There Were Roses

Lyrics

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 one time 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] There were roses, roses There were roses And the tears of a people ran together 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] There were roses, roses There were roses And the tears of a people ran together 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] There were roses, roses There were roses And the tears of a people ran together 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....