There Were Roses

G
my song for you this evening
     C       D       G
It's not to make you sad
                       D
nor for adding to the sorrows
         C                G
of this troubled northern land

but lately I been thinking
        C          D       G
and it just won't leave my mind
                   D
to tell you of two friends one time
          C                   G
who were both good friends of mine

alan bell from benagh
          C        D       G
he lived just across the fields
                    D
a great man for the music
         C       
and the dancing and the reels
G
o'malley came from south armagh
    C           D     G
to court young alice fair
                            D
and we'd often meet on the ryan road
     C                    
and laughter filled the air



           C  G   C G               C G
there were roses, roses, there were roses
                    D          C            G
and the tears of the people ran together




alan he was protestant
and sean was catholic born
it never made a difference
for the friendship it was strong
and sometimes in the evening
when we heard the sound of the drums
we said it won't divide us
we will always be the ones
for the ground our fathers ploughed in
well the soil is just the same
and the places where we say our prayers
have just got different names
we talked about the friends who died
and hoped there'd be no more
it was little then that we realised
the tragedy in store


there were roses, roses, there were roses
and the tears of the people ran together




it was on the sunday morning
when the awful news came round
another killing has been done
just outside newry town
we knew that alan danced up there
we knew he liked the band
when we heard that he was dead
we just could not understand
we gathered at the graveside
on that cold and rainy day
and the minister he closed his eyes
and he prayed for no revenge
and all the ones who knew him
from along the ryan road
bowed their heads
and said a prayer
for the resting of his soul



there were roses, roses, there were roses
and the tears of the people ran together



well fear it filled the countryside
there was fear in every home
when the car of death came prowling
round the lonely ryan road
a catholic will be killed tonight
to even up the score
o christ it's young o'malley
that they've taken from the door
"alan was my friend" he cried
he begged them with his fear
but centuries of hatred
have ears that cannot hear
an eye for an eye
was all that filled their minds
and another eye for another eye
till everyone is blind


there were roses, roses, there were roses
and the tears of the people ran together


so my song for you this evening
it's not to make you sad
nor for adding to the sorrows
of this troubled northern land
but lately I been thinking
and it just won't leave my mind
to tell you of two friends one time
who were both good friends of mine
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 that give the orders
are not the ones to die
it's bell and o'malley
and the likes of you and i




           C  G   C G               C G
there were roses, roses, there were roses
                     D          C            G
and the tears of the people ran together

           C  G   C G               C G
there were roses, roses, there were roses