It’s St. Patrick’s Day. This celebration of an early Christian saint reminds me of the sectarian troubles in Ireland. So here’s a song about them from Stan Rogers.
[Stan introduced this song on stage, "I don't are what your politics are; when our children are dying in the streets, it's time to put away the guns." He said he'd never write a political song, but he did and we thank him for it. It s fitting that it be the last on the album as it was the last one he wrote.]
I took back my hand and I showed him the door
No dollar of mine would I part with this day
For fueling the engines of a bloody cruel war
In my forefather’s land far away.
Who fled the first Famine wearing all that they owned,
Were called ‘Navigators’, all ragged and torn,
And built the Grand Trunk here, and found a new home
Wherever their children were born.Their sons have no politics. None could recall
Allegiance from long generations before.
O’this or O’that name just can’t matter at all [audio clip]
Or be cause enough for to war.
And meanwhile my babies lie safe in their home,
Unlike their pale cousins who cower and cry
While knee-cappers nail their poor dads to the floor
And teach them to hate and to die.It’s those cruel beggars who spurn the fair coin.
The peace for their kids they could take at their will.
Since the day old King Billy prevailed at the Boyne,
They’ve bombed and they’ve maimed and they’ve killed.
Now they cry out for money and wail at the door
But Home Rule or Republic, ’tis all of it shame
And a curse for us here who want nothing of war;
We’re kindred in nothing but name.All rights and all wrongs have long since blown away,
For causes are ashes where children lie slain,
Yet the damned U.D.L. and the cruel I.R.A.
Will tomorrow go murdering again.
But no penny of mine will I add to the fray.
“Remember the Boyne!” they will cry out in vain,
For I’ve given my heart to the place I was born
And forgiven the whole House of Orange,
King Billy and the whole House of Orange.
P.S. I’m designating this post “About bloody time!”
Tuesday, 17 March 2009 at 07:46
The sectarian idiots are the Islamanazis, dude, shows you how much you know.
With the Irish it was never really about religion, it was always about what they thought were their Liberties. Something you, as a slave to your materialism, would know nothing about.
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, then tis dreamed of in our philosophy.” Shakespeare.
“There are some things in this world you just can’t explain.”
Charlie Daniels.
A FOOL says in his heart: “There is no God.” The Book
God’s reality, dude, being in denial of reality ain’t a real healthy SCIENTIFIC mind set.
The Big Mick
The Big Mick
Tuesday, 17 March 2009 at 10:33
Which god? Which particular set of holy, inspired writings should I believe? Which all-powerful sky-fairy? Oh, yours.
Do you think you’d be a Christian if you’d been raised in a Hindu family in a Hindu culture? Don’t you realize that if you’d been born into a Muslim society you’d be a good Muslim arguing for the obvious infallibility of the Koran? The fool has said in his heart, there is no culture.
Being raised to accept something unquestioningly isn’t science. Science is about questioning and testing everything.
If you pray, and you get what you want, you say that God did it. If you pray and don’t get what you want, you say that God said No because he is wiser than you. With you making his excuses, he can’t lose. Substitute any other name there and it’s still unbeatable: “I prayed to Freya and she granted my prayers.” Or “I didn’t get what I wanted because Freya moves in mysterious ways.” Or “I’m so glad your little girl got better. I knew she would, because I sacrificed a chicken to Mami-Wata for you Saturday night.” Hellooo, that’s what you sound like. Try to prove, to a true believer, that Mami-Wata didn’t help. You can’t, because they assume their conclusion. And so do you.