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