Foreign Lands
You may roam the wide seas over, follow, meet, and cross the sun,
Sail as far as ships can sail, and travel far as trains can run;
You may ride and tramp wherever range or plain or sea expands,
But the crowd has been before you, and you’ll not find ‘Foreign Lands;’
For the Early Days are over,
And no more the white-winged rover
Sinks the gale-worn coast of England bound for bays in Foreign Lands.
Foreign Lands are in the distance dim and dreamlike, faint and far,
Long ago, and over yonder, where our boyhood fancies are,
For the land is by the railway cramped as though with iron bands,
And the steamship and the cable did away with Foreign Lands.
Ah! the days of blue and gold!
When the news was six months old—
But the news was worth the telling in the days of Foreign Lands.
Here we slave the dull years hopeless for the sake of Wool and Wheat
Here the homes of ugly Commerce—niggard farm and haggard street;
Yet our mothers and our fathers won the life the heart demands—
Less than fifty years gone over, we were born in Foreign Lands.
When the gipsies stole the children still, in village tale and song,
And the world was wide to travel, and the roving spirit strong;
When they dreamed of South Sea Islands, summer seas and coral strands—
Then the bravest hearts of England sailed away to Foreign Lands,
‘Fitting foreign’—flood and field—
Half the world and orders sealed—
And the first and best of Europe went to fight in Foreign Lands.
Canvas towers on the ocean—homeward bound and outward bound—
Glint of topsails over islands—splash of anchors in the sound;
Then they landed in the forests, took their strong lives in their hands,
And they fought and toiled and conquered—making homes in Foreign Lands,
Through the cold and through the drought—
Further on and further out—
Winning half the world for England in the wilds of Foreign Lands.
Love and pride of life inspired them when the simple village hearts
Followed Master Will and Harry—gone abroad to ‘furrin parts’
By our townships and our cities, and across the desert sands
Are the graves of those who fought and died for us in Foreign Lands—
Gave their young lives for our sake
(Was it all a grand mistake?)
Sons of Master Will and Harry born abroad in Foreign Lands!
Ah, my girl, our lives are narrow, and in sordid days like these,
I can hate the things that banished ‘Foreign Lands across the seas,’
But with all the world before us, God above us—hearts and hands,
I can sail the seas in fancy far away to Foreign Lands.
poem by Henry Lawson
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The Foreign Drunk
When you get tight in foreign lands
You never need go slinking,
No female neighbours lift their hands
And say “The brute!—he’s drinking!”
No mischief-maker runs with smiles
To give your wife a notion,
For she may be ten thousand miles
Across the bounding ocean.
Oh! I’ve been Scottish “fu” all night,
(O’er ills o’ life victorious),
And I’ve been Dutch and German tight,
And French and Dago glorious.
We saw no boa-constrictors then,
In every lady’s boa,
Though we got drunk with Antwerp men,
And woke up in Genoa!
When you get tight in foreign lands,
All foreigners are brothers—
You drink their drink and grasp their hands
And never wish for others.
Their foreign ways and foreign songs—
And girls—you take delight in:
The war-whoop that you raise belongs
To the country you get tight in.
When you get tight in a foreign port—
(Or rather bacchanalian),
You need no tongue for love or sport
Save your own good Australian.
(A girl in Naples kept me square—
Or helped me to recover—
For mortal knoweth everywhere
The language of the lover).
When you get tight in foreign parts,
With tongue and legs unstable,
They do their best, with all their hearts
And help you all they’re able.
Ah me! It was a happy year,
Though all the rest were “blanky,”
When I got drunk on lager beer,
And sobered up on “Swankey.”
poem by Henry Lawson
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There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.
quote by Robert Louis Stevenson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Light of Life
You are the Light of Life,
With you there can be no strife!
Beasts in foreign lands,
Feel the pain of your hands,
Those who care to hear,
Need feel no fear,
Your energy, bright,
Be with us all tonight,
In the days when devils ran,
Free across the land,
We looked for your hands,
To still the battles in foreign lands,
Now we look for your touch,
Freedom Lord, we need it much,
The time to make all things clear,
To put the light into life, draws near,
So when you rest at night,
We pray for your light,
We'll put down the mace,
Please give us your Grace,
When we hear your call, or cry,
We will crawl, run or fly,
To be at your side, tonight,
We live to stand in your light.
April 2012
poem by David Andre' Klopper
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In A Foreign Land
It was a matter of fact that when I paid all my tax
I held my world in the palm of my hand
And all of my debts were causing me to defect
To a land of bananas and sand
So I ran, yes I ran, yes I ran to a foreign land
Here I am, here I am
Here I am in a foreign land
Im so glad we made it
I thought wed never land
I grabbed all my cash
And decided to dash far away
Far away, far away to a foreign land
Here I am, here I am, here I am in a foreign land
Goodbye to all of the rich mans daughters
Goodbye to my debts now Im way cross the water
Far away, far away in a foreign land
Here I am, here I am here I am in a foreign land
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
Please tell my mother and all my ex-lovers
That Ive finally made the grade
Please tell my debtors and the money collectors
That all of my bills will be paid some day
Im away, Im away, far away in a foreign land
Goodbye champagne and caviar set
I wanna slum and drink all the rum I can get
Im away, Im away in a foreign land
Here I am, here I am, here I am in a foreign land
But Im all out of my jack and I cant go back
Im away, far away, far away in a foreign land
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
song performed by by Kinks
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to distant lands to die of foreign fevers and foreign shot and shell.
quote by Hugo Black
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? Is it a legacy of our colonial years? We want foreign television sets. We want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything imported?
quote by Abdul Kalam
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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America- America, How I Love You So
America, America,
How I love you so,
We are richly blessed from up above,
Where all good blessings flow.
What other land upon this earth,
Like ours could ever be,
We are duty bound and ready to fight,
From sea to shining sea.
She has conquered lands around the world,
In great and numerous wars,
Let freedom ring for everyone,
From shore to gleaming shore.
Her gallant men strong and true,
Bear arms to keep her safe,
Old glory flies in distant lands,
None can take her place.
Her brave young men in foreign lands,
Go forth that freedom may flow,
That this great land may forever stand,
America, America, how I love you so.
Author,
Franklin Spriggs
April 26,2008
Dedicated to our Veterans, (active and inactive)
poem by Franklin Spriggs
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Peace Everywhere
Peace, everywhere, peace today!
Peace in lands of scruffy trees and pine,
Peace in lands of olives and wine,
Peace in lands where peaks are white,
Peace in lands where fields are bright.
Peace in lands of oasis and sand,
Peace in lands where people band,
Peace in lands where children play,
Peace in lands where people pray,
Peace in lands in the thick of the fight,
Peace in lands ruled by force and might.
Everywhere, everywhere, peace this day!
Pray that all world leaders lead the way,
Encouraging moral people to stand proud and tall,
No government too great, no nation too small.
poem by Joseph T. Renaldi
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A Babe's Requiem
Wars are fought by babes with a gun,
fought by them but never won.
Taught to think that war is just,
to preserve freedom is a must.
So off they march to foreign lands
and soon they're mired with bloody hands,
praying that what they're doing is right,
shooting and killing both day and night.
While back at home we continue to buy
and let the flags continue to fly.
Reading the news, watching the scenes
not understanding, it only demeans
What human life is all about.
Why babes were born and how they've turned out.
Pointing the finger at imaginary foes,
forgetting to point at the white shirts of those
who plan these wars way in advance.
How do our babes even stand a chance?
They play with guns from the age of three.
Can't their parents wake up and see?
In foreign lands the parents do weep
watching in horror as their babes go to sleep,
never to awaken and breathe in again
the air in Iraq or Afghanistan.
How is it the babes of those in power
are not involved? In fact they do cower,
hiding behind the white shirts that lead,
never having to fear they might bleed.
Wars are not games that big people play.
The guns are given to the babes everyday.
No lullabies will be sung for them.
The song for these babes is a requiem.
poem by Edwina Reizer
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Even In The Midst Of It
What now can be said to those led to believe...
To have and to flaunt,
Would bring them a life other's wished.
And this would be envied with jealousy!
The kind of jealousy that brought to them,
An ego lift!
But then a foundation,
Crumbles from under their feet.
Not only do they realize they've been lied to...
But they've been used as part of the deceit.
This was not the plan!
Or was it?
To become degraded like this?
Upon these stolen lands?
And these same folks for most of their lives,
Have been taught to look down from upturned noses...
While they welcomed crooks into their homes,
To hoodwink them.
And as these decayed façades,
Display a hollowed shallowness...
They still remain self righteous.
Even in the midst of it!
Their own created crisis.
But...
This was not the plan!
Or was it?
To become degraded like this?
Upon these stolen lands?
And forced to foreclose...
Property,
To be sold...
To foreign hands?
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Opera Singer
I am an Opera Singer
I stand on painted Tape
It tells me where I'm going
And where to throw my cape
I call my co-star's brother
I call my co-star's name
I play both good and evil parts
I sing to Verdi's play
And every single morning
By 10 AM I'm dressed
My rehearsals last for hours and hours
With diligence I have been blessed
Some people they call me monster
Some people they call me saint
My talent feeds my darker side
Yet no one will complain
I am an opera singer
I sing in foreign lands
I've sung for kings in Europe
And emperors in Japan
And after each performance
People stand around and wave
Just to tell me that they love my voice
Just to tell me that I'm great
I am an opera singer
I will sing when you're all dead
I sing the mountains crumbling apart
I sing what can't be said
I am an opera singer
I sing in foreign lands
Most people seem to know my name
Or at least know who I am
song performed by by Cake from Comfort Eagle
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Foreign policy can mean several things, not only foreign policy in the narrow sense. It can cover foreign policy, relations with the developing world, and enlargement as well.
quote by Romano Prodi
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Foreign Affair
Foreign affair
Take a trip in the air
To a tropical beach
An island to reach
A new territory
For an intimate story
Ali goum pa la mere
It's a foreign affair
Drifting and free
On a mystical sea
A wishful emotion
A drop in the ocean
A hush in the air
You can feel anywhere
In the cool twilight
On a tropical night
Floating on air
Foreign affair
A magical potion
A cool locomotion
A dream
A prayer
It's a foreign affair
Floating on air
Foreign affair
A magical potion
A cool locomotion
A dream
A prayer
It's a foreign affair
Repeat 1st verse (6 times)
Foreign
song performed by by Mike Oldfield from Crises
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Preserve Good Cultural Aspects
Throw off your dress-codes,
you girls stroll in foreign lands
but streak not in roads.
poem by Rajendran Muthiah
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Una
Roving, roving, as it seems,
Una lights my clouded dreams;
Still for journeys she is dressed;
We wander far by east and west.
In the homestead, homely thought;
At my work I ramble not;
If from home chance draw me wide,
Half-seen Una sits beside.
In my house and garden-plot,
Though beloved, I miss her not;
But one I seek in foreign places,
One face explore in foreign faces.
At home a deeper thought may light
The inward sky with chrysolite,
And I greet from far the ray,
Aurora of a dearer day.
But if upon the seas I sail,
Or trundle on the glowing rail,
I am but a thought of hers,
Loveliest of travellers.
So the gentle poet's name
To foreign parts is blown by fame;
Seek him in his native town,
He is hidden and unknown.
poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson
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The World’s Justice
If the sudden tidings came
That on some far, foreign coast,
Buried ages long from fame,
Had been found a remnant lost
Of that hoary race who dwelt
By the golden Nile divine,
Spake the Pharaoh's tongue and knelt
At the moon-crowned Isis' shrine-
How at reverend Egypt's feet,
Pilgrims from all lands would meet!
If the sudden news were known,
That anigh the desert-place
Where once blossomed Babylon,
Scions of a mighty race
Still survived, of giant build,
Huntsmen, warriors, priest and sage,
Whose ancestral fame had filled,
Trumpet-tongued, the earlier age,
How at old Assyria's feet
Pilgrims from all lands would meet!
Yet when Egypt's self was young,
And Assyria's bloom unworn,
Ere the mythic Homer sung,
Ere the gods of Greece were born,
Lived the nation of one God,
Priests of freedom, sons of Shem,
Never quelled by yoke or rod,
Founders of Jerusalem-
Is there one abides to-day,
Seeker of dead cities, say!
Answer, now as then, THEY ARE;
Scattered broadcast o'er the lands,
Knit in spirit nigh and far,
With indissoluble bands.
Half the world adores their God,
They the living law proclaim,
And their guerdon is-the rod,
Stripes and scourgings, death and shame.
Still on Israel's head forlorn,
Every nation heaps its scorn.
poem by Emma Lazarus
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A Heartbeat Away 2
In foreign lands I may have to travel
and there I’ll meet new people each day,
but there is only one love in my heart
and you are only a heartbeat away.
Wherever the roads may take me
and I may have to go it alone
you will never be far from me
only just a heartbeat away.
My yearning for you my darling
will always be my beckoning call,
but you must always remember
wherever I go and whoever I see
you will always be with me
only just a heartbeat away.
6 November 2009
poem by David Harris
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Never again should Ghanaians have to resort to dubious means to get to, or live in, foreign lands, simply to make a living.
quote by John Agyekum Kufuor
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Our soldiers have nobly fought to protect freedom since our country's birth, and have fought to protect those that could not protect themselves, even in foreign lands when called upon.
quote by John Linder
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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If We Only Have Love (Quand On N'a Que L'amour)
If we only have love
Then tomorrow we'll dawn
And the days of our years
Will rise on that morn'
If we only have love
To embrase without fears
We will kiss with our eyes
We will sleep without tears
If we only have love
With our arms open wide
Then the young and the old
Will stand at our side
If we only have love
Love that's falling like rain
Then the parch desert Earth
Will grow green again
If we only have love
For the hym that we shout
For the song that we sing
Then we'll have a way out
If we only have love
We can reach those in pain
We can heal all our wounds
We can use our own names
If we only have love
We can melt all the guns
And then give the new world
To our daughters and sons
If we only have love
Then Jersusalem's stands
And then death has no shadow
There are no foreign lands
If we only have love
We will never bow down
We'll be tall as the pines
Neither here or nor clowns
If we only have love
Then we'll only be men
And we'll drink from the grail
To be born once again
Then with nothing at all
But the middle we are
We'll have conquered all time
All space the sun and the stars
song performed by by Barry Manilow
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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