Tommy Sands - There Were Roses
C
my song for you this evening
F G C
It's not to make you sad
G
nor for adding to the sorrows
F
of this troubled northern land
C
but lately I been thinking
F G C
and it just won't leave my mind
G
to tell you of two friends one time
F
who were both good friends of mine
C
alan bell from benagh
F G C
he lived just across the fields
G
a great man for the music
F
and the dancing and the reels
C
o'malley came from south armagh
F G C
to court young alice fair
G
and we'd often meet on the ryan road
F
and laughter filled the air
F C F C F C
there were roses roses there were roses
C G F C
and the tears of the people ran together
C
alan he was protestant
F G C
and sean was catholic born
G
it never made a difference
F
for the friendship it was strong
C
and sometimes in the evening
F G C
when we heard the sound of the drums
G
we said it won't divide us
F
we will always be the ones
C
for the ground our fathers ploughed in
F G C
well the soil is just the same
G
and the places where we say our prayers
F
have just got different names
C
we talked about the friends who died
F G C
and hoped there'd be no more
G
it was little then that we realised
F
the tragedy in store
F C F C F C
there were roses roses there were roses
C G F C
and the tears of the people ran together
C
it was on the sunday morning
F G C
when the awful news came round
G
another killing has been done
F
just outside newry town
C
we knew that alan danced up there
F G C
we knew he liked the band
G
when we heard that he was dead
F
we just could not understand
C
we gathered at the graveside
F G C
on that cold and rainy day
G
and the minister he closed his eyes
F
and he prayed for no revenge
C
and all the ones who knew him
F G C
from along the ryan road
bowed their heads
G
and said a prayer
F
for the resting of his soul
F C F C F C
there were roses roses there were roses
C G F C
and the tears of the people ran together
C
well fear it filled the countryside
F G C
there was fear in every home
G
when the car of death came prowling
F
round the lonely ryan road
C
a catholic will be killed tonight
F G C
to even up the score
G
o christ it's young o'malley
F
that they've taken from the door
C
alan was my friend he cried
F G C
he begged them with his fear
G
but centuries of hatred
F
have ears that cannot hear
C
an eye for an eye
F G C
was all that filled their minds
G
and another eye for another eye
F
till everyone is blind
F C F C F C
there were roses roses there were roses
C G F C
and the tears of the people ran together
C
so my song for you this evening
F G C
it's not to make you sad
G
nor for adding to the sorrows
F
of this troubled northern land
C
but lately I been thinking
F G C
and it just won't leave my mind
G
to tell you of two friends one time
F
who were both good friends of mine
C
I don't know where the moral is
F G C
or where this song should end
G
but I wonder just how many wars
F
are fought between good friends
C
and those that give the orders
F G C
are not the ones to die
G
it's bell and o'malley
F
and the likes of you and i
F C F C F C
there were roses roses there were roses
C G F C
and the tears of the people ran together
F C F C F C
there were roses roses there were roses