There Were Roses

A song for you this evening, and it's not to make you sad,
NOr for adding to the sorrows of this troubled northern land.
But lately I've been thinking, and it just won't leave my mind.
I'll tell you now of two good friends. They were both good friends of
mine.

Allan Bell from Banagh, he lived just across the fields.
A great man for the music and the dancing and the reels.
O'Malley came from South Armagh to court young Alice fair.
It was then we'd meet on Ryan Road, and the laughter filled the air.

There were roses, roses, there were roses
And the tears of the people ran togetherTho' Allan he was Protestant and Sean was Catholic born.
But it never made a difference, for their 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 land our fathers plow in, the soil it is the same.
And the places where we say our prayers have just got different
names.
We talked about our friends who'd died, we hoped there'd be no more.
It was little then we realized the tragedy in store.

There were roses, roses, there were roses.
And the tears of the people ran together.

It was on a Sunday morning when the awful news came around.
Another killing has been done just outside Newry town.
We knew that Allan danced up there, we knew he liked the band.
We heard that he was dead, and we just could not understand.
We gathered at his graveside on a cold and rainy day.
And the minister he closed his eyes, and prayed for no revenge.
And all of us who knew him from along the Ryan Road,
Just bowed our 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.

Now fear it filled the countryside, there was fear in every home.
When a car of death came prowling 'round the lonely Ryan Road.
A Catholic would be killed tonight to even up the score.
"Oh Christ, it's young O'Malley that they've taken from, the door""Allan 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, til everyone is blind.

There were roses, roses, there were roses.
And the tears of the people ran together.

Now I don't know where the moral is, or how 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 who die.
It's Bell and O'Malley and the likes of you and I.

--Tommy Sands 1985