Black 47

Oh, it's 6 o'clock and it's time to rock
And me head is beatin' like a drum
In the cold grey light, ah I feel like shite
And I can't remember last night's fun
Then the foreman says "C'mon now boys,
Stick your fingers down your throat and get to work"
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 Kingsbridge Road
Did she mean what she said last night
Oh Mammy dear, we're all mad over here...
Livin' in America

On me way downtown, I think of that clown
And the things that he said last night
Did he mean 'em at all or was it just drink talk
Oh, I must look a terrible sight
Put me makeup on as I watch the sun rise high over Fordham Road
Oh Mammy dear, we're all mad over here
Livin' in America

Ah, the kids aren't dressed and the house is a mess
And the yuppies are networkin' again
Kiss their darlin's goodbye - "oh, we'll be late tonight
But we should be home by eleven"
Oh, me little dears dry up your tears
Your parents are too busy makin' money
Oh Mammy dear, we're all mad over here
Livin' in America

Workin' with the black man, Dominican and Greek
In the snows of January or the drenchin' August heat
No sick days or benefits and for Christ sakes don't get hurt
The quacks over here won't patch you up unless they see the bucks upfront

Lookin' after babies fron crack of dawn 'til dusk
Changin' dirty nappies and cleanin' up the house
Is this what I've been educated for
To wipe the arse of every baby in America

Now the day is done, take the subway home
Squashed up like some sardine in a a can
In the Blarney Stone, drink a gallon of foam
'Til I'm feelin' half meself again
If she comes tonight, I'll ask her outright
Ah what the hell, nothin' ventured nothin' gained....
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 Maria, I'm so sorry I wrecked your wedding
You've just gotta believe me
But just the thought of you takin' your clothes off for that jerk
Oh, it got me drinkin' and then suddenly I'm staggerin' into church
And I'm dancin' like Baryshnikov all across the high altar
Oh I bet that you're still mortified
But just think, girl,
No one's ever gonna be forgetting
The day I wrecked your wedding

Oh Maria, I'd get down on my knees girl
You've just gotta believe me
But just the sight of you in your brand new weddin' dress
Oh, it got me so upset
And then your father's screamin' and callin' me
"You no good lazy punk
I always knew you were a drunk"
And your mother, she's havin' her 19th nervous breakdown
But just think girl
No one's ever gonna be forgetting
The day I wrecked your wedding

Oh Maria, I'll do anything you ask me to, I swear I'll change
I'll even give up drinkin', hangin' out with the boys,
'cause I just can't live without your body and you
Oh Maria, I'll even sell my strat, give up the band
You better believe me, girl, this time it's true
Oh Maria, I'll even go out and get a job for you

Oh Maria, I'm so sorry I wrecked your weddin'
You just got to believe me
But 10 years from now this is all goin' to be one big happy memory
Oh your old man'll even grow to love me, I'll give him 6 grandchildren
I'll be so respectable, I might even run for president, I'll be so electable
I'll keep you happy and expectable and forever pregnant
That way you'll never be forgetting - the day I wrecked your wedding

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 flintstone from the Phoenix gave us a call
When he heard the beat, he was quite appalled
"D'yez not know nothin' by Christy Moore?"
The next thing you be wantin' is Danny Boy!

Chris is chillin' on the 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"
Galigula said "It could be a hit,
And if it falls on its face, who gives a shit!"

Now everywhere we go we cause a fuss
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

I remember your eyes from the 12th of July
When the sirens were screamin' and the flames lit the sky
And you held me so tight, thought you'd never let go
'Til the bullets exploded on the pavement below
And I laid you down next to a burnt out car
Screamed out for help but you were gone too far
Still got that picture of you locked away from the start
Developing inside my fanatic heart

I went around in a daze for a couple of years
With the blood in my veins frozen over with tears
And I did anything that they asked me to do
'Cause all I could see was that picture of you
And the young ones passin' by'd say, "how's about you - real hard man"
Deep down inside I was just a castle of sand
Still had that picture of you locked away from the start
Developing inside my fanatic heart

Then they took me inside, threw me up against a wall
They put electric prods on my chest and my balls
And they told me to sign things that I knew weren't true
And in the end I did what they told me to do
Then they locked me up and threw away the key
And left me there with just your memory

Now I walk through New York like a grey silhouette
Tryin' hard to remember what I'm supposed to forget
That look in your eyes on the 12th of July
When the sirens were screamin' and the flames lit the sky
Hey I sleep with other women and I hold them through the night
'Cause all I want to do is just get on with my life
But that picture of you won't let me make a new start
It's frozen inside my fanatic heart.

darlin, darlin' you've put up with so much
betrayed by your leaders, abandoned by your church
i've watched you suffer, now you're older than your years
but you still look beautiful, though you're fightin' back the tears

you can break down my door, you can even strip search me
never gonna take away my human dignity
beat me, shoot me, flame keep on burnin'
never gonna put out the fire of freedom

when we were children, we thought we would be
god's 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

oro '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

oro '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

oro 'se do bheatha 'bhaile
anois ar theacht an tsamhraidh

Marchin' down O'Connell Street with the Starry Plough on high
There goes the Citizen Army with their fists raised in the sky
Leading them is a mighty man with a mad rage in his eye
"My name is James Connolly - I didn't come here to die

But to fight for the rights of the working man
And the small farmer too
Protect the proletariat from the bosses and their screws
So hold on to your rifles, boys, and don't give up your dream
Of a Republic for the workin' class, economic liberty"

Then Jem yelled out "Oh Citizens, this system is a curse
An English boss is a monster, an Irish one even worse
They'll never lock us out again and here's the reason why
My name is James Connolly, I didn't come here to die....."

And now we're in the GPO with the bullets whizzin' by
With Pearse and Sean McDermott biddin' each other goodbye
Up steps our citizen leader and roars out to the sky
"My name is James Connolly, I didn't come here to die...

Oh Lily, I don't want to die, we've got so much to live for
And I know we're all goin' out to get slaughtered, but I just can't take any more
Just the sight of one more child screamin' from hunger in a Dublin slum
Or his mother slavin' 14 hours a day for the scum
Who exploit her and take her youth and throw it on a factory floor
Oh Lily, I just can't take any more

They've locked us out, they've banned our unions, they even treat their animals better than us
No! It's far better to die like a man on your feet than to live forever like some slave on your knees, Lilly

But don't let them wrap any green flag around me
And for God's sake, don't let them bury me in some field full of harps and shamrocks
And whatever you do, don't let them make a martyr out of me
No! Rather raise the Starry Plough on high, sing a song of freedom
Here's to you, Lily, the rights of man and international revolution"

We fought them to a standstill while the flames lit up the sky
'Til a bullet pierced our leader and we gave up the fight
They shot him in Kilmainham jail but they'll never stop his cry
My name is James Connolly, I didn't come here to die...."

Oh, it's 6 o'clock and it's time to rock
And me head is beatin' like a drum
In the cold grey light, ah I feel like shite
And I can't remember last night's fun
Then the foreman says "C'mon now boys,
Stick your fingers down your throat and get to work"
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 Kingsbridge Road
Did she mean what she said last night
Oh Mammy dear, we're all mad over here...
Livin' in America

On me way downtown, I think of that clown
And the things that he said last night
Did he mean 'em at all or was it just drink talk
Oh, I must look a terrible sight
Put me makeup on as I watch the sun rise high over Fordham Road
Oh Mammy dear, we're all mad over here
Livin' in America

Ah, the kids aren't dressed and the house is a mess
And the yuppies are networkin' again
Kiss their darlin's goodbye - "oh, we'll be late tonight
But we should be home by eleven"
Oh, me little dears dry up your tears
Your parents are too busy makin' money
Oh Mammy dear, we're all mad over here
Livin' in America

Workin' with the black man, Dominican and Greek
In the snows of January or the drenchin' August heat
No sick days or benefits and for Christ sakes don't get hurt
The quacks over here won't patch you up unless they see the bucks upfront

Lookin' after babies fron crack of dawn 'til dusk
Changin' dirty nappies and cleanin' up the house
Is this what I've been educated for
To wipe the arse of every baby in America

Now the day is done, take the subway home
Squashed up like some sardine in a a can
In the Blarney Stone, drink a gallon of foam
'Til I'm feelin' half meself again
If she comes tonight, I'll ask her outright
Ah what the hell, nothin' ventured nothin' gained....
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

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
...

Oh it's midnight on the Bowery and your feet are soakin' wet
And you've drank your last brass farthin'
You'd sell your soul for a cigarette
And the sounds from CBGB's are comfortin' to you
Then you think of the green fields of Ireland
And you feel 40 shades of blue

Ah you're back on the drink since September
And your head feels like a sieve
And you know that you're goin' from bad to worse
But you just don't give a shit
And the hymns from the Sally Army sound heavenly and true
Then you think of your friends and your family
And you feel 40 shades of blue

Ah you've got a great future behind you
But you're goin' nowhere fast
Just up and down the Bowery from Canal Street to old St Marks
And you wonder what she's up to now
Did she really find somebody new
Ah how the hell could she just walk out like that
On your 40 shades of blue

And you wonder how it came to this
Was it always in the cards
Coz workin' is for idiots
And you love the smell of bars
And the letters that you sent back home
Were full of all the things you'd done
But they don't say you're down there on Bleecker Street
With your hand out on the bum

Now the dawn's comin' up on the Bowery
And you're heartsick and soakin' wet
With your tongue hangin' out for some Irish Rose
You'd sell your soul for a cigarette
"And someday I'm gonna give up this drinkin'
But then maybe someday I'll win the lottery too
Then I'll go back home to old Wexford Town
And paint her 40 shades of blue"

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

[Incomprehensible]

Oh, it's 6 o'clock and it's time to rock
And me head is beatin' like a drum
In the cold grey light, ah I feel like shite
And I can't remember last night's fun
Then the foreman says "C'mon now boys,
Stick your fingers down your throat and get to work"
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 Kingsbridge Road
Did she mean what she said last night
Oh Mammy dear, we're all mad over here...
Livin' in America

On me way downtown, I think of that clown
And the things that he said last night
Did he mean 'em at all or was it just drink talk
Oh, I must look a terrible sight
Put me makeup on as I watch the sun rise high over Fordham Road
Oh Mammy dear, we're all mad over here
Livin' in America

Ah, the kids aren't dressed and the house is a mess
And the yuppies are networkin' again
Kiss their darlin's goodbye - "oh, we'll be late tonight
But we should be home by eleven"
Oh, me little dears dry up your tears
Your parents are too busy makin' money
Oh Mammy dear, we're all mad over here
Livin' in America

Workin' with the black man, Dominican and Greek
In the snows of January or the drenchin' August heat
No sick days or benefits and for Christ sakes don't get hurt
The quacks over here won't patch you up unless they see the bucks upfront

Lookin' after babies fron crack of dawn 'til dusk
Changin' dirty nappies and cleanin' up the house
Is this what I've been educated for
To wipe the arse of every baby in America

Now the day is done, take the subway home
Squashed up like some sardine in a a can
In the Blarney Stone, drink a gallon of foam
'Til I'm feelin' half meself again
If she comes tonight, I'll ask her outright
Ah what the hell, nothin' ventured nothin' gained....
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