michael is his usual hilarious
She listens in silence and wonders
Why American boys are oblivious
I love you but this is good-bye
There are too many rivers between us
Father, forgive me, you're right
Things fall apart in America

Fatima, you're breaking his heart
He doesn't understand your dilemma
A girl becomes a woman alone
Those who love her
Can no longer help her
And Michael stares at the phone
As things fall apart in America

© Starry Plough Music (BMI)

FIONA'S SONG
When first I came to New York town, my eyes were all aglow
To see the lights on Broadway, the scrapers rimmed with snow
I fell in with some Belfast boys, I whiled the nights away
Getting' drunk and stoned on the Boulevard in a bar called Maggie Mae's

Oh, the liquor flowed down freely, the grass relaxed my head
By five o'clock in the mornin' I'd be driftin' off to bed
With an arm around my slender waist, two lips attached to mine
I'd stare up at the ceiling while some stranger enjoyed his time

But I'm thinkin' ever thinkin' by dark and by day
I'm thinkin', ever thinkin' 'bout the night I went away
When he held me to his firm young breast and whispered, "please don't go"
Oh, I wish I was back in his own true arms where the rain and the rivers flow

Why did I ever let you go, what more can I say
My Mother didn't care for you, the ould one had her way
She wanted me to marry a girl from the university
But when I lay in your arms at night I wasn't thinkin' about your degrees

I couldn't understand the lack of your concern
For all my tears when you told me you were bound for New York Town
At your wake I stood in the kitchen my eyes abruised and red
And I clung to you like a baby that last night in your bed

But I'm thinkin' ever thinkin' by dark and by day
I'm thinkin', ever thinkin' 'bout the night I went away
When he held me to his firm young breast and whispered, "please don't go"
Oh, I wish I was back in his own true arms where the rain and the rivers flow

His tears dried up quite quickly from what it would appear
He was engaged to a girl from UCD in less than 1 full year
While I sit on the Boulevard in a bar called Maggie Mae's
And wait for some stranger to smile at me and get me to the next day

But I'm thinkin' ever thinkin' by dark and by day
I'm thinkin', ever thinkin' 'bout the night I went away
When he held me to his firm young breast and whispered, "please don't go"
Oh, I wish I was back in his own true arms where the rain and the rivers flow

FIRE OF FREEDOM
Darlin, darlin' you've put up with so much
Betrayed by your leaders, abandoned by your church
I've watched you suffer, now you're older than your years
But you still look beautiful, though you're fightin' back the tears
You can break down my door, you can even strip search me
Never gonna take away my human dignity
Beat me, shoot me, flame keep on burnin'
Never gonna put out the fire of freedom
When we were children, we thought we would be
God's annointed but the joke was on you and me
10 years later, we're still searchin' for the sun
But I want you to know that our day will come
So many hopes and dreams lying in pieces
All of us betrayed by politicians' speeches
I want you to know, I'll love you forever
Our dreams will continue in the eyes of our children
Out in the streets all I hear is violence
But the authorities react with silence
One law for you, for me it's another
Things gotta change, oh my sisters and brothers
Óró 'se do bheatha 'bhaile
Anois ar theacht an tsamhraidh
Don't use the color of my skin as an issue
Hey politician, your lies are gonna get you
Chickens comin' home to roost in the White House
Blood on the streets if you don't shut your big mouth
Power to the people sang Johnny Lennon
20 years later we're back at the beginnin'
Sick of waitin' round for divine intervention
Take to the streets if you're lookin' for redemption

FIVE POINTS
D'ya remember back in the Five Points
When the fire was in the air
And the streets were hot as the hob of hell
And the bodies was everywhere
Then ould Johnny jumped up on a burnin' plank
He roared out to the sky
"I didn't come here to America
To give up the ghost and die"

I didn't come here to America
Across the ragin' foam
To die like a slave in a pigsty
I came here to find a home
Where I could live with dignity
And hold me head up high
So don't go messin' with me or me family

Or I'll blow these Five Points to the sky

Them soldier boys are runnin' wild
Down by the Gates of Hell
I must get to St. Patrick's
To ring the warnin' bell
I won't join their bloody army
Sooner burn down Kerosene Row
So to hell with your kings and your presidents
Let them fight their own bloody wars-oh
Don't say you love me
Unless you really do
I haven't got time to be wastin' on the likes of you

Don't say you'll sleep with me
Unless you'll follow through
Them bully boys are closin' in
They'll be crackin' heads for the price of gin
But they better look out 'cause - here come the Boys in Green

D'ya remember back in the Five Points
When the fire was in the air
And the streets were hot as the hob of hell
And the bodies was everywhere
And ould Johnny stood up on a burnin' plank
And he roared out to the sky
I didn't come here to America
To give up the ghost and die

I didn't come here to America
Across the ragin' foam
To die like a slave in a pigsty
I came here to find a home
Where I could live with dignity
And hold me head up high
So don't go messin' with me or me family

Or I'll blow these Five Points to the sky

FORTY-DEUCE
As I roved out one May morning on down by old Times Square
I met a sportin' lady, Sweet Nancy was her name
She said "me dearest darlin', you're so young and you smell so sweet
But you'll age 10 years in 20 days down on 42nd Street"

She took me upstairs to a room with cobwebs on the wall
She said "lay down, me darlin', you and I are gonna have a ball"
And as she kissed me virgin tears away, she sang in her sweet voice
Fare thee well my 42nd street, good-bye my forty-deuce

In the years to come I had occasion to remember sweet Nancy's song
For I fell in with bad company, I lived me life all wrong
I did everything forbidden by bible, book and creed
'Til I'd no more virgin tears to shed down on 42nd Street

I fell in with two blaggards, Spider Murphy and Jem Black
And we terrorized Hells Kitchen, we robbed both white and black
We never gave a damn about the Narcos or the Vice
For the days were short and the nights were long down on dear old forty-deuce

One night on 7th Avenue I was accosted by the law
They said we've got your number, lad, you're time is gettin' short
Take our advice, me bucko, kick the dust up with your heels
And leave your false companions down on 42nd Street

But I was young and stupid and loyal to a fault
I had a package in me shirt to deliver to Jem Black
When I handed him his contraband I was pounced on by 2 narcs
Spider Murphy had betrayed me, farewell my forty-deuce

I spent 10 years in Sing Sing goin' slowly up the walls
With revenge the only motive that kept me alive at all
I came out of there a different man, cruel, vicious but discreet
Bought a gun and went back home, down to 42nd Street

I followed Spider Murphy into a church down by Times Square
I blew him to sweet Jesus while he was kneelin' at his prayers
If you're ever lookin' for Jem Black, don't bother tryin' home
'Cause he's 40 feet down under the Hudson's ragin' foam
So, fare thee well, sweet Nancy, give back me virgin tears
I'm goin' back to Sing Sing for five and fifty years
Please hold me like the first time and sing in your sweet voice
Fare thee well my 42nd Street, goodbye my forty-deuce

FUNKY CEÍLÍ (Bridie's Song)
Bridie was teachin' out in Carysfort
I was workin' in the bank
2 pay checks every Friday
And a Morris Minor out the back
But I was mad for jigs and reels
Drinkin' dirty big pints of stout
When the Bank of Ireland gave me the boot
They said "Don't let the door hit your arse on the way out."
Fiddleeee diddleeee deidelydee
I was born to play the funky ceílí
Over the seas and far away - off to America
Fiddleeee diddleee deidelydee
Where the wild, wild women were waitin' for me
Think of me Bridie whenever you see me there on your MTV
I love you, a cushla, but how could I be
Without me punky funky ceílí
Bridie broke down and started to bawl
When I told her about me divorce from the bank
She said I've got news of me own, a stor,
I'm 2 months late, it's not with the rent
She said I'd have to be tellin' her Da
So we drove the Morris Minor to Cork
The ould fella said "you've got two choices,
Castration or a one way ticket to New York!"
So here I am up on Bainbridge Avenue
Still in one piece but glad I'm alive
Drinkin' dirty big glasses of porter
Playin' me jigs and me reels and me slides
Think of you, Bridie, whenever I'm sober
Which isn't too often, I have to confess
Take good care of the Morris Minor
Bad luck to your Da and give the baby a great big kiss -
from his Daddy in the Bronx
Oh Bridie, I'm still crazy about you girl
Does the baby look like me, Bridie?
Has he have red hair and glasses?
Oh, Bridie, sell the Morris Minor
Come on out to America, girl
The pubs never close over here
I've got a palace up on Bainbridge Avenue
I've got the biggest bed in the world, girl,
We can stay in it and make babies forever.....

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR
Your bedroom blackmail has worked real good
You’ve gone and left home like you said you would
The note you scribbled on the kitchen wall
Said, “so long, stupid!” and that was all
I suppose that I should be relieved
Even act just a little pleased
But since you gone life has been such a bore
Why did you leave me for the girl next door?

My barroom buddies think it’s rather strange
They laugh at me and call you funny names
My mother said she knew all along
Always said that you would do me wrong
Still I wish you would consider, dear,
Leaving her and returning here
‘Cause since you gone life has been such a bore
Why did you leave me for the girl next door?

Wish that I could be like Bogie
Hey, I’d sweep you off your feet
But now you tell me that she can give you
Everything you need

You’ve wrecked my head I really must confess
You’ve left me in the most dreadful mess
I always thought you were so super straight
But I found out about you too late
I suppose that I should be relieved
Even act just a little pleased
But since you gone, life has been such a bore
Why did you leave me for the girl next door?

GO HOME PADDY

Mo chreach ghéarchúiseach
Ná rabhas ar do chúlaibh nuair lámhadh an púdar,
go ngeobhainn é im chom dheas nó i mbinn mo ghúna,
is go léigfinn cead siúil leat a mharcaigh na súl nglas ós tú b'fhearr léigean chucu
My biting bitter loss I was not at your back When the powder was fired So my fine waist could save you or the hem of my dress 'til I let you go free my slate-eyed writer well-able for them all.

GREEN SUEDE SHOES

Six months out on the road
Don't know if I'm ever goin' home
Out there in the middle of America
Out of my head, feelin' hysterical
Wishin' that I was back in New York
Playin' in Reilly's on a Saturday night
Man on the phone says "I ain't jokin'"
Would yez ever come and play for us out in Hoboken?"

So we hop in the van and we drive overnight
Goin' to sweet New Jersey, startin' to feel alright
But the word is out that the boys are back in town
30,000 Paddies start gettin' on down
When we hit the stage, police chief goes nuts
What the hell am I gonna do with 30,000 drunks
He say "stop the music, I'm in charge"
Then he goes and he shut down alla the bars

I don't care if you got the blues
Just keep the hell off my green suede shoes
You can do anything you choose
But don't go messin' up my green suede, green suede shoes

Then we're comin' from Providence late one night
3 hours from home, hey life is alright
We're discussin' the demise of T Rex
Next thing we know the van is up on its ass
The windows are smashed, we're bouncin' off the Turnpike
The troopers come and haul us off the black ice
One says "Hi, my name is Kevin
It's a pleasure to meet you - Black 47"

So we're doin' Letterman, Leno and O'Brien
200 gigs a year and I'm outa my mind
We got our picture in Time Magazine
Hey, babe, I'm livin' the American Dream
Then a lawyer called up about Bridie and the baby
Wants to sue my ass for doin' the Funky Ceili
And I just got a message from a brother of Maria
"C'mon out to Bensonhurst, we all want a piece of ya"

But the more I play the deeper I'm in debt
If we ever get a hit, I'll be out on the street
I never knew I had so many friends
I'm gonna run against Rudy when this whole thing ends
I got lawyers and accountants up the kazoo
Managers and agents tellin' me what to do
With the money I'm eventually gonna make
But can you loan me a token - get me to the next gig

HER DEAR OLD DONEGAL

Now that she's so far away from her dear old hills of Donegal
I wonder does she ever think of me at all
On that wet Monday I drove her down to Shannon
We drank brandy and kissed in the airport hall
She said she'd be definitely home for Christmas
But since then not even a word - not even a phone call
Now some of the boys said she's gone a little bit crazy
Said they've seen her hangin' round the Bronx
Runnin' with a rough crowd I wonder does she ever think of me at all
'Cause I've got no intention of hangin' round this dump forever
Wonderin' about whether she'll love me or leave me
Or is about to deceive me
So if you see her, you tell from me....
You better sleep tight in New York City
Now you've got a different angel watchin' over you
And you know I tried to ring you but your phone is always busy
And I don't think I'm ever gonna get through again to you
So in the meantime,
Dream on in New York City
Now you've got a different angel watchin' over you.....
She'll be steppin' out down Bainbridge Avenue
Goin' down to the Village Pub on her nightly crawl
I wonder does she ever think of me at all
Just one more Amaretto for fortification
Then it's "good night you good people one and all
I've got a girlfriend, I've got to go see her over on Broadway"
Who does she think she's foolin' at all, at all
'Cause her dark angel waits on the corner
With his silver pills and his Spanish charms
Just one more moment's hesitation
Before she falls into his arms
Now anyone else would go over there and rescue her
And drag her back to her dear old Donegal
But she's left all that so far behind her
So, if you see her, you tell her from me
You better sleep tight in New York City
Now you've got a different angel watchin' over you
And you know I tried to ring you but your phone is always busy
And I don't think I'm ever gonna get through again to you
So in the meantime,
Dream on in New York City
Now you've got a different angel watchin' over you.....

HISTORY OF IRELAND, PART ONE

Let me tell you the story of a girl called Eva
Married this Norman dude, a.k.a. Strongbow
On their bloody honeymoon, they reached the conclusion
The Gaelic nation is just an illusion
Just a bunch of sacrilegious sheep-shaggin’ minions
At least, that was the English pope’s opinion
“Go forth, Strongbow, reform the Irish Church
And if you conquer the country, well such is life.”

The Irish bogtrotters didn’t like this idea
They had an arcane notion ‘bout the benefits of freedom
Resisted fiercely with cudgel and spade
‘Til they were run off the land by the Papal Jihad
Those who came to terms with foreign domination
Learned to speak English it beat starvation
The rest humped turf out in the country
Dreamed of Riverdance and comin’ prosperity

Sit you down, sit you down
Let’s talk about battles lost but never won
That’s the history of Ireland, Part One.

The years passed by, kings and auld pontiffs too
‘Til up in the North arose two men called Hugh
O’Donnell and O’Neill from Donegal and Tyrone
Asked the King of Spain to kick the English home
But they got psyched out at the Battle of Kinsale
The Spanish Armada took a dive in the rain
O’Neill found Jesus with the Pope in Rome
And the Brits poisoned Red Hugh’s sangria in Spain

A lot of things happened, I’ll slip over them fast
A lot of little battles, guess what? We lost!
Let England fight its own wars if you please
‘Cause getting Ollie Cromwell pissed off was not a good idea
He scorched our arses with his burnin’ cross
Introduced us to sectarianism
Banished our youth to the Jamaican fields
That’s why Bob Marley sings those Gaelic melodies.

But we don’t give up easy, less sense than courage
We backed Jimmy Stewart ‘stead of Willie from Orange
Oh, man, that was our biggest mistake
Just think what we could be doin’ today
Every 12th of July we’d beat the lambeg drum
Marchin’ up the Falls to a tum-tum-tum
While over tn the Shankhill they’d be sayin’ the rosary
Listenin’ to us sing the Sash Me Father Wore before
We heard all about the French Revolution
Yippee! No kings no future!
Cut our hair like the citizens in Paree
The Wexford Croppy was like the accessory
But the traitor’s kiss was our best fashion
Lord Eddie Fitzgerald got the English hatchet
We followed Father Murphy through hell and high water
Into excommunication on a hill in Enniscorthy.

Then they stuck us with the Penal Laws
What a break! They hung all our lawyers
And doctors and teachers and fathers of the church
And if they caught you ridin’ they’d steal your auld horse
‘Til Randy Dan O’Connell emancipated us
But we didn’t take no time to celebrate because
Black ‘47 killed off half of the country
So we split for Liverpool, Australia and America.

Those of us left were a sad old bunch
Beaten down by the state and the church
Afraid of our lives of divine retribution
Oh, the bishops didn’t want any more of that auld revolution
When Charlie Parnell got the drop on Gladstone
We had Home Rule for the takin’
But we stabbed him in the back over Catherine O’Shea
And we’re still feelin’ the pain to this very day.

1916, 1921, you all know the story and I’m sick of goin’ on
This Irish History is just a pain in the arse
Poor old James Connolly wouldn’t know what to make of us
‘Cause now were Europeans we get our orders form Brussels
Don’t need no more of that Irish Republican muscle
The ghosts of Pearse, Tone, Emmet and McDermott
All waltzin off into a Celtic Tiger sunset

Sit you down, sit you down
Let’s talk about battles lost but never won
That’s the history of Ireland, Part One
And we’re still countin’
The history of Ireland, Part One

“Time now, gentlemen, please! Ah, come on now, lads…”

INTO THE WEST

When I was a boy I traveled the roads
Nothin’ but the wild west wind ahead of me
Then I moved to the city, put on a suit
Like a straitjacket, it nearly choked me.
I listened to all of their corporate lies
But they never really fooled me
‘Cause that song in my heart was beatin’ right through my chest
And I knew that fire would drive me out of my skull
If I didn’t get back to the west

Ah, the old days are gone and your freedom’s gone with them
But the memory remains, it’s always there tormentin’
Just when you think you’ve found some peace
A pair of black eyes sends you reelin’
And the road rears up her head and you know you’ve got that feelin’
For the rain in your face, the sun in your hair
The fire in your blood roarin’ again
The earth beneath your feet – not like these streets
Chains around your chest
And you’ve got to get back to the west.

Ah, you’ve worked like a dog but you’ve nothin’ to show for it
Just some lines around your face and a pocket full of bubbles
And she’s laughed at all your jokes, yeah she’s sick of all your dealin’s
‘Cause you’re not the man she loved back when you had the feelin’
For the rain in your face, the sun in your hair,
The fire in your blood roarin’ again
The earth beneath your feet – not like these streets
Chains around your chest
And you’ve got to get back to

John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Audie Murphy
All out there ridin’ the range on their eternal journey
You used to look up to them from the front row
At the Saturday afternoon pictures in the Abbey
Reach out to them now, they won’t let you down
They’ll take you ridin’ off into the sunset with

Ava Gardner, Bogie, and oh my dearest Marilyn
Are you still hauntin’ the laneways of Wexford on your eternal journey
With the rain in your face, the sun in your hair,
The fire in your blood roarin’ again…

JAMES CONNOLLY

Marchin' down O'Connell Street with the Starry Plough on high
There goes the Citizen Army with their fists raised in the sky
Leading them is a mighty man with a mad rage in his eye
"My name is James Connolly - I didn't come here to die
But to fight for the rights of the working man
And the small farmer too
Protect the proletariat from the bosses and their screws
So hold on to your rifles, boys, and don't give up your dream
Of a Republic for the workin' class, economic liberty"
Then Jem yelled out "Oh Citizens, this system is a curse
An English boss is a monster, an Irish one even worse
They'll never lock us out again and here's the reason why
My name is James Connolly, I didn't come here to die....."
And now we're in the GPO with the bullets whizzin' by
With Pearse and Sean McDermott biddin' each other goodbye
Up steps our citizen leader and roars out to the sky
"My name is James Connolly, I didn't come here to die...
Oh Lily, I don't want to die, we've got so much to live for
And I know we're all goin' out to get slaughtered, but I just can't take any more
Just the sight of one more child screamin' from hunger in a Dublin slum
Or his mother slavin' 14 hours a day for the scum
Who exploit her and take her youth and throw it on a factory floor
Oh Lily, I just can't take any more
They've locked us out, they've banned our unions,
they even treat their animals better than us
No! It's far better to die like a man on your feet
than to live forever like some slave on your knees, Lilly
But don't let them wrap any green flag around me
And for God's sake, don't let them bury me in some field full of harps and shamrocks
And whatever you do, don't let them make a martyr out of me
No! Rather raise the Starry Plough on high, sing a song of freedom
Here's to you, Lily, the rights of man and international revolution"
We fought them to a standstill while the flames lit up the sky
'Til a bullet pierced our leader and we gave up the fight
They shot him in Kilmainham jail but they'll never stop his cry
My name is James Connolly, I didn't come here to die...."

KILROY WAS HERE

Watch the mist like a blanket bleed on the town
Muffling the streets, damp eiderdown
Step down the gangway onto the pier
Off the tramp steamer that took you all the way here
A shot in a tavern, resurrect your cold bones
Then out on the street in search of lost souls
Approached by a lady of dubious charm
She takes you by the arm
Upstairs into a frozen room
She undresses ‘neath an alabaster moon
Whispers, "Sweetheart, what would you like me to do?
I'll do anything that you want me to"
But I can't tell her 'cause someone might hear
So I whisper politely, "Kilroy was here."

Up on Christopher the shadows of sad young men
New York Cowboys every one
Lost innocents, some are even sweet
But straight as crooked arrows
Down the foggy winding street
With looks so searching, penetrating and cruel
Hot lasers piercing right down to the cockles of your soul
One of them inquires silently
"Hey Stranger, how 'bout a gift?"
"No, I'm only here to see Montgomery Cliff."
"But he's a long time gone
You know what I'm talkin' about, my dear,
And we all know what you're lookin' for down here
The next time you see Monty
You stick your tongue in his ear
And tell him that Kilroy was here."

Up on 57th, a street of bitter cheer
A prophet is celebratin' the Jewish New Year
And the ghosts of all those Christmases past
Troop by like broken mirrors made of Presbyterian glass
A broken hearted Jesus steps down off his cross
Bolts out the door of St. Malachy's Church
"I came to resurrect you, but no one gives a damn
So I'm outa here, you go say your novenas
To some other man"
"Won't you consider your options?"
Cry two ladies in trade
"No, I'm sick of being mistaken for the Marquise de Sade"
"We're so sorry we disappointed you."
But he doesn't want to hear
The cock crowin' in the distance, so I kiss away his tears
Buy him thirty silver dollars worth of beer
And reassure him that "Kilroy was here"

Back on board the First Mate, he is fulminatin'
"Don't you never get tired of you 'little boy' escapin'
Why don't you take all of your memories
Go store 'em in a locket
Seal it with a kiss, then go drown' em in a bottle."
On the quayside she waits, her face cold and ashen
Shiverin' with fear, we used to call it passion
The tide is rising but the fog has grown deeper
First Mate says, "She can't come, but you can keep her
Locked in a drawer next to the cross of your Redeemer
That's the only place for love
On this phantom tramp steamer."
You reach out to hold her but she's startin' to disappear
So you say "Wait for me, I am comin' my dear."
But you've lost her forever 'cause now Jesus has her ear
And he's whisperin', "Kilroy was here."

“I came to resurrect you…”
“Won’t you consider your options?”
“I came to resurrect you but no one gave a damn…”

LIFE’S LIKE THAT, ISN’T IT?

The boy is holding his Mother’s hand
In a seaside station
The streets are silent in the rain
Naked and dead in their small town pain
When the train pulls in, a man alights
Lugging a suitcase, battered but bright
With labels from the Argentines
He pulls down his hat, flexes his knees
Swaggers up the platform, Bogart on ice
Winks at the boy, kisses his wife
For a moment they’re lost in their ardor
The boy is suddenly jealous of his Father.

The young couple walks hand in hand up the town
The boy just keeps his head down
Past the furniture store
Owned by a comrade from the Spanish Civil War
Looks in the window, to his surprise
An apparition in maple catches his eye
A Loyalist guitar from the Siege of Madrid
He presses his nose up to the windowsill
His Father says, “Como estas, Senor?
The boy is entranced by your guitar
Here’s a couple of quid down
You’ll get the rest next Saturday
Life’s like that, isn’t it?”

Back in the house his parents disappear
To the bedroom they go, but all the boy can hear
Are the strings echoing off the maple,
His Father shouts out, “Hey son, soon you’ll be able
To play me a tango, knock spots off the sound”
Then he grabs his wife, twirls her around.
The boy watches in wonder as the couple cavort
Outside the rain and thunder drown out
The chill of the devotional bell
While inside their small kitchen the father and mother
Are sublimely going to hell.

The boy is religious, serves mass at the Friary
He’s got a crush on St. Anthony
Got a hot date with him when he gets to heaven,
But it’s still hard to get up at twenty to seven
On a gale force morning, slates hitting the streets
Exploding in smithereens all around him.
He runs in fear past the deserted garden where a man hung himself
His soul ever after sentenced to roam in search of salvation
But that morning his Father leaves from the station
Six months on the banana run down to West Africa
It’s up to him now he’s got to look after
His tango-less, Bogarted broken-hearted Mother,
“Later for you, Dad, it was nice while it lasted but
Life’s like that, isn’t it?”

The boy plays guitar, reads voraciously
About sex and revolution in the County Library
And in bed he tunes in Radio Sofia
Gets it on with the sister comrade from Bulgaria
The librarian is worried she visits his Mother
“All he wants is James Connolly and Patrice Lumumba.”
The Friars don’t know what to do with this communist
“If he don’t look out he’ll end up poor as St. Francis
Them auld books is drivin’ the poor chap crazy,
It’s time he got a job, he’s far too lazy,
Go out into the real world, meet a nice girl.”

He meets the girl but she is not so nice
She wears micro dresses has stormy black eyes
He no longer has time for the County Library
Learning about life in the back of a mini
Her dress is so soft but its nothing compared to
Her silky white thighs, oh how he’d like to
Go much further so they run off to Dublin
He’s drinking too much getting in trouble
With Mao’s little red book, he’s ready for action
But Black Eyes wants a house not Satisfaction
In Terenure, but he’s heard Bernadette Devlin
So it’s - take to the streets - Rock & Roll revolution!

Black Eyes is gone on the boat to London
And Connolly Youth is explodin’
So he hops a plane to New York
He’s down on the Deuce hustling work
And recreation when she rings him,
In a Richmond accent, “my only darling,
It would never work out, here is the reason:
I’ve fallen head over heels for an English policeman.”

So he plays the tango, remembers his Father
Resolves to live life like Bogart
Turn pain to music, sorrow to laughter
Live for today, to hell with tomorrow
It started at the station waiting for his Father,
One moment affects everything thereafter, but
Life’s like that, isn’t it?

LIVERPOOL FANTASY

I walk down the lane with me head in the clouds
Me brains may be scrambled but I don’t heed the crowds
With their football and pools, their weddin’s and wakes
Their political goals and their kids’ birthday cakes
I shout at the rooftops and I scream at the breeze
Hey, you out there, can you hear me Liverpool Fantasy?

And I look at the dawn through the Everton rain
The whole city is sleepin’ just the milk bottles wait
To be taken and washed and filled up and then
I wish they’d take me and remake me again
So I shout at the chimneys and I scream at the breeze
Hey, you out there, can you hear me Liverpool Fantasy?

And I’m sick of the dole and I’m sick of me life
And I’m sick of your politics and I’m sick of me wife
And I’m sick of your pity and I’m sick of bein’ fired
And I’m sick and tired of bein’ sick and tired…

I walk down the lane with me head in the clouds
Me brains may be scrambled but I don’t heed the crowds
With their football and pools, their weddin’s and wakes
Their political goals and their kids’ birthday cakes
So I shout at the milkman and I scream at the priest
Hey, you out there, can you hear me Liverpool Fantasy?

LIVIN' IN AMERICA

Oh, it's 6 o'clock and it's time to rock
And me head is beatin' like a drum
In the cold grey light, ah I feel like shite
And I can't remember last night's fun
Then the foreman says "c'mon now boys,
Stick your fingers down your throat and get to work"
Oh Mammy dear, we're all mad over here Livin' in America
Oh, I knock down walls with big iron balls
And I mix cement by the ton
With me tongue hangin' out for a bottle of stout
Sweatin' bullets in the Brooklyn sun
Then I think of her up on Kingsbridge Road
Did she mean what she said last night
Oh Mammy dear, we're all mad over here... Livin' in America
On me way downtown, I think of that clown
And the things that he said last night
Did he mean 'em at all or was it just drink talk
Oh, I must look a terrible sight
Put me makeup on as I watch the sun rise high over Fordham Road
Oh Mammy dear, we're all mad over here Livin' in America
Ah, the kids aren't dressed and the house is a mess
And the yuppies are networkin' again
Kiss their darlin's goodbye - "oh, we'll be late tonight
But we should be home by eleven"
Oh, me little dears dry up your tears
Your parents are too busy makin' money
Oh Mammy dear, we're all mad over here Livin' in America
Workin' with the black man, Dominican and Greek
In the snows of January or the drenchin' August heat
No sick days or benefits and for Christ sakes don't get hurt
The quacks over here won't patch you up unless they see the bucks upfront Lookin' after babies from crack of dawn 'til dusk
Changin' dirty nappies and cleanin' up the house
Is this what I've been educated for
To wipe the arse of every baby in America
Now the day is done, take the subway home
Squashed up like some sardine in a a can
In the Blarney Stone, drink a gallon of foam
'Til I'm feelin' half meself again
If she comes tonight,
I'll ask her outright
Ah what the hell, nothin' ventured nothin' gained....
Ah Mammy dear, we're all mad over here Livin' in America
See him standing there with the ring in his ear
And the grin on the side of his face With the fag in his mouth, oh I should watch out
For they say that he's a real hard case
Should I take me chance or say "no thanks"
Ah what the hell, nothin' ventured nothin' gained
Oh Mammy dear, we're all mad over here Livin' in America

LIVIN' IN AMERICA: 11 YEARS ON

Oh, I took me chance
Up in the Bronx
Seven years ago to the day
Oh, I walked up to him
Said, "how're you doin'?"
Ever since it's been hell to pay
We moved in together
Oh, God, that fellah
Drove me to distraction and despair
But the sex was good
Like I knew it would be
Livin' in America

At first it was great
Out drinkin' all night
Fireworks back home in the bed
Then we got engaged
Oh god, what a cage
All she talked about was weddin' bells
We went home to The Coombe
A way too soon
The lads didn't know what to make of us
With our drinkin' and fightin'
And kissin' and cryin'
And livin' in America

I felt sick to me stomach
What the hell is wrong with it
Couldn't even look at a beer
When I went to the clinic
I just couldn't believe it
"Congratulations, my dear???"
He was decent enough
When I told him the truth
Said, "you know I always wanted to marry you"
But that night in the dark
I could tell that his heart
Was broken in America

I did the best that I could
Sweatin' hot tears and blood
Buildin' that house up in Pearl River
But everything changed
With each kid on the way
She took all the fun out of livin'
No more nights on the town
No, it's get your head down
It's all for the children and the future,
Oh Mammy dear, it's no fun over here
Livin' in America

Workin' like a madman morning noon and night
I need them couple of pints to make me feel alright
I never meant to stay late, it just turned out that way
I need some craic like all the lads before I'm old and gray

Lyin' in the bed, waitin' for your key
To turn in the lock, pretendin' I'm asleep
Oh, you want me now, despite me frozen tears
But there's more to life than makin' love to a drunk reekin' of beer

And now we're apart
Ah, it's breakin' me heart
The young one cries about him every day
I get out to the pub
A couple of times every month
I suppose I'm doin' okay
Young lads give me the eye
But I think that I'd die
If another man touched me that way
I'd give the world to talk to him
But he's here with his girlfriend
Livin' in Amerikay

Is that her over there
What's she done with her hair
Still there's no one holds a candle to her
Ah, jeez, she looks good
Just like I knew she would
"Do you come here often, stranger??
Can't we try once again
Can you get past the pain
Would it matter if I told you I adore you
Oh, darlin' me dear,
I still need you here
Livin' in America
Can I get you your coat
We can work it all out,
Livin' in America
Oh Mammy dear we're all mad over here
Livin' in America

LOSIN' IT

Chuckie said "I don't know what's goin' on
I'm down on my knees and I'm ah uh oh losin' it
Been up and down this New York town
Lookin' for a break, just a fair shake of it
But the people all got concrete in their eyes and their points of view
The taxis and the mailboxes all wanta make love to me 'xactly like you used to do
And uh oh oh oh oh - oh oh - oh I'm ah uh uh losin' it
And uh oh oh oh oh,
I'm down on my knees and I'm ah uh uh losin' it.
Here come a cop, "I heard she left you, son,
But it's time that you picked up the pieces
The whole town's talkin' about you
Ever since your waitress gave you the deep freeze
And now she's runnin' with a cab driver who swears he's the crucified
King of Siam But Jesus is comin', so hold on, he's just stalled up around the bend"
And uh oh oh oh oh - oh oh - oh I'm ah uh uh losin' it
And uh oh oh oh oh, I'm down on my knees and I'm ah uh uh losin' it.
You say "why don't I go see a shrink"
But I don't need to spend a grand a month
To know that I'm out of my head
'Cause you said you'd be better off dead
Than livin' with me. My boss said "what the hell's goin' on
The whole firm knows that you're losin' it"
I just jumped up on his desk, did a Celtic war dance
Teach that fool a lesson
Then I burned all your lingerie and I tried stichin' it back together again and then
This clock started tickin' in my head and oh oh oh here I go again
And uh oh oh oh oh - oh oh - oh I'm ah uh uh losin' it And uh oh oh oh oh, I'm down on my knees and I'm ah uh uh losin' it.

MARIA'S WEDDING

Oh Maria, I'm so sorry I wrecked your wedding
You've just gotta believe me
But just the thought of you takin' your clothes off for that jerk
Oh, it got me drinkin' and then suddenly I'm staggerin' into church
And I'm dancin' like Baryshnikov all across the high altar
Oh I bet that you're still mortified
But just think, girl,
No one's ever gonna be forgetting
The day I wrecked your wedding
Oh Maria, I'd get down on my knees girl
You've just gotta believe me
But just the sight of you in your brand new weddin' dress
Oh, it got me so upset
And then your father's screamin' and callin' me
"You no good lazy punk
I always knew you were a drunk"
And your mother, she's havin' her 19th nervous breakdown
But just think girl
No one's ever gonna be forgetting
The day I wrecked your wedding
Oh Maria, I'll do anything you ask me to, I swear I'll change
I'll even give up drinkin', hangin' out with the boys,
'cause I just can't live without your body and you
Oh Maria, I'll even sell my strat, give up the band
You better believe me, girl, this time it's true
Oh Maria, I'll even go out and get a job for you
Oh Maria, I'm so sorry I wrecked your weddin'
You just got to believe me
But 10 years from now this is all goin' to be one big happy memory
Oh your old man'll even grow to love me, I'll give him 6 grandchildren
I'll be so respectable, I might even run for president, I'll be so electable
I'll keep you happy and expectable and forever pregnant
That way you'll never be forgetting - the day I wrecked your wedding

MY UNCLE JIM

My Uncle Jim was a hell of a man
He lived in the Philippine Islands
Came back home in ’67
To convert us local savages

He was very popular in Wexford town
Though not with the priests or the clergy
For he could say the mass in ten minutes flat
We called him Father Speedy Gonzalez.

He didn’t say boo in confession
He wasn’t the least judgmental
If you didn’t kill your ma or your da
He could be exceedingly gentle

A terrible man for drinkin’ shorts
He loved to bet on the horses
I can still see him there with the fag in his mouth
Studyin’ form at the races

Hey Uncle Jim I miss you still
Though we fought like divils sometimes
About sex and guns and rock & roll
And all the bad things on me mind

One day he got a notion from hell
I thought he was havin’ me on
“The Rev. Ian Paisley,” he said
“Reminds me of St. Paul.
That man must learn to change his ways
He needs a helpin’ hand
And a first class dose of the Holy Ghost
I’m sure he’ll understand.”

Se we set out for Belfast town
The priest and a slip of a boy
We were just a mile from Portadown
When the Specials pulled us over

“Where are you goin’ with your Roman collar
And your bottle of holy water?”
“We’re off to convert the Rev. Ian.”
They nearly fell down with the laughter

Hey Uncle Jim I miss you still
Though we fought like divils sometimes
About sex and guns and rock & roll
And all the bad things on me mind

With guns and jeers they threatened us
But they were wastin’ their time
For Jim had faced down Chairman Mao
Back in 1949

They inquired about our relationship
And the sexual drives of the Pope
I wanted to cry at the sight of their guns
For I had given up hope

Me Uncle stared at the Orangemen
He didn’t give a damn
If they strung him up in Portadown
He was that kind of a man

I swore to God in heaven
I wouldn’t let him down
And cry in front of them fascists
That turned me life around

Hey Uncle Jim I miss you still
Though we fought like divils sometimes
About sex and guns and rock & roll
And all the bad things on me mind

We never got to see the Rev. Ian
And things went from bad to worse
But I wonder if it’d all have turned out the same
If Jim and he had a smoke

And talked about racehorses
And the epistles of St. Paul
Over a bottle of Bushmills
They could have settled it all.

Hey Uncle Jim I miss you still
Though we fought like divils sometimes
About sex and guns and rock & roll
And all the bad things on me mind.

MYCHAL

In New York City I made my home
I loved the streets, the very stones
Cared for my comrades, cherished my friends
Loved all beginnings, had no time for ends

A city's streets are full of woe
I saw suffering where'er I'd go
I did my best to console and heal
Treat each human with full dignity

I never saw a reason to
Hate someone who thinks different than you
Each one has their anointed place
In the love reflected in their God's face

We all have sorrow, our share of trials
We all are sinners in each other's eyes
Love alone can heal the pain
God bestows love in so many ways

I love the company of friends
The fire and the music sparkling in their eyes
But I achieved my heart's desire
When I rode beside the ones who fight the fires

I have my failings and I have tried
To look them squarely in the eye
To be there when someone might call
For I know cruel well how hard it is to fall

As I arise on this September morn
The sun is beaming down, the streets are warm
God's in His heaven and all is well

I will go forth and do His will.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10009

Got into town on a Saturday night
With a Fender guitar and I took in the sights
And I drank my way down to the Lower East Side
'Cause I was nuts about Thunders and Suicide
Then I formed a band called the Major Thinkers
With a couple of musicians and some heavy drinkers
And I went up to Max's and I said "hey man" I'm gonna blow your club right off the map
New York, New York what have you done
You've wrecked me 'til I have become
Half the man I might have been
Half the hero of my dream
New York, New York it's over now
You beat me still I know somehow
Just for once I'm gonna prove you wrong
Just to show you I was right all along
Well I met Sheila down at Blanche's bar
She was dressed all in black and her heart was a scar she took me back to Avenue C
We were happy there, her and me
'Til a man from the Black Rock saw the band
And he said "you dudes are just sizzling hot and
We're gonna cut a record and make you all stars
But first things first, sign your soul away here
Yeah we cut a song about Avenue B
And the boxes boomed it all over the streets
But the record company screwed us all up
And Sheila joined the scientology church
Then Mike stopped a bullet out in Staten Island
And my whole world turned ultra violent
But there's one last thing I gotta see through
There's one last thing I gotta say to you
Oh Sheila, baby, give me one more chance
I've just gone and started Black 47
I don't care about the money, you can keep the fame
I just want to beat this city at its own dumb game

NEW YORK TOWN

Too much pain, too much sorrow
Eyes bone dry, get on with our tomorrows
I wake up in a pool of tears and sweat
Cryin' for some friends I ain't never even met
Then I hear the drone of a low-flyin' plane
And oh my God, here we go again!

Skyscrapers blowin' up inside my head
Screamin' at a fireman whose radio is dead
Flyin' in a chopper over the Towers
Get out of there, my sisters and brothers
I been tellin' everybody since 1993
These radios are gonna be the death of me
Ain't no smoke without a fire
The people want answers not patronizin'
Somethin' goin' down, New York Town
Somethin' goin' down
Somethin' goin' down, New York Town
Somethin' goin' down

I been talkin' to a man from the CIA
Hey we got you covered, kid, everything is okay
Then why the hell ain't we had an investigation
It's just too complicated
'sides you just don't get the political implications
And you sound like a commie from the United Nations.

Too man friends, too many heroes
Dust in the wind - Ground Zero
Too many cowboys, too many martyrs
Too many questions, not enough answers
Was no one lookin' out for us, is that so simplistic
Brothers and sisters all becomin' statistics

Ain't no smoke.

I dreamed I saw the White House - an oil well in the yard
Was I just bein' paranoid?
SUVs, SOBs, gas guzzlers
Didn't conservation go out with Jimmy Carter
Is it just me and my imagination
Or have we sold out the very spirit of this nation?

The talkin' heads are chattering on television
In between ads - the new religion
I wish they'd leave me here just broken-hearted
Right back where I started
Then I hear the rumble of a low flyin' plane
And, oh my God, this thing is happenin' again

Ain't no smoke

OH MAUREEN

Maureen got married to a sanitation worker
She's livin' out in Brooklyn with her mother in law
And when her old man's sleepin'
Maureen comes creepin' down to the local bar
She stands there by the juke box
In her violent lipstick
Givin' all the old men heart attacks
Oh Maureen, dial my number baby,
You know that I will always take you back
Beat me, whip me, make me write bad checks
Oooh, I'd do anything for you
Oh, Maureen, don't be so mean
You know I'll always be in lust with you
You know I'm out there waitin' for you somewhere
I can feel the steam comin' offa you
Oh, Maureen, don't be so mean
You know I'll always be in lust with you
Maureen I never stopped thinkin' about you
Though you kicked me out on the street
Sayin' "take your songs and your Stratocaster
See if they're half as good in bed as me"
Then one night out on the road
Called you on a payphone "Forgive me, darlin', I'll be back in a week"
A voice said, "Hey stoopid, she want a man not a kid,
Maureen is comin' back to Canarsie with me"
Oh oh oh oh Maureen You just don't know how I feel
Oh oh oh, oh Maureen I think I'm ready to scream
Oh oh oh oh Maureen You just don't know how I feel
Oh oh oh oh Maureen Oh Maureen just the very thought of ya
Makes me weak at the knees
Just passin' by our old apartment
Sends my body shiverin'
Throwin' caution to the wind
I'm comin' back to Brooklyn I'm gonna save you from yourself
Put on your violent lipstick
Meet me by the fire escape
Can't bear to think about you wrapped around somebody else
Beat me, whip me, make me write bad checks....
Oh Maureen, I've been so bad I deserve everything,
Maureen I need some of your sweet salvation I deserve everything
Oh Maureen....

ON THE BANKS OF THE HUDSON

On the banks of the Hudson, my love and I lay down
Just above 42nd Street, while the rain was pouring down
When I covered her with kisses, the sparks lit up her eyes
We made love like mad angels, while the Jersey trucks roared by
She said "don't you ever leave me, oh for god's sake don't let me down"
So I made her all kinds of promises about how I'd always be around
But the speed was rippin' through my head, I'd only one thing on my mind
So goodbye my love on 42nd Street, if I don't get out of here, I'm gonna die
On the banks of the Hudson, my love and I lay down
Just one more midnight left to kill, then I'm outa New York town
I could feel the Ice Man closin' in, I could almost smell his gun
But that 20 grand I beat him out of would help me start again back home
And she said "Don't you ever leave me, oh for god's sake don't let me down
Then I thought about what they'd do to her when they found out I'd left town
But the fire was racin' through my brain, I'd only one thing on my mind
So goodbye my love on 42nd Street, if I don't get out of here I'm gonna die
Don't say I should have stayed with her, You don't know the full story about the girl
I only used her just as much as she used me
But sometimes you just gotta get out of New York City
On the banks of the Hudson, my love and I lay down
Just above 42nd Street, while the rain was pouring down
When I covered her with kisses, the sparks lit up her eyes
We made love like mad angels, while the Jersey trucks rolled by
And she said "Don't you ever leave me, oh for god's sake don't let me down
But how could I ever take a black girl back to Wexford town
Just then the streets of fire turned to blood, a yellow cadillac cruised by
And as I raced up 42nd Street, the Ice Man shouted "Hey Paddy, it's time to die"

ORPHAN OF THE STORM

Get off the plane at Kennedy
Got a dream in your heart
Though it's down in your boots
Got a hundred quid in your pocket
And a couple of addresses
In Woodside and the Bronx
And you fit in like a fist in a glove
With the other hard chaws on the gang
Some are runnin' from themselves
Some are runnin' from God and man
And you drink to dull the memory
Of why you strayed from home
To the concrete fields of New York City
An orphan of the storm

The gangerman looks at you
Respect in his eyes
He knows you'll work until you drop
'Cause there's a black rage eatin' away inside you
You'd walk through walls, son
Before you'd ever give up
And at night you're like a phantom
Nailin' every you one you can
It's better than lyin' awake in the dark
Thinkin' of her with another man
But she'll never take your dreams away
That's not why you've come
To the canyoned streets of New York City
An orphan of the storm

You only went back once
You just had to be sure
Kindness in her eyes
You saw only pity there
So drink up your Jamesons whiskey
Wash it down with pints
Obliteration on the rocks
Then out of here in the dawn's hungover light

So you put her far behind you
You hardly think of her anymore
Well, maybe on a rainy Sunday night
You're the gangerman yourself now
Got a new job down the Trades
And every little thing's gonna be alright
Then they blew you to sweet Jesus
On that grand September day
Not a cloud on your horizon
Your heart finally okay
But they couldn't take your dreams away
They were not for sale or loan
On the shattered streets of New York City
This orphan has finally come home

PAUL ROBESON (BORN TO BE FREE)

You can wreck my name, vilify me, stretch me on the rack
But I won't bow down to any man, be he white or be he black
Take away my passport, refuse to let me travel
But I will not get down on my knees,
You're never gonna make me grovel
There's a lot more to democracy than havin' a vote
I'm the equal here of any man, free my people, let them go
These chains around my body are never gonna hold me And I refuse to be a slave in my own country
The great are only great 'cause we're down on our knees
Rise up, my brothers and sisters, we were born to be free
Born to be free You can call me a traitor but I love my country
And I will not sell out it because of your hypocrisy I refuse to hide behind the Fifth,
I've no fear of honesty
You always know exactly where I am, so why don't you just
Come on over here and get me
You can tap my phone but there's one thing you will never hear
'Cause the drumbeat of freedom wasn't meant for your slaves' ears I'll never turn my back on my comrades and my friends
The poor and the dispossessed, the women and the men
The great are only great 'cause we're down on our knees
Rise up, my brothers and sisters, we were born to be free
Born to be free
I stand here struggling for the rights of my people to be full citizens in this country and they are not!
Close your halls to stop me singin'
Close your minds to stop me speakin'
Close your kitchens to stop me eatin'
Close your hotels to stop me sleepin'
But I'll never turn my back on my comrades and my friends
The poor and the dispossessed, the women and the men
The great are only great 'cause we're down on our knees
Rise up, my brothers and sisters, we were born to be free
Born to be free
These chains around my body are never gonna hold me
And I refuse to be a slave in my own country
The great are only great 'cause we're down on our knees
Rise up, my brothers and sisters, we were born to be free
Born to be free I am born and bred in this America of ours.
I want to love it, but we must have the courage to shout at the top of our voices about our injustices, and we must lay the blame right where it has belonged for over three hundred years of slavery and misery - right here on our own doorstep.
My father was a slave, and my people died to build this country, and I'm going to stay here and have a part of it just like you!
And no facist-minded people will drive me from it--is that clear?

ROAD TO RUIN

The strobe was pulsin' in the afterhours
The booze was flowin' free When I first saw you across that room
On down by Houston Street
You were wrapped around a wise guy
For all the world to see
Ah you touched my heart across that room
Then you came on home with me
The angels knew their business, boys,
They knew what they were doin'
With your blazin' eyes and your raven hair
On down the road to ruin
I gave up friends and family
I gave up all I knew
I followed you like Jesus Christ
On down the road to ruin
The dawn threw up across the sky We kissed like boy and girl
But neither of us was innocent We'd both been screwed by the world
We clung onto each other
For fear we'd drift away Ah you touched me to my heart's desire
On the dawning of that day "Johnny," you said,
"I'm clean outa me head I can't take any more pain
If life's for livin' then what are we doin'
Ploughin' these poisoned streets again and again"
Jenny, I didn't know what I had in you
How could I have been so dumb to walk out on you now what am I doin' Ploughin' these poisoned streets again and again
And again and again and again and again and again I wonder where you are tonight I hope you're feelin' fine
In some saloon or afterhours
The men around you like flies I keep on searchin' everywhere I know just what I'm doin'
Ah you're somewhere out there right in front of me
On down the road to ruin

ROCKIN' THE BRONX

I got a job in a band called Black 47
I was doin' nothin' special after 11
Oh we learned some tunes and wrote some songs
And we bought ourselves a drum machine to keep the beat strong
Well we bought the Irish People, the Echo and the Voice
And we rang a few bars, said "we got a new noise
Hey, it would please us greatly to come on uptown
And show you Paddys how we get on down"
One o'clock, two o'clock, give us a chance
All we wanta do is be rockin' the Bronx
3 o'clock, 4 o'clock what does she want
The girl in black leather wants to
Rocka the - rocka the - rocka the - rocka the Bronx
Oh we got a gig in the Village Pub
But the regulars there all said that we sucked
Then Big John Flynn, said "oh, no no
You'll be causin' a riot if I don't let you go"
Then a flintstone from the Phoenix gave us a call
When he heard the beat, he was quite appalled
"D'yez not know nothin' by Christy Moore?"
The next thing you be wantin' is Danny Boy! Chris is chillin' on the uilleann but he isn't alone
Here comes Freddy on the slide trombone
Add a little guitar, Geoff Blythe on the sax
Gonna shoot you full of our New York fix
Then we went into the studio and made a tape
Frank Murray from the Pogues said "I think that it's great
Galigula said "it could be a hit"
And if it falls on its face, who gives a shit!"
Now everywhere we go we cause a fuss
'Cause we play what we like and our sound is us
It's got a whole lot of hell and a little bit of heaven
That's the story so far of Black 47

RORY

Hey Rory, you're off to London
Playin' the blues with a band called Taste
Gonna hit the big time?
You better - you're the best
On your night you could even leave
Hendrix in the dust
I want to thank you for what you did
No more messin' with the Kid

Hero came back to Dublin
The only one sober we're all out of our heads
Long hair flyin'
Blue denims drippin with sweat
Volts of lightnin' in your fingers
Pride of bein' the best

What the hell happened, head,
Where did the lightnin' go?
Did it burn right through your fingers
To the cockles of your soul?
Leavin' you stranded

A million miles away from the rest of us....

I want to thank you for what you did
No more messin' with the Kid
So long, old son, that's it
No more messin' with the kid

SAM HALL

Oh me name it is Sam Hall - chimney sweep chimney sweep
Oh me name it is Sam Hall - chimney sweep
Oh me name it is Sam Hall and I hate you one and all
And me neck must pay for all 'ere I die

Oh they treat you like a slave that's no lie, that's no lie
Oh they treat you like a slave that's no lie
Oh they treat you like a slave from the cradle to the grave
but the rich must help the poor so must I

I had three fine sons to feed that's no joke, that's no joke
And a wife worn out from need, that's no joke
But the boss he said to me, get your brats out on the street
For they cost too much to feed, that's no lie, that's no lie
My wife died from misery, that's no lie

Oh I struck the bastard down, I don't deny, I don't deny
Raised the black flag up on high for anarchy
Oh I struck the bastard down
To hell with bosses, church and crown
But they hunted me to ground like a dog

Oh they took me to Cootehill in a cart, in a cart
Oh they took me to Cootehill in a cart
And the priest he said to me
Repent or face eternity
Keep your rich man's god from me, so said I, so said I
He never gave a damn for me, so said I

Up the ladder I did grope, that's no joke, that's no joke
While my sons looked on with tears in their eyes
Up the ladder I did grope and the hangman pulled the rope
And the last words I spoke tumblin' down, tumblin' down
"Liberty for all mankind," tumblin' down

Oh me name it is Sam Hall chimney sweep chimney sweep
Oh me name it is Sam Hall chimney sweep
Oh me name it is Sam Hall and I hate you one and all
And me neck must pay for all 'ere I die,

SAN PATRICIO BRIGADE

I came to this country an innocent boy
From the green fields of Galway
When the hunger was clawin' at me
Came for redemption, respect and regard
All I got was new masters
And a kick up the arse

Oh, they beat me and robbed me
On the streets of New York
When all that I wanted
Was an honest day's work
Saying "get up now, Paddy,
You're an ignorant sort
Far worse than a beast
You won't do what you're told"

Oh, they spat at my crucifix
Laughed at my church
They called me a papist
And many things worse
I soaked up their insults
And I swore revenge
Send them Know-Nothing bastards
Straight back to hell

I joined up their army,
My fortune to make
But my captain was just another
Nativist snake
He beat me and starved me
Insulted my Race
By the time I hit Texas
I was ready to break

Hiya, le hiya
Oh, hey San Patricio
So far from your homeland
Carinos we miss you oh
Hiya, le hiya
Oh, hey San Patricio
We'll never forget you
We'll always remember
The San Patricio Brigade...

The Mexican people
They treated us great
We danced at their weddings
And sang at their wakes
We fought in their battles
And where'er we'd go
Hiya le mad Irish
San Patricio

Oh, we fought the invader
And held him at bay
At the battle of San Angel
And Buena Vista
If Santa Anna had not fled Churabasco
We'd be chasing Know-Nothings
Up past Ohio

Hiya, le hiya
Oh, hey San Patricio...

They took us prisoner
When our bullets ran out
And they tried us in
Their military court
Not a word 'bout oppression
Or baiting our Race
My captain passed sentence
His eyes filled with hate

To death on the gallows
We would not bend our knee
So they murdered us
Far from Galway's green fields
We fought for liberty
Defense of our creed
So to hell with Know-Nothings
Their kith, kin and seed

Hiya, le hiya
Oh, hey San Patricio...

STATEN ISLAND BABY

Your old man, he's in Homicide - NYPD
He looks at me suspiciously

Your momma she's a psychiatric nurse in the city
Works in Bellevue and I look kinda familiar?
Still everything would have been all right
If I could have had you home by midnight

But it's five in the mornin'
We slept through the alarm and
I could think of places I would rather be
Than sayin' "hi ya doin'" to your Old Man at 5:43

Then you take me in your arms and you drive me crazy
And I'd walk through walls for my Staten Island Baby

Didn't your Momma warn you 'bout rock musicians
They're not bad in bed but they're hopeless in the kitchen
Didn't your Daddy tell 'bout the facts of life
What feels so good may not be so nice

And everything would have been okay
If you hadn't kissed me in that special way
But it's five in the mornin'
My heart's contortin'
And I could think of places I'd rather be
Than havin' a chat with your pistol packin' Daddy
Then you take me in your arms and you drive me crazy
And I'd give it all up for my Staten Island Baby

Would you think of marryin' a rock musician
You know what I'm good at and I'd get better in the kitchen
I could take the test for the NYPD
Have your family over for Thanksgiving on Avenue B

And everything would just be so fine
We could stay in bed all of the time
Way past five in the mornin'
To hell with alarms and
I know the worst thing I could see
Your Old Man in his pajamas and he's pointin' his piece at me

Then you take me in your arms and you drive me crazy
And I'd join the NYPD
For my Staten Island Baby

THE BIG FELLAH

Mo chara is mo lao thu!
My friend and my calf
Is aisling trí néallaibh
A vision in dream
Do deineadh aréir dom
Was revealed to me last night
IgCorcaigh go déanach
In Cork, a late hour,
Ar leaba im aonar
In my solitary bed
I remember you back in the GPO with Connolly and Clarke
Laughin' with McDermott through the bullets and the sparks
Always with the smart remark, your eyes blazin' and blue
But when we needed confidence we always turned to you
And when they shot our leaders up against Kilmainham wall
You were there beside us in that awful Easter dawn
Hey, big fellah..........where the hell are you now
When we need you the most
Hey, big fellah..........c'mon
Tabhair dom do lámh
Give me your hand
Back on the streets of Dublin when we fought the black and tans
You were there beside us, a towerin' mighty man
And God help the informer or the hated English spy
By Jaysus, Mick, you'd crucify them without the blinkin' of an eye
Still you had a heart as soft as the early mornin' dew
Every widow, whore and orphan could always turn to you
We beat them in the cities and we whipped them in the streets
And the world hailed Michael Collins, our commander and our chief
And they sent you off to London to negotiate a deal
And to gain us a republic, united, boys, and real
But the women and the drink, Mick, they must have got to you
'Cause you came back with a country divided up in two
We had to turn against you, Mick, there was nothin' we could do
'Cause we couldn't betray the republic like Arthur Griffith and you
We fought against each other, two brothers steeped in blood
But I never doubted that your heart was broken in the flood
And though we had to shoot you down in golden Béal na Blath
I always knew that Ireland lost her greatest son of all

THE DAY THEY SET JIM LARKIN FREE

I see what is, I see the way things should be
They made a mistake sending me to jail
Made a worse one setting me free

I see what is, I see the way things should be
Those scabs will regret the day
They set Jim Larkin free.

The sun is blazing, morning’s here
But no light in our eyes
Nothing but fear and apprehension
And their lies
Then down the lane, the big man strides
A force of nature unleashed
And all our doubts dissipate before him
As we follow his lead

I see what is, I see the way things should be
They made a mistake sending me to jail
Made a worse one setting me free

Look up at the stars, throw the light into dark places
You can’t see the heavens above
When you’re down there on your knees

Go on nail me for treason - arrest me for conspiracy
But I know it’s no crime to desire
That my people should be free

‘Cause I see what is, I see the way things should be
Those scabs will regret the day
They set Jim Larkin free.

The stars are bleeding, night has come
The city sleeps in tears
Nothing to cling to but each other
Tomorrow, the same fears
The sound of voices in the distance
Messiah is close at hand
Rise up, rise up, my poor afflicted
You too can taste the Promised Land

I see what is, I see the way things should be
They made a mistake sending me to jail
Made a worse one setting me free

Look up at the stars, throw the light into dark places
You can’t see the heavens above
When you’re down there on your knees

Go on nail me for treason - arrest me for conspiracy
But I know it’s no crime to desire
That my people should be free

‘Cause I see what is, I see the way things should be
Those scabs will regret the day
They set Jim Larkin free

TIME TO GO

Saw something in the paper just the other day,
It was all about a band and the music that they play
Black 47 advocates violence,
Musical guerillas in their terrorist alliance
My anger subsided when I realized the source
An English rag and I said "Oh, of course"
It didn't shock me, 'cause my history
Tells me eight centuries of this, see-
Anytime anyone upsets the status quo
You're stabbed in the back by the so-called liberal whores
I know this much, this much I know people are dying--it's time to go.
It's time to go.
They tell me I don't understand 'cause I'm American
But unlike them, I've been to Northern Ireland
Needless to say, I was not impressed,
To tell you the truth, it left me feeling real depressed.
Soldiers with guns all over the place
Aiming them right at my little kid's face
An innocent child, two years of age,
Don't ask me as to the reason for my rage
They just don't care about over there
When I say something they cry "no fair"
I know this much, this much I know people are dying---it's time to go.
It's time to go
. I support one thing, that one thing is peace
Peace with justice and the troubles will cease
British rule totally fucked up the place
Treats us like we're an inferior race
Pat and Mike jokes on the BBC
Face it, you're racist, all you're missing are the white sheets
You keep on lying, I won't stop trying
I won't step off 'til my people stop dying
Whether or not you choose to agree
I guess that's why you're called the NME
I know this much, this much I know people are dying--it's time to go.
It's time to go.
Get the fuck out!

TOO LATE TO TURN BACK
From the play "Days of Rage"

Wait until dawn
The streets will be cool and clean again
Then it's time to go downstairs
And meet the man
He'll be sittin' in a limo with a gun in his hand
You've been waitin' like this for years
Through all the laughter and the cloudy tears
Always standin' on a tightrope
Through a million little bands
Always waitin' for redemption
Now it's right at hand
You'll hear me tickin' like a time bomb
Ready ready to explode
Too late to turn back now
I've gone beyond overload
You'll hear me tickin' like a time bomb
Ready ready to ignite
It's now or never, my darlin',
It's too late to turn back tonight
Nothin' left to gain
Just more of the same old thing again
Always runnin' round in circles
Always workin' for the man
But tonight I'm breakin' out of here
Tonight I'm gonna make a stand
I've never felt so alive
My heart is on fire and so is my mind
Now it's time to go downstairs
And meet the man
Catch his look of confusion
When I take him by the hand
He'll hear me tickin' like a time bomb...

VINEGAR HILL

The sun was settin' the rocks on fire
The fields blisterin' with the heat
When the militia came marchin' through our town
Knockin' sparks off the little streets
The priest watched them from his front door
The sweat sparklin' on his skin
When they burned his little chapel down
He grabbed his missal and his gun

I must go down to Wexford town
Where the lightnin cracks the air
And the people sing of freedom
They've banished all despair
The coward dies a million times
The freeman dies just once
So here's to you revolution
May your flame keep burnin' 'til
We meet our Armageddon
Up high on Vinegar Hill

The priest's name was Citizen Murphy
I didn't like him much
He didn't believe in the rights of man
Just the power of the Catholic Church
But I never saw a man as brave
I'd follow him to hell
Or to death in Enniscorthy
On that godforsaken hill

Fr. Murphy:
"I get down on my knees everyday
And I pray to my God
But his face he has turned away
From his people
I have racked my brains for a compromise
But to what end?
Only one question remains
Why have you deserted me, Oh Christ?

The Bishop advises that all arms must be surrendered
Leaving ourselves defenseless
Against His Majesty and His royal plunderers
But if the Bishop be a pawn
I must ask myself whether it is better
To die like a dog in a ditch
Or rise up with my people - the poor against the rich?

I return to my prayers
And reflect upon Your tortured lips
But not a word do I hear
Just a veil of silence around the crucifix
And I remember the Bishop's words
"When faith is gone, all hope is lost"
Well, so be it,
I will rise up with my people
And to hell with the eternal cost!"

The sun beat down on the fields of corn
The sweat was in our eyes
When we heard the militia approachin'
With their trumpets and their fifes
The priest rode by on his silver horse
The fire had cleansed his soul
He said "let's strike a blow for freedom, boys,"
Then we blew that scum right off the road

I must go down to Wexford town
Where the lightnin' cracks the air
And the people sing of freedom
They've banished all despair
The coward dies a million times
The freeman dies just once
So here's to you revolution
May your flame keep burnin' 'til
We meet our Armageddon
Up high - on Vinegar Hill

VOODOO CITY

Paddy came down to Voodoo City
Met a lady on Bourbon Street
She was dark, she was beautiful
Swept that boy right off his feet
Runnin' from the man in New York City
I fled down south to beat the chill
But the Ice Man had me in his sights
For one too many unpaid bills
Oh oh oh oh voodoo city
Oh oh oh oh voodoo world
Oh oh oh oh voodoo city
For God sakes keep your hands off my voodoo girl
Marie Laveau was the lady in question
I fell beneath her crescent spell
Nights spent drinkin' in the Quarter Soon turned into a living hell
She said she knew how to protect me
From all the evil in my past
But New York is not scorned so easy
Iceman tracked me down at last
Oh oh oh oh voodoo city
Oh oh oh oh voodoo world
Oh oh oh oh voodoo city
For God sakes keep your hands off my voodoo girl
Moonlight on the lazy river
Mist around the old gaslight
Heard his footsteps on Toulouse Street
Disappear into the creole night
Candle waver on the altar
Marie, she dance on the naked floor
Flame light up her sacred body
I hear a key turn in the door I scream at her "you have betrayed me"
The hurt explodes inside her eyes
She throws herself across my body
The bullet chokes her voodoo cries
A raven rises from her body
The Iceman stares in disbelief I crash through her garret window
Race like fire down Bourbon Street

WALK ALL THE DAYS

I never figured it would end up this way
As I lay on the ground, I silently prayed
For God's intervention, my soul to save
Who the hell is the saint of lost causes

I could see from their eyes, my time it wasn't long
Reporters inquired why my vest wasn't on
My partner was crying for me to stay strong
The sirens seemed to grow quieter

Walk all the days just to stagger at night
A pension at twenty if all goes all right
To the junkies, the yuppies, Ice-T, and the whores
I bid you all a slán agus beannacht

It seemed like the shooter was barely fifteen
Already his life had been stripped of all dreams
The crack and the gats make for one hectic scene
Life never seemed any cheaper

I'll always remember the words that he said
Over and over they ring through my head
"Go ahead shoot me, I'm already dead"
I see there's more than one victim

On the day of the funeral, they all will be there
The TV, the papers, the bosses, the mayor
They'll tell all your family their grief is shared
Next week you're going to be forgotten

To my friends, I say, go on out for a drink
Don't give a damn what the hypocrites think
Belly up to the bar, give your glasses a clink
Give a toast to your fallen brother

WHO KILLED BOBBY FULLER?

I t's Saturday night on the Lower East Side
I'm sittin' here contemplatin' suicide
I just got mugged down in Tompkins Square
When a skinny-assed junkie stuck a bayonet in my ear
I can't believe you've gone and left me for a dentist
Whatever happened to my existentialist
If I can't find out I never will recover
I gotta know who killed Bobby Fuller?
I know that you think that I'm out of my head
'Cause I haven't been givin' you the love that I should I just sit here playin' his old 45's
Wishing to hell that Bobby was alive
He's still out there singin' "I fought the law"
But no one is sayin' exactly what they saw
If I can't find out I never will recover
I gotta know who killed Bobby Fuller?
And now you've gone and found another significant other I hope your teeth fall out whenever he kisses you
And you'll come crawlin' back when you discover that I found out who killed Bobby Fuller!
I know it's an obsession but what can I do
Oh darlin', I'm still so in love with you
There's a señorita down in El Paso
And I know that she's got some of the answers
She's older now and she's ready to speak
So tell your dentist to cap someone else's teeth
If we can't be friends we can at least be lovers I gotta know who killed Bobby Fuller?

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