Son of Ireland

Here are two new songs. They're both "Those Lyrics," see this.

The first isn't one of my favorites in most respects, but I love the idea of taking a Skrewdriver song (Skrewdriver was British) about the Soviets in Poland and making it about the Brits in Ireland, although it's something like the 7th Skrewdriver song I've republicanized.

The second is, I think in the top 5 songs I've "written." And the timing couldn't be better, since the anniversary of Bobby Sands' death is May 5th. In the late 1990s I heard that some people including "politically conscious" Chicanos in America, noted the fact that May 5th is also Cinco de Mayo. With that in mind, in either 1998 or 1999, I attended a fund-raiser for the Chiapas Coalition (supporters of the Zapatistas) in Denver, CO on May 5th and asked if I could make an announcement about the anniversary. They let me speak for a few minutes. My comments probably are what inspired a woman who spoke later to say that when she visited the Zapatistas, they had expressed concern about the North.

Anyway, here are the songs. The rest of the songs/poems can be found by clicking on the "lyrics" label (there are at least two pages worth of posts, so click on the "older posts" at the bottom of the first page).

"Brits Out Of Ireland" based on "Poland" by Skrewdriver, original lyrics are here.

1. The original is British and the original author was a big supporter of the unionist cause.
2. It's set in the early 1970s.
3. The Derry marchers refers to the march fired on on Bloody Sunday.
4. The British about 150 years ago, almost killed off the Irish language.
5. "Tiocfaidh ar la" is a republican slogan coined by Bobby Sands, that means "Our day will come."
6. Since the original is about the Soviets in Poland, I should say that I would have been more or less against their presence there. Giving weight to the bad things, my thoughts about the USSR are about 30% positive.
**7. 24% of this version is me, 76% is the original.
8. UPDATE 4/30/09 The last 8 songs have contained more significant mistakes than the previous 30. This is set in the early 70s, but I used a republican slogan coined about 5 years later. It's not worth changing the lyrics, but I wanted to make a note.
9. I give this song/poem two out of five stars.
10. Considering the original, I should explain what is probably obvious, that Irish pride is almost always very different from white pride. (I just heard something making me think that it's probably a small minority of northern nationalists that would talk about "Irish pride"; I still feel odd completely re-writing that line, so I'm going to keep it)
11. I guess it's about IRA supporters but much of it could come from Nationalists.

You over-ran my country, with your blood and steel
Never thought to ask us, how it made us feel
Cutting down our people, the Derry marchers never had no chance
We stood against your bullets, we'll make you change your stance

Chorus:
You can't understand and you won't understand our land
I said you can't understand and you won't understand our land

You tried to take our language, you tried to steal our pride
You made our people suffer, you took us for a ride
We got ourselves an army, we're going to force you out
Tiocfaidh ar la, oh, yeah, there ain't gonna be no doubt

(Repeat Chorus)

Don't understand our culture, don't understand our lives
Don't understand our suffering, don't understand our strife

(Repeat Chorus)

I said we don't want you here, with your tanks and your fear, get out
Why don't you leave, and let our country breathe, right now

Ireland, Brits out of Ireland x3

*****

"Son of Ireland" based on "Son of Britain" by Saga, original lyrics are here.

1. Bobby Sands was the first of 10 republican prisoners to die on hunger-strike in 1981, demanding to be treated as prisoners of war instead of as criminals. See this and this for more info. (and see most of the second half of this for a description of how much support they had).
2. Considering the original, I should explain what is probably obvious, that Irish pride is almost always very different from white pride- also, with Sands, he was working-class, so that could apply too. (I just heard something making me think that it's probably a small minority of northern nationalists that would talk about "Irish pride"; I still feel odd completely re-writing that line, so I'm going to keep it)
3. James Connolly was Ireland's greatest socialist/greatest republican.
4. There are 32-counties in Ireland.
**5. 46% of this version is me, 54% is the original.
6. I give this song/poem five out of five stars.
UPDATE 2/3/11 7. When I say he was an anti-fascist soldier, I don't mean that the enemy he was fighting was fascist, because overwhelmingly they weren't. But he was anti-fascist and he was a soldier.
8. UPDATED 2/8/16 Based on what might be called a fairly scientific look, only about .2% of the IRA's operations intentionally resulted in civilian death.
9. There's some anti-fascist stuff, and although the original is by a scandanavian not British Nazi, it's about a british nazi who was a major supporter of the British and Unionist causes.
10. UPDATE 3/17/20 I just changed "free" to "unite" in the last line of the last verse.

From the great city of Belfast, a warrior came to us.
He inspired courage and bravery in a struggle that's so just
Bobby Sands has fallen, but his memory still lives on.
So it will continue, when the British presence has gone.

Chorus:
Our ranks are filled with comrades, marching down the street.
We are preassuring the enemy, let's force them to retreat
Bobby Sands is still marching, walking by our side.
His words are still clear and loud, his spirit full of pride

Bobby Sands' weapon, was the life he was willing to give
His spirit fills my backbone, and there it will always live.
An anti-fascist soldier, a man who made Thatcher see
That she could not break those inspired by James Connolly

Chorus

When the 32-County republic rises, we wont forget this man,
who bravely fought and suffered and gave his life for Ireland
Fulfillment of his mission is now our destiny -
To unite our nation, and to set our people free.

Chorus

One last note: Even with the songs that are only about 10% me (and at the upper end, one is 75% me), I have a request, although I don't have strong feelings or expectations about this. First, I want credit for these songs. Second, I'd appreciate it if the notes follow the lyrics around the internet. If you modify the lyrics further, please either make some notes for the changes if you leave some of my changes, or just provide a link to this URL so people can see my version. Although I'm not sure how many people will like what I'm doing with the lyrics, to one degree or another (depending on how much I changed them) I'm proud of these songs- and at the risk of getting a little personal, if people like the songs, I could really use the extra boost of getting credit for them right now (or if you don't like them, they were all written by Sarah Palin- that fascist, what kind of sick person enjoys altering racist lyrics?).