Lyrics

BACK IN THE DAY

Priests in full churches
Gardaí on the beat
Civil rights marchers
Battoned by the RUC,
Showbands in dance halls
All around the country
The only relief at Christmas was
Lizzy and Rory,

Free Derry burning
B Specials on the streets
Gaybo on the Late Late Show
With bishops and singing priests,
Unmarried mothers with prams
Those girls being crucified
The pill train from Belfast
Women turning the tide.

Back in the Day
We always seemed to look the other way
Turned the other cheek
And our faces away,
Back in the Day
We always seemed to look the other way
Hey hey hey hey hey – Back in the Day,
Olé, Olé, Ole, Olé oh

Custom posts and checkpoints
Armies on the roads
Bands playing anti-amendment gigs
SPUC posters on polls,
The Boss back in the Dáil
Marching in Drumcree
The goings on in Leestown
Between Maggie and Benjy,

Petrol rationing and blackouts
Culchies with CBs
Johnny Logan and Eurovision
Magdalene laundries,
Artane and Letterfrack
H Blocks and dole queues
Stardust tragedy
Ballinspittle’s moving statues.

Back in the Day …

Polish Pope’s visit
The country on bended knees
Miami showband massacre
Foot and mouth disease,
Illegal contraception
Ulster says “No”
The Well Woman Clinic
Kerry babies and Tolka Row,

Internment and hunger strikes
Murder in Mullaghmore
Boomtown Rats in Moran’s
Ray Houghton’s world cup score,
Ann Lovett in Granard
The “X” case travesty
Bloody Sunday and Omagh
Black soutanes and dirty deeds.

Back in the Day …

© Don McKevitt

CHRISTMAS BY THE SEA

Nollaig cois farraige
Nollaig cois farraige
Nollaig cois farraige
Nollaig cois farraige

Its Christmas Eve
Church bells ring for midnight mass
From the emptying bustling pubs
People sing and people laugh,
The stars shine brightly
In the sky on this night of nights
The watching windows of the village sparkle
With the Christmas tree lights.

But I wish to god that it wasn’t Christmas
All the memories come flooding back to me
I miss the girl so much more at Christmas
When it’s Christmas by the sea, Christmas by the sea.
(Nollaig cois farraige, Nollaig cois farraige)

The logs blaze merrily in the fire
Shadows dance around the room
Decorations sparkle on the Christmas tree
Trying hard to cheer the gloom,
The moon shines on the snow
But to me the snow looks grey
It was last Christmas
When you both went away.

I wish to god that it wasn’t Christmas …

The sun shines weakly down
On to the snow of Christmas Day
A white Howth head reflects
On the flat calm of the bay,
The dog’s and my footsteps
A mixture of sand and snow
I’ll say one thing for this Christmas Day
It’s very, very cold.

I wish to god that it wasn’t Christmas …

© Don McKevitt

COMMON GROUND

Let’s stand together on our
Common ground
Embrace the cultural changes
Just look around,
Build solid foundations for our
Common ground
Moving on together on this our
Common ground.

Erase the border
Tear down the peace walls
Change the dialogue
Work around the pitfalls,
Celebrate our arts and music
Our literature, our sports
Let’s create a new country
That we all support.

Let’s stand together on our
Common ground …

We can do this
Let’s write a new song
To make us proud
To help us bond,
Beneath a new flag
Standing shoulder to shoulder
Singing with passion
Being emboldened.

Let’s stand together on our
Common ground …

This is our home
This is our island
We all belong
In this place,
Four provinces
One country
One people
One shared space.

There is no north
There is no south
There is no east
There is no west,
There is hope
There is love
There is dignity
There is respect.

Let’s stand together on our
Common ground …

© Don McKevitt

CORONAVIRUS BLUES

Woke up this morning
With the Coronavirus blues
Because of this social distancing I’m
Living here in solitude,
This Covid-19 pandemic
With it’s restrictions and it’s rules
And brave frontline workers
Would you walk in their shoes?

Neighbours looking out for neighbours
Kids missing school
Love is everywhere
Despite the coronavirus blues.

The economy’s in freefall
Don’t know where it will end
Fear is in the eyes of those who are
Too exhausted to pretend,
Out on the streets
In splendid isolation
Or cocooned indoors
This is our united nation.

Neighbours looking out for neighbours …

They release the daily death toll
On the early evening news
Those figures are down to
What each of us choses to do,
You know and I know
That we will come through
We’re in this together
Fighting the coronavirus blues

Neighbours looking out for neighbours …

© Don McKevitt

DESTINY

You took everything
That ever mattered to me
And left me with the curse
Of my destiny,
The ashes of my life
Lie scattered to the wind
Pathetic reminders
Of what I might have been.

You took all my friends
Left me alone
Took away the memory
Of those who stayed at home,
Cold winds and ice
Forged my desire
You fought me off
With beauty cased in fire.

Here I stand a testament
To what I believe is right
For all the good it’s done
I think that I just might,
As well have foundered
On the rocks below the cliffs
Then I’d lie at rest
With no curse upon my lips,
I’ve spent my life chasing
Living on my wits
It’s not my salvation
I don’t seem to fit.

I try to walk tall
Sometimes it’s tough on me
I buckle beneath the weight
Of the cross of my destiny,
Falling flat on my face
Each time it’s harder to rise
Cries of “loser” ring in my ears
Rip me apart inside,
You took everything
That ever mattered to me
Left me with the curse
Of my destiny.

© Don McKevitt

DID HE JUMP … OR WAS HE PUSHED?

We met in his estate one day
Told me he was playing bass “my way”
He said “Sometimes it gets really frantic
Sometimes this cracked actor panics”,
So I walked over to his house
And we worked some things out
They told us that we were too loud
But we were both young and proud.

Did he jump or was he pushed?
Did he fall or just give up?
Did he die or just grow cold?
Did he jump … or was he pushed?

They even called him “vicious”
Said “Isn’t it a shame
After all his folks had done for him
Shooting away his life in vain”,
I walked behind the hearse
And I really felt hurt
When the moral majority at his funeral said
“Maybe you know, he’s better off dead”.

Did he jump … or was he pushed?

I haven’t been to see him for a while
On his grave the flowers grow wild
He shot it up, they shot him down
They smacked his wrists when he was coming down,
I’m on my knees keeping my fingers crossed
Hoping my friend that alls not lost
I close my eyes and I still see red
Maybe my friend you’re better off dead.

Away from the dead-ends
That made you a user
Away from the snide remarks
The way the cops abused you,
Away from the junk
That needled your soul
Away from the people
Who wouldn’t let you grow old.

Did he jump … or was he pushed?

© Don McKevitt

DRINKING GUINNESS & KISSING GIRLS

Some men chase after rainbows,
Others follow dreams
Some men amass a fortune
With their money making schemes,
Those who excel at sports
Those who just get by
Others like simple pleasures
Most of all I enjoy.

Drinking Guinness
And kissing girls
I’m feeling like the king
Of the whole darn world,
You can have Tír na nÓg
All the diamonds and pearls
Me I’m, drinking Guinness
And kissing girls.

I’ve seen all those foreign places
That a man can see
And even in these modern times
I’ve sailed the seven seas,
Stood in the company of princes
Shared secrets with queens
Been blinded by the spotlight
You know what means the most to me?

Drinking Guinness …

When I’m old and grey
And my money’s all been spent
I’ll look back on my life
I’ll never repent,
And when my grandson asks
“Granda – what is right?”
I’ll look him in the eye
“Son – let me give you some good advice”.

Drinking Guinness …

© Don McKevitt

DUBLIN DAYS

The ghosts of a thousand years
Haunt those dirty Dublin streets
Down through all the years
Think of the characters you could meet,
James Joyce, Jonathan Swift,
Brendan Behan, Molly Malone
Luke Kelly and Philip Lynott
All called Dublin home.

Hey yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Let me tell you about those Dublin Days .

The sun comes up over Butt Bridge
Shines along the quays
The bells of Christchurch tolls
Echo through the Liberties,
Down at St James’ Gate
They’re brewing up the hops
Over on the East Wall
They’re going to work in the Dublin docks.

Hey yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah …

You came from the country
To the bright lights and the big city
It’s a pity that the city didn’t turn out
To be what you wanted it to be,
You’re living in bedsit land
Over there in Rathgar
You’d go back to the country right now
But your pride would never take you that far.

You stay, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah …

When darkness falls, Leeson Street
Is crowded with shiny cars
And green eyed, blonde haired beauties
Sparkle ‘neath the overhead stars,
But over on Mount Street
The girls come out to play
Afterwards all the johns go home
Get down on their knees and pray away.

Hey yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah …

© Don McKevitt

END OF THE LINE

My family tree
Has withered and died
My blood line
Has all run dry,
I’ve been on this planet
A long, long time
I’m leaving no legacy
Leaving nothing behind.

Got nothing to show
For this life of mine
I’m the end of the line
I’m the end of the line.

Maybe some melodies
Many words on lines
Songs that few have heard
But they scan and they rhyme,
I played and sang
Tried to walk like a man
A life unfulfilled
That didn’t work out as planned.

Got nothing to show …

I loved and lived
It went a bit off track
Took me half a lifetime
To find my way back,
I didn’t stay down
Finally picked myself up
So glad to be so alive
Still can’t believe my luck.

The years roll by
Heading to the end
I do what I do
And hang out with friends,
It’s not all about blood
It’s finding your tribe
One thing’s for sure
It’s been a hell of a ride …
One thing’s for sure
It’s been a hell of a ride.

Got nothing to show …

© Don McKevitt

LIVING THE DREAM

Trying to do my best
Be the man that I want to be
Against all of the odds
I’m on an upward trajectory,
But I’m starting from a low base
Got a hell of a long way to go
Tempest fugit is an understatement
When you’ve been stuck in a tableau.

I’m on my last legs
But they’re strong and muscled
Fit for the task
I’m ready to tussle,
It’s been too long time coming
I’m stepping up to the line
Clichés and seanfhocail
Now the terms are mine.

Living the dream
I wouldn’t have it any other way
Each and every day
I’m living the dream.

I’ve left it pretty long
For my coming of age
“Better late than never”
Isn’t that what people say?
What do they know
They’re obsessed with stigma
If I’ve learnt anything it’s
Life’s an enigma.

Living the dream …

© Don McKevitt

MEMPHIS BELLE

Took a flight of fantasy
Down to Tennessee
I don’t know what I was looking for
Don’t know what I hoped to see,
Found myself in Memphis
Jamming with a band
Keyboard player was deadly
With an incredible boogie woogie left hand.

Woo oh oh – oh oh
She’s my Memphis Belle,
Woo oh oh – oh oh
She’s my Memphis Belle.

We played Stax classics
I tried The Colonel’s licks
My heart was in my mouth
But I was still getting my kicks,
I could feel it in my soul
Her pounding piano keys
But Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay
Nearly brought me to my knees.

Woo oh oh – oh oh
She’s my Memphis Belle,
Woo oh oh – oh oh
She’s my Memphis Belle.

I thought of the Reverend saying
“I have a dream”
And those other legends
That Memphis holds in high esteem,
She stole my heart that night
We shared upon the stage
I never will forget her
And the impression that she made.

Woo oh oh – oh oh
She’s my Memphis Belle,
Woo oh oh – oh oh
She’s my Memphis Belle,
Woo oh oh – oh oh
She’s my Memphis Belle,
Woo oh oh – oh oh
She’s my Memphis Belle.

© Don McKevitt

MY LOVE IS A LOST CAUSE

On the M1 motorway
A highway to heartache
Foot to the floor
Burnt out brakes,
Across the bridge
Nearly out of time
Across the river
The Louth county line.

My love is a lost cause
I want to fast forward
But I’m stuck on pause,
My love is a lost cause
She holds me tight
But I’m at clutching straws.

Got a battered heart
And a battered car
Got a battered face
And a battered guitar,
Heading south to north
I can only go so far
Like tar across the landscape
Love leaves an ugly scar.

My love is a lost cause
I had a good plan
But it’s full of flaws,
My love is a lost cause
I stand accused
But I broke no laws.

Gave it my all
You’d think I’d know better
Gambled my heart
The stakes seemed to upset her,
We had a strong connection
Which I mis-judged
At the end of the day
It’s all about love.

You can take so much
Then you’ve got to move on
With a heavy heart
And the guts of a song,
The love of a good woman
Somewhere to belong
Together as one
This time it went wrong.

You’ve got to laugh
Or you’ll break down and cry
Got to keep going
Or you’ll curl up and die,
I asked the question
She gave her reply
I now know the answer
I still don’t know why.

My love is a lost cause
I want to fast forward
But I’m stuck on pause,
My love is a lost cause
I stand accused
But I broke no laws,
… I’m stuck on pause
… I’m clutching straws
… I broke no laws
… it’s a lost cause.

© Don McKevitt

OUT OF TOWN

I’m calling long distance on AT&T
Ricochet by satellite over 3,000 miles of sea
It’s OK over here, still a little bit strange
Got to play by the rules, if I want to stay in the game,
All down the line, satellite of love
Going back in time, to the one I love
She’s having her tea, I’m going to bed
24 hour MTV to keep me company instead.

All the flights have been grounded
All my bridges are burnt down
Now when it comes to the crunch I find
That my dreams are all out of town.

I’ve written a letter, I’ve got to hitch-hike
To post her letter, all the buses are on strike
I walk along Livingston Avenue in the freezing cold
Bells ring in the new year, there’s no heat in my soul,
I think of the promise that took me to Columbus, Ohio
How the promise was a lie, but you’ve just got to cope
And make a new life, in the land of the “free”
Nobody thinks twice, fire and brimstone preachers on TV.

All my flights have been grounded …

I think of my birthplace
Do they still remember me?
Balcarrick, Donabate
Where the sand meets the sea,
I’m looking back in anger
Looking back in pain
At the things that drove me to board
That trans-Atlantic plane.

All the flights have been grounded …

I have a new dream, this dream won’t die
Someday I’ll return, and live under a blue grey sky
And I’ll build a house, up on Howth Head
Every morning I’ll see the sea, without getting out of my bed,
But now I’m stuck with the stars and the stripes
Dollar rules supreme, but the people are nice
I go about my business, try to make ends meet
Live for each day, try to stay on my feet.

All the flights have been grounded …

… well ain’t that America …

© Don McKevitt

SETTING SUN

The setting sun ’s reflected in your waters
That run both silent and deep
Only you know the lovers
And the secrets that they keep.

Hand in hand they walk along
From the place where they have laid
Unlike the imprint in the sand they made
The memories can’t be washed away.

The setting sun ’s reflected in your waters
That run both silent and deep
Only you know the lovers
And the secrets that they keep.

Remember we used to walk along the cliffs
Down past the Martello tower onto the big beach
Ah yeah we’d walk along holding hands kicking at the sand
I remember thinking … isn’t life just grand,

Sometimes we’d go to the Pebble Beach café
God that jukebox, I must have put a fortune in it
It was that same summer that the O’Donnells came back from America
With all those great records … they looked so different sounded so brilliant,

In the evening we’d walk along the beach in the twilight
The sand would be really cold under your bare feet
And the sea would have that shimmering red hue from the setting sun
We’d just walk along and dream …
God if you could only see me now
I enjoyed those days
So where are you now?

© Don McKevitt

SEX & GIRLS & BROKEN HEARTS

Sex and girls and entwined hearts
That’s how all the trouble starts
You fall in love … fall apart
Sex and girls and broken hearts.

I catch your eye
And you give me that look
I grin right back
And you start to blush,
Listen to me gorgeous
I’m not beating ‘round the bush
Hear me out now
This is me being serious.

Sex and girls and entwined hearts …

In your purple blouse
And your long black jeans
The epitome of style
You’re timeless and serene,
My heart pounds faster
Than a runaway train
When you kiss my lips
Excitement courses through my veins.

Sex and girls and entwined hearts …

© Don McKevitt

THE LAST LUNCH

Your text read
“Sorry for the short notice
Could you meet in town
For a late lunch?”
We sat by the window
Looking down on Wicklow Street
Chatted about nothing in particular
And what we were having to eat.

I walked you to your car
You offered to drop me to my train
As I closed the door you said
“We need to talk … it’s over … let me explain”,

(and you said) “It’s not you, it’s me … I’m sorry”
Then you moved the car on
Dropped me at the station
And just like that … you … were gone.

© Don McKevitt

THEN THE WHITE MAN CAME

The buffalo thundered
Across the plains
Hunted by the riders
Brave in deed and name,
Back in their village
The old men sat and talked
Of the Apache and Sioux
And the battles they’d fought.

And then the white man came …

Their island home
Paradise in the Pacific
Where love was good
And life wasn’t hectic,
They laughed as they lived
Swam and fished in the lagoon
A sunset to die for
In the light of the moon.

And then the white man came …

The lion plays
With her cubs in the shade
At the watering hole
The hippos bathe,
Young warriors dance
Impressing the girls
Their feet stamp
And the dust swirls.

And then the white man came …

He sat and he watched
The crocodile glide
As the koala slept
And a roo hopped by,
He remembered the legends
Of that time before time
Going on walkabout
Back into dreamtime.

And then the white man came …

They came and they saw
They pillaged and raped
Brought death and disease
And the demands of their faith,
They committed genocide
In the name of avarice and greed
They took it all
Even what they didn’t need,
Took without asking
Gave nothing in return
Except for a god
With a hellfire in which to burn.

The white man had arrived.

© Don McKevitt

THE POWER OF THIS LAND

I held the world … in my fingers
It trickled from my hand
I held a world … of granite
It turned right into sand.

On every road
There’s a remembrance of pain
It watches over you
As you play and live the game,
When every last hope
Has been snatched from your hand
Feel it in your spirit
The power of this land.

I saw the sun … in the bright sky
It shimmered in the noon day heat
It made my fair skin … blister and burn
Scorched the earth beneath my feet.

On every road …

The rain sparkled down … in the moonlight
Washed away my tears
The surf thundered … on to the beach
Drowned the nightmare of my fear.

The wind whipped … at the leaves
Sent them flying through the air
The storm blew … away the cobwebs
My mind cleared of all my cares.

On every road …

Feel it in your spirit
The power of this land.

© Don McKevitt

THE TIDE IS COMING IN

The world is heating up
Pollution is on the rise
We’re burning fossil fuels
Rather than saving lives,
Despite all the evidence
Ignorance won’t compromise
Damning future generations
Climate change deniers.

The tide is turning
It’s coming in
It won’t be going
Back out again,
We’ll all be treading water
Trying to stay afloat
Too late then for promises
Good intentions and for hope.

Every day counts
If our world is to survive
Create a future where
Everyone thrives,
The tides coming in
Stop pussyfooting about
Listen to the science
The facts are not in doubt.

The tide is turning …

We need a better world
Need a change of attitude
We need a better country
Not the usual platitudes,
It’s not about being right
Not about being left
It’s everybody doing what
For everyone is best … because …

All colours are equal
All genders are the same
Need a functioning health service
Stop playing the blame game,
Get your priorities right
Scrap the status quo
Rights for every child
Fair play & a fair go.

The tide is turning …

Stop the killing
It’s time to think
Why should something suffer
Every time you want to eat,
Ask yourself that question
Or just think about yourself
Eating a plant-based diet
Heals the planet and your health.

The tide is turning …

© Don McKevitt