Tommy Sands - There Were Roses lyrics

rate me

So my song for you this evening, it's not to make you sad

Nor for adding to the sorrows of our troubled northern land

But lately I've been thinking and it just won't leave my mind

I'll tell you of two friends of mine who were both good friends of mine

Isaac Scott from Banagh, he lived just across the fields

A great man for the music, the dancing and the reels

McDonald came from South Armagh to court young Alice fair

And we often met on the Ryan Road and laughter filled the air

-Chorus-

There were roses, roses

There were roses

And the tears of a people ran together

Now Isaac he was Protestant and Sean was Catholic born

But it never made a difference, for the friendship it was strong

And sometimes in the evening when we heard the sound of drums

We said it won't divide us, we always will be one

For the ground our fathers plowed in, the soil it is the same

And the places where we say our prayers have just got different names

We talked about the friends who'd died and hoped there'd be no more

It was little then we realized the tragedy in store

-Chorus-

It was on a Sunday morning when the awful news came round

Another killing had been done just outside Newry Town

We knew that Isaac danced up there, we knew he liked the band

But when we heard that he was dead we just could not understand

We gathered round the graveside on a cold and rainy day

The minister he closed his eyes and for no revenge he prayed

And all of us who knew him from along the Ryan Road

We bowed our heads and said a prayer for the resting of his soul

-Chorus-

Now fear it filled the countryside there was fear in every home

When late at night a car came prowling round the Ryan Road

A Catholic would be killed tonight to even up the score

Oh Christ it's young McDonald they've taken from the door

Isaac was my friend! he cried, he begged them with his tears

But centuries of hatred have ears that do not hear

An eye for an eye, it was all that filled their minds

And another eye for another eye till everyone is blind

-Chorus-

So my song for you this evening, it's not to make you sad

Nor for adding to the sorrows of our troubled northern land

But lately I've been thinking and it just won't leave my mind

I'll tell you of two friends of mine who were both good friends of mine

Now I don't know where the moral is or where this song should end

But I wonder just how many wars are fought between good friends

And those who give the orders are not the ones to die

It's Scott and McDonald and the likes of you and I

There were roses, roses

There were roses

And the tears of a people ran together

There were roses, roses

There were roses....