I stopped doing these about 1.5 years ago, but recently have been listening to some new music I downloaded and wanted to alter them. I really enjoy doing that. This batch is all what I used to call "Those Lyrics," I explain that and some other stuff about the poems here. These are the first two, I've got about 5 others I'll post soon. but I want to post some of them now.
The rest of the songs/poems can be found by clicking on the "lyrics" label (there are at least four pages worth of posts, so click on the "older posts" at the bottom of the first page).
“Ireland II” based on “Deutschland” by No Remorse, original lyrics are here.
1. The troubles started in the late 1960s, depending on who you ask. Forty years is pretty close.
2. Volunteers are members of republican paramilitaries.
3. N. Ireland or The North, can also be referred to as the North-East of Ireland (geographically it’s fairly accurate).
4. I have a shirt that I used to wear about twice a month that says “FROM OUT OF THE ASHES AROSE THE PROVISIONALS.” The Provisionals were a large splinter from the IRA and SinnFein which shortly became the dominant part of the republican family and are now known simply as the IRA and Sinn Fein. The shirt refers to the mythical Phoenix. I believe the ashes refer to both the Phoenix and also the burned out homes in nationalist areas after the Aug. 1969 pogrom, an event which contributed to a large number of people leaving the main republican movement and starting or joining the Provisionals.
5. In fairness, as far as the laws governing N. Ireland go, there was some improvement around 1970, but the high levels of police and Army brutality and murder of Catholics went through the roof, among other problems- such as the widespread and largely sectarian use of internment without charge or trial.
6. I give this poem four stars out of five.
7. **82% of this version is me, 18% is the original.
8. I skipped the Chorus.
9. No Remorse was British and supported the British and Unionist causes in N. Ireland.
10. This is not meant as an endorsement of armed struggle since 1997.
11. The BA is the British Army.
12. About the IRA
13. UPDATED 2/5/16 Based on what might be called a fairly scientific look, only about .2% of the IRA's operations intentionally resulted in civilian death.
They fought a war, started 40 years in the past
Our respect for the Volunteers, it will always last
like the phoenix, in 1970 they rose from the ashes.
They fought the BA in thousands of clashes
They fought, an insurgent war in the north-east.
They fought and died against the British beast.
The nationalist community, wanted justice and equality
But, London started rounding up internees
*****
“Falite” based on “Welcome” by Bound for Glory, original lyrics are here.
1. “Falite” is Irish for welcome.
2. This is set in the early 1970s- about 2 years before Bloody Sunday, and then a bit after Bloody Sunday.
3. “those who are loyal” refers to loyalists/unionists- to one large degree or another, most/all of them are more or less anti-Catholics bigots (it kind of depends on exactly how you define “unionist/loyalist” and “sectarian”).
4. There were anti-Catholic pogroms in Belfast and and attempted pogrom in Derry in Aug. 1969, see this and this.
5. Belfast is the capital of N. Ireland.
6. Squaddie is a term for British soldiers.
7. The RUC were the police in N. Ireland between the statelet’s formation in the early 1920s and late 2001 when they were re-named the PSNI with some changes.
8. In the early 1970s there were relatively and completely non-violent marches; there was a lot of activity by republican paramilitaries, and there was a lot of rioting.
9. Bloody Sunday is when 13-14 civil rights marchers were killed by the British Army in Jan. 1972. For more on that see this and this and this.
10. The Crown refers to the Crown Prosecution Service, and they HAVE charged some members of the security forces, but that was VERY uncommon.
11. Bound for Glory is American, which is why I included something explicitly anti-fascist (see this for why that’s important (actually two things make me think it’s possible to say that BfG is anti-Irish Republican).
12. There are 32 counties in Ireland.
13. I give this poem 5 stars out of five.
**14. **67% of this version is me, 33% is the original.
15. Largely about the IRA and the broader republican movement and there's some that nationalists could agree with.
16. UPDATED 2/5/16 Based on what might be called a fairly scientific look, only about .2% of the IRA's operations intentionally resulted in civilian death.
The North in turmoil,
Hatred from those who are loyal
The British Army has been introduced
soon all hell is gonna break loose,
Rioting - rocks and petrol bombs
We’ll stop the next pogrom
No financial compensation can cover the cost
Of our lack of freedom or loved ones lost
Ref: WELCOME......to the city of Belfast
WELCOME...... we’re gonna kick your ass
WELCOME...... from the IRA
WELCOME......to a squaddie mass grave
Living in poverty -
And under the jackboot of the RUC
you can march and you can fight
There are buses you can set alight
Tory/Unionist desires
fuel nationalist fires
Bloody Sunday, our anger overflows
the whole damn country is about to blow
Ref:
Unleashed, the Belfast Brigade
With rifles, bombs, and grenades
On the streets we attack the police -
if there's no justice you'll get no peace
Opponents of fascism and hate.
Fighting for a 32-County state,
Soldiers violating our human rights
yet the Crown never indicts
Ref:
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