There Were Roses --- Tommy Sands
My [G]song for you this [C]evening – it’s [D]not to make you [G]sad.
Nor for [Em]adding to the [D]sorrows of this [C]troubled northern [G]land..
But [G]lately I’ve been [C]thinking, and it [D]just won’t leave my [G]mind.
To [Em]tell you of two [D]friends one time who were [C]both good friends of [G]mine.
[G]Alan Bell from [C]Benagh lived [D]just across the [G]fields.
A [Em]great man for the [D]music and the [C]dancing and the [G]reels.
O’[G]Malley came from [C]South Armagh to [D]court young Alice [G]fair.
We’d [Em]often meet on the [D]Ryan Road and [C]laughter filled the [G]air.
[G]There were [C]ros-[G]es, [C]ros-[G]es. There were [C]ros-[G]es
And the [Em]tears of the [D]people ran to-[C]ge-[G]ther.
Though [G]Alan he was [C]Protestant, and [D]Sean was Catholic [G]born
It [Em]never made a [D]difference for the [C]friendship it was [G]strong.
And [G]sometimes in the [C]evening when we [D]heard the sound of [G]drums,
We [Em]said it won’t di-[D]vide us, we [C]always will be [G]one.
For the [G]ground our fathers [C]ploughed in, well the [D]soil is just the [G]same,
And the [Em]places where we [D]say our prayers have [C]just got different [G]names.
We [G]talked about the [C]friends who died and [D]hoped there’d be no [G]more.
It was [Em]little then we [D]realised the [C]tragedy in [G]store.
[G]There were [C]ros-[G]es, [C]ros-[G]es. There were [C]ros-[G]es
And the [Em]tears of the [D]people ran to-[C]ge-[G]ther.
It was [G]on a Sunday [C]morning when the [D]awful news came [G]‘round.
A-[Em]nother killing [D]had been done just [C]outside Newry [G]town.
We [G]knew that Alan [C]danced up there; we [D]knew he liked the [G]band.
When we [Em]heard that [D]he was dead we [C]could not under-[G]stand.
We [G]gathered at the [C]graveside on that [D]cold and rainy [G]day,
And the [Em]minister he [D]closed his eyes and [C]prayed for no re-[G]venge.
And [G]all the ones who [C]knew him from a-[D]long the Ryan [G]Road
[Em]Bowed their heads and [D]said a prayer for the [C]resting of his [G]soul.
[G]There were [C]ros-[G]es, [C]ros-[G]es. There were [C]ros-[G]es
And the [Em]tears of the [D]people ran to-[C]ge-[G]ther.
Well [G]fear it filled the [C]countryside; there was [D]fear in every [G]home.
When the [Em]car of death came [D]prowling ‘round the [C]lonely Ryan [G]Road.
A [G]Catholic will be [C]killed tonight to [D]even up the [G]score.
Oh [Em]Christ! It’s young O’[D]Malley that they’ve [C]taken from the [G]door.
[G] “Alan was my [C]friend” he cried; he [D]begged them with his [G]fear.
But [Em]centuries of [D]hatred have [C]ears that cannot [G]hear.
“An [G]eye for an [C]eye” was [D]all that filled their [G]minds.
And an-[Em]other eye for an-[D]other eye, ‘til [C]everyone is [G]blind.
[G]There were [C]ros-[G]es, [C]ros-[G]es. There were [C]ros-[G]es
And the [Em]tears of the [D]people ran to-[C]ge-[G]ther.
So my [G]song for you this [C]evening – it’s [D]not to make you [G]sad.
Nor for [Em]adding to the [D]sorrows of this [C]troubled northern [G]land.
But [G]lately I’ve been [C]thinking and it [D]just won’t leave my [G]mind,
To [Em]tell you of two [D]friends one time who were [C]both good friends of [G]mine.
I [G]don’t know where the [C]moral is or [D]where this song should [G]end.
But I [Em]wonder just how [D]many wars are [C]fought between good [G]friends.
And [G]those who give the [C]orders are [D]not the ones to [G]die.
It’s [Em]Bell and O’[D]Malley, and the [C]likes of you and [G]I.
[G]There were [C]ros-[G]es, [C]ros-[G]es. There were [C]ros-[G]es
And the [Em]tears of the [D]people ran to-[C]ge-[G]ther.