THERE WERE ROSES

by: The Crossing

recording: _Dancing at the Crossroads_

xcribed by: d.baderman



INTRO: D A G

    

   D                              G      A        D

My song for you this evenin, it's not to make you sad

   Bm                A              G

Or for adding to the sorrows of our troubled northern land

D                               G          A        D

Lately I've been thinkin and it just won't leave my mind

      Bm              A                         G                    D

And I tell you of two friends one time, they're both good friends of mine



D                                 G    A          D

Isaac Scott from Banagh, he lived just across the fields

           Bm                A             G

And he's a great man for the music and the dancing and the reels

  D                                G           A     D

McDonald came from South Armagh to court young Alice fair

         Bm                A             G                   D

And we'd often meet on the Ryan Road and laughter filled the air





CH:             G D    G D

     There were roses, roses

                G D

     There were roses

             Bm           A          G          D A G

     And the tears of the people ran togeather

   

    D                            G        A        D

Now Isaac he was Protestant, And Sean was Catholic born

       Bm           A                  G

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

    D                                 G         A        D

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

   Bm              A                  G             D

We said it won't divide us, for we'll always be the one



D                                         G       A      D

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

        Bm              A                    G

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

   D                                       G             A     D

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

         Bm             A            G          D

But it's little then we realized the tragedy in store





CH:



            D                            G     A         D

Well it was on a Sunday morning when the awful news came round

  Bm             A                  G

Another killing had been done just outside Newry town

   D                                   G       A         D

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



    Bm                 A                   G              D

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



D                                G        A     D

Gathered at the graveside on one cold and rainy day

    Bm           A                       G

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

    D                             G         A    D

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

   Bm                  A                     G              D

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



CH:



    D                                         G       A     D

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

    Bm              A                 G

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

D                                     G    A      D

A Catholic would be killed tonight to even up the score

       Bm                A                   G              D

But oh God, it's young McDonald that they've taken from the door



D                                           G           A        D

"But Isaac was my friend," he cried, and he begged them with his tears

        Bm           A           G   

But the centuries of hatred have ears that cannot hear

   D                      G        A            D

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

     Bm              A              G           D

And another eye for another eye til everyone is blind



CH:



        D                             G      A        D

Well my song for you this evenin it's not to make you sad

       Bm            A              G

Or for adding to the sorrows of our troubled northern land

    D                               G          A        D

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

         Bm              A                           G                    D

And I'll tell you of two friends one time, they were both good friends of

mine



D                                      G          A           D

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

      Bm              A             G

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

    D                                   G       A       D

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

         Bm           A               G                D

 But it's Scott, and McDonald, and the likes of you and I

                 G  D   G D              G D

CH: + there were roses, roses there were roses.









[From: dan@hwcae.az.honeywell.com (Dan Baderman)]



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..all our superstars are suicidal casualties

and our heros die in motel rooms and motorcades..

	R. Stonehill "Through the Glass Darkly"

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