Block may refer to:
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Chuckie said, "I don't know what's goin' on
I'm down on my knees and I'm ah uh 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 wanna make love to me
Exactly like you used to do
And oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, I'm ah, uh, uh losin' it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm down on my knees
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
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, I'm ah, uh, uh losin' it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm down on my knees
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 they have 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, oh, here I go again
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, I'm ah, uh, uh losin' it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm down on my knees
I'm ah, uh, uh losin' it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, I'm ah, uh, uh losin' it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm down on my knees
I'm ah, uh, uh losin' it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, I'm ah, uh, uh losin' it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm down on my knees
I'm ah, uh, uh losin' it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, I'm ah, uh, uh losin' it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm down on my knees
Here I go out to sea again
The sunshine fills my hair
And dreams hang in the air
Gulls in the sky and in my blue eyes
You know it feels unfair
There's magic everywhere
Look at me standing
Here on my own again
Up straight in the sunshine
No need to run and hide
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
No need to hide and cry
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
Sun in your eyes
The heat is in your hair
They seem to hate you
Because you're there
And I need a friend
Oh, I need a friend
To make me happy
Not stand here on my own
Look at me standing
Here on my own again
Up straight in the sunshine
I need a friend
Oh, I need friend
To make me happy
Not so alone
Look at me here
Here on my own again
It'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 seorita 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 never figured it would end up this way
As i lay on the ground, and 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 a sln 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
[Incomprehensible]
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 Iceman 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
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
Oh, oh, oh, oh, Voodoo City
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
Wait until dawn
The streets will be cool and clean again
Then it's time to go downstairs, 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 and 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
Night, night, night, night
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, meet the man
Catch his look of confusion
When I take him by the 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
Night, night
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
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 realised the source
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
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, 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 my neck must pay for all here 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, my 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 my neck must pay for all here I die, here I die
Oh, my neck must pay for all here I die, here I die
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
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"
And it would please us greatly to come on uptown
And show you paddies how we get on down
One o'clock, two o'clock, give us a chance
All we wanna do is be rockin' the Bronx
3 o'clock, 4 o'clock what does she want?
The girl in black leather wants to
Rock in the, rock in 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 Flintstones 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
One o'clock, two o'clock, give us a chance
All we wanna do is be rockin' the Bronx
3 o'clock, 4 o'clock what does she want?
The girl in black leather wants to
Rock in the, rock in the Bronx
Chris is chillin' on the uileann 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"
Caligula 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
'Coz 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
One o'clock, two o'clock, give us a chance
All we wanna do is be rockin' the Bronx
3 o'clock, 4 o'clock what does she want?
The girl in black leather wants to
Rock in the, rock in the Bronx
One o'clock, two o'clock, give us a chance
All we wanna do is be rockin' the Bronx
3 o'clock, 4 o'clock what does she want?
The girl in black leather wants to
The strobe was pulsin' in the after-hours, the booze was flowin' free
When I first saw you across that room on down by Houston Street
You were wrapped around a wiseguy 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
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
"Johnny", you said, "I'm clean outta 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 be 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 after-hours, 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
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
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
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
Oh Mary Mary, I think I'm crackin' up
Everthing is fallin' apart
My arms are empty and you have just put
A fourty-five slug through my heart
I've been riding the D train alll day and all the night
And I just can't seem to come down
I wish I could reach you but you're so out of touch
And now you don't even want me around
Didn't I do everything you asked me to
Didn't I give you everything you wanted
So why are you always down there on your knees
Prayin' to Our Lady of the Bronx
Out on Decatur a crowd has gathered round
A Hasidic hangin' on a cross
On his knees down in the gutter
A Mayo man is blessin' himself
>From deep inside a tenement building
A Cuban woman raises her voice
She'd just heard the news on Channel 11
"Madonna appearin' in the Bronx"
Oh Mary Mary, I can't make it on my own
This town is tearin' me apart
We've got to get out, we've got to get back home
The walls are closin' in fast
I can hear their footsteps comin'
Now they've stopped outside our door
This could be our last chance
But you won't come with me, will you
No you'd sooner stay and pray for redemption
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
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
Ooh, 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' off-a you
Oh Maureen, don't be so mean
You know, I'll always be in lust with you
C'mon
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 pay-phone
"Forgive me, darlin', I'll be back in a week"
A voice said, "Hey stupid, she want a man not a kid
Maureen is comin' back to Canarsie with me"
Beat me, whip me, make me write bad checks
Ooh, 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' off-a you
Oh Maureen, don't be so mean
You know, I'll always be in lust with you
Yeah
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 you
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
Ooh, 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' off-a you
Oh Maureen, don't be so mean
You know, I'll always be in lust with you
C'mon
Oh Maureen, I've been so bad
I deserve everything, Maureen
I need some of your sweet salvation
I deserve everything
Oh Maureen, Maureen, Maureen
Got into town on a Saturday night
With a Fender guitar and I checked out the sights
And I drank my way down to the Lower East Side
Coz 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 went off and joined the scientology church
Then Mike stopped a bullet 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
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.
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
Him: Listen, don't make a show of me, will you, the
lads are all watchin'
Her: To hell with the lads, are you ever goin' to grow
up? There's a couple of things you and I are goin' to
have to sort out..
Him: Oh yeah? Like what?
Her: Give me a couple of weeks and I'll make up a list
for you.
Him: I'm not givin' up me pint again, I tell you that
right now.
Her: You and your pint!
Him: Jaysus, you're an awful woman, aren't you?
Her: It's you made me that way.
Him: Ah will you be quiet and give us an auld kiss
Her: A kiss is it? The head on you and the price of
Joined the service out of school in the year of '69
When the Doors were ridin' on the storm, Hendrix was
alive
And before I could blink an eye, I was sent to Vietnam
To teach them people democracy
Jesus, what a laugh.
All across the highlands, we moved in single file
Lookin' for them Vietcong, I musta crawled a 1000 miles
But I'd only one thought on me mind,
'Twas your eyes of emerald green
My love is in New York, oh she's the only one for me
I learned to smoke the opium pipe, I learned it all too
well
Coz when the shells are bangin' in your ears
It stops that livin' hell
Then one night 6 months later
While in the DMZ
Me own dear U.S. Air Force blew the hell right out of
Still I loved my country
I saluted the old flag
When you're a boy from Woodside, Queens
You give it all you have
'Cause I knew you'd be there waitin'
With your eyes of emerald green
My love is in New York and she's the only one for me
But when I got sent home at last, they jeered and spat
at me
They called me a fascist, said I was the enemy
I could've put up with all of that
'Twas no big thing to me
But you killed me with one look of disgust
From those emerald greens
Now I sit down here on Broadway, this pavement is me
home
The war is long forgotten, for those who stayed at home
And I wish I had me opium pipe
To stop that livin' hell
That's goin' on inside me head, I wish it all so well
And the Doors still ride by on the storm
Hendrix hides from Joe
I should be history around here but where else is there
to go
Coz I know you're out there somewhere,
With your eyes of emerald green
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 and 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 standing there in your brand new weddin' dress
Oh, it got me so upset
And your father's screamin', "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 and 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 he's even gonna grow to love me
I'll give him 6 grandchildren, I'll be so respectable
I might even run for President, I will be so electable
I'll keep you happy and expectable and forever pregnant
And that way you will never be forgetting
The day I wrecked your wedding
Oh Maria, the day I wrecked your wedding, oh
That way you'll never be forgetting
That way you'll never be forgetting
That way you'll never be forgetting
You'll never, never, never, never, never
Never, never, never, never, never be forgetting
That way you'll never be forgetting
You'll never, never, never, never be forgetting
That way you'll never be forgetting
Oh, it's 6 o'clock and it's time to rock
And me head is beatin' like a drum
In the cold gray 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"
And I wish to Christ, I'd stayed home last night
Instead of drinkin' 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 Kings Bridge 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
Oh, 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 arise 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 myself again
If she comes tonight, I'll ask her outright
Ah, what the hell, nothin' ventured nothin' gained
And if she takes a chance, she might find romance
Now she's 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
Oh, Mammy dear, we're all mad over here
Livin' in America
Oh, Mammy dear, we're all mad over here
Livin' in America
Oh, Mammy dear, we're all mad over here
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, the small farmer too
Protect the proletariat from the bosses and their screws
So hold on to your rifles, boys, don't give up your dreams
Of a Republic for the workin' class, economic liberty
Then Jem yells 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"
But to fight for the rights of the working man, the small farmer too
Protect the proletariat from the bosses and their screws
So hold on to your rifles, boys, don't give up your dreams
Of a Republic for the workin' class, economic liberty
And now we're in the GPO with the bullets whizzin' by
With Pearse and Sean McDermott biddin' each other good-bye
Up steps our citizen leader and he roars out to the sky
My name is James Connolly, I didn't come here to die
But to fight for the rights of the working man, the small farmer too
Protect the proletariat from the bosses and their screws
So hold on to your rifles, boys, don't give up your dreams
Of a Republic for the workin' class, economic liberty
Oh Lily, I don't want to die
We've got so much to live for
And I know we're 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
Oh no, it's far better to die like a man on your feet
Than to live forever like some slave, on your knees, Lily
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
Oh 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
But to fight for the rights of the working man, the small farmer too
Protect the proletariat from the bosses and their screws
So hold on to your rifles, boys, don't give up your dreams
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
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
So in the meantime,
Dream on in New York City
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' I was back in New York
Playin' in Reilly's on a Saturday night
Man on the phone says. "I ain't jokin'"
Would yes 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 all of 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"
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
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
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
Take of those shoes baby
Mo chreach gharchiseach
N rabhas ar do chlaibh
Nuair lmhadh an pdar,
Go ngeobhainn im chom dheas
N i mbinn mo ghna,
Is go ligfinn cead siil leat
A mharcaigh na sl nglas
S t b'fhearr ligean chucu
(English translation)
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
Bridie was teachin' out in Carysfort
I was workin' in the bank
2 paycheques 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."
Fiddlee diddlee deidely dee
I was born to play the funky ceili
Over the seas and far away, off to Ameri-kay
Fiddlee diddlee deidely dee
Where the wild, wild women were waitin' for me
Think of me Bridie whenever you see me there on your
I love you, a cushla, but how could I be
Without me punky funky ceili
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 got 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,
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
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
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 anointed 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
R 'se do bheatha 'bhaile
Anois ar theacht an tsamhraidh
Don't use the colour 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
R 'se do bheatha 'bhaile
Anois ar theacht an tsamhraidh
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
R 'se do bheatha 'bhaile
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
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
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
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
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
Then 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 got 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
Left me there with just your memory
Now I walk through New York like a gray 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
Born on a black Monday, me mother screamin' curses
Me old 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 boom box
So 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 learnt to write me poetry
And me, and rock and roll set off to see the country
Oh, we played in pubs and dance halls, 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
With a toot on the flute and a twiddle on the fiddle, oh
Music in me soul and a beat on me boom box
So up, down, turn around and crash into the wall
Dancin' to the beat of me own different drummer, oh
Oh, I searched from coast to coast, from Florida to Canada
With me heart upon me sleeve screamin' out, "Hi, where are ya?"
'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
Oh, 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
With a toot on the flute and a twiddle on the fiddle, oh
Music in me soul and a beat on me boom box, oh
So up, down, turn around and crash into the wall
Dancin' to the beat of me own different drummer, oh
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
With a toot on the flute and a twiddle on the fiddle, oh
Music in me soul and a beat on me boom box
So up, down, turn around and crash into the wall
Dancin' to the beat of me own different drummer, oh
With a toot on the flute and a twiddle on the fiddle, oh
Music in me soul and a beat on me boom box
So up, down, turn around and crash into the wall
Dancin' to the beat of me own different drummer, oh
With a toot on the flute and a twiddle on the fiddle, oh
Music in me soul and a beat on me boom box
So up, down, turn around and crash into the wall
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 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
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
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
Standing in your hallway, kiss your angel hair
Hear your old grandmother recite her immigrant prayer
She knew what you had to do, she'd probably kill you first, first
But hold on, darlin', this time tomorrow, you'll be over the worst
Brooklyn girls just break your heart
Then they watch you fall apart with their incredible eyes
Moistened by the goodbyes
'Til I forget all I ever learned about those crazy Brooklyn girls
Now I'm on the sidewalk, night lights up your room
Go down to the Narrows, watch the raging moon
Beam down on Staten Island with its unforgiving sheen
And I'd give everything not to hemorrhage all of your dreams
Brooklyn girls just break your heart
Then they watch you fall apart with their incredible eyes
Moistened by the goodbyes
'Til I forget all I ever learned about those crazy Brooklyn girls
Hey, Brooklyn girl, hey, Brooklyn girl
What you gonna do, Brooklyn girl
[Incomprehensible], it's all upto you
So what you gonna do, Brooklyn girl
What you gonna do?
Verazanno hangs like a string of pearls in the night, I'd steal them for you
Wear them tomorrow, make everything be alright
Brooklyn girls just break your heart
Then they watch you fall apart with their incredible eyes
Moistened by the goodbyes
'Til I forget all I ever learned about those crazy
Brooklyn girls just break your heart
Then they watch you fall apart with their incredible eyes
Moistened by the goodbyes
'Til I forget all I ever learned about those crazy
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 everyday
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 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
Your soul's on ice oh, oh, oh, oh
But they can't stop the desire
To break on out oh, oh, oh, oh
Carlita is waiting down on C & 9th
In mantilla and lace and her lover's knife
Cries out for revenge, she is silent like a stone
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 home in your bedding
And you, the bridegroom off on your way
To your blood wedding
And the Ukrainian ladies light candles in the street
Where his body lay bleeding
And the projects are silent, bracing for the heat
That must come from your 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 your blood wedding
I wait in the shadows of C & 9th
With my fingers caressing his sacred knife
You loved my body, 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
And the Ukrainian ladies light candles in the street
Where his body lay bleeding
And the projects are silent, bracing for the heat
That must come from your blood wedding
And the Ukrainian ladies light candles in the street
Where his body lay bleeding
The projects are silent, bracing for the heat
That must come from his blood wedding
Yeah, oh yeah
Mister Frankie Diamond was my best friend
We were partners in a business down on C and 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 Beirut 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 wanna 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
Everything is still not a chicken not a body
Just an awful sicken silence roarin' in my brain
And the fog of death deepens and lies upon the land
An ould wan rolls over on her back
The grass stains still 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 black hearted soul rot in hell
There's no love left on earth and God is dead in heaven
In these 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 "Come on 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 think I'm dyin' the fever's in my 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?
God's curse upon you, Lord John Russell
May your black hearted soul rot in hell
There's no love left on earth and God is dead in heaven
In these 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 under heaven
For the crimes they committed in Black 47
[Incomprehensible]
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
Paudie took me up and threw me across his shoulders
He nursed me every day 'til we reached Amerikay
Screamin' and shoutin' like two madmen at the wind
God's curse upon you, Lord John Russell
May your black hearted soul rot in hell
There's no love left on earth, 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 under heaven
For the crimes they committed in Black 47
Mo chara is mo lao thu!
(My friend and my calf)
Is aisling tri nallaibh
(A vision in dream)
Do deineadh arir dom
(Was revealed to me last night)
IgCorcaigh go danach
(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 lamh
(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 Bal na
Blath
I stole some butter to put on my bread
A crime against God, king and parliament
No fancy lawyer to defend my case
So I was sentenced at the Mayo Assizes
Seven long years transportation
To Botany Bay in Australia
Is this the justice whereof you speak
Ten crucifying years ahead of me
And all that I asked for, all that I need
Is to live my life in my own country
All that I wanted or dear to me
Is bas in Erin, a chiusla geal mo chroÃ
I hid my brother to protect his life
He shot a man for collecting tithes
To support the rites of the English Church
A faith that meant not a damn to us
They hung my brother in Wexford town
And when they cut his body down
The hangman turned and called my way
You'll long for me in Australia
I should have known what would become of me
The future's always been there for all the world to see
The black death is approaching
I can see it on the way
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
She said, "Don't you ever leave me
Oh, for god 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 outta 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 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 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"
It's time to
It's time to
It's time to
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', you're 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
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, ?Goodbye?
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, "Come on, 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 goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye
In the wind, the river and the pourin' rain
One last drink, one last drink, one last drink
At Shannon Airport, then we're outa here
History around here, catch you again next year
Landin' at Kennedy, landin' at Kennedy, landin' at Kennedy
All you feel is the pain
But it's too late, it's too late 'cause last night you had
And you feel 40 shades of blue
And you feel 40 shades of blue
Go to the church, but the preacher he just preach at me
Go to the club, but the women oh they know me
Want a relationship, I wanna have a family
I'm schizophrenic paranoid, tell me what is wrong with me
Desperate, I'm desperate, why won't you hold me?
Desperate, Desperate for the next moment
Desperate, I'm desperate, I feel so lonely!
Desperate, Desperate for the next moment
I'm... so... desperate, baby
I think it was my birthday when you last...
When you last...
Ooh! Ah!
Go for a job, but they don't like the look of me
(...) this is not 1970
Want Rosie O'Donnell, she think I'm to kinky
She don't like perverts, why ain't I a yuppie?
Desperate, I'm desperate, why won't you hold me?
Desperate, Desperate for the next moment
Desperate, I'm desperate, I feel so lonely!
Desperate, Desperate for the next moment
Desperate, I'm desperate, why won't you hold me?
Desperate, Desperate for the next moment
Desperate, I'm desperate, why won't you hold me?
Desperate, Desperate for the next moment
Desperate, You make me jump around!
I reach up in the sky, I'll take it off the ground
Desperate, You make me dance and sing!
Oh come on to me, baby, do the right thing
The London girls make me, Desperate
The Brooklyn girls make me, Desperate
The Irish girls make me, Desperate
Jamaican girls make me, Desperate
(Oh, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!)
Desperate!
I'm so desperate, baby now!
Desperate! (...)
(Oh, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!)
I'm so desperate, baby now!
(Florida, Jarva et al)
I have found it… The Everlasting.
(Jarva et al)
MISCELLANEOUS APOLOGIES:
I've said this once and now I'll say it again
Original version available on limited edition 2LP