Thoughts Of Derry
Thoughts Of Derry
In August at mid-day on
An English building site
The air was clammy,
And office workers
Across from the site
Lay in the shade of
Ancient trees, at lunch break.
I too sat eating tomato
Sandwiches after hours
Of hudding bricks
Wondering if the sun
Was roasting the Creggan
Or were grey clouds
Sprinkling drizzle on the Foyle.
Near by, roses were
Blooming and window
Boxes flourished with
Natures glory but in
Thought recalling flowers
Mantling the grounds of
Brooke Park and St.Eugenes.
And as a tourist sought
Directions his presence
Initiated recall of past days
At Fahan and Buncrana
When the August Bank
Holidays sparked an exodus
From my native City.
Tonight, with a friend
From the Fountain, I
Shall enjoy a few pints
And then back to the
Hostel where sleep will
Prevent, unless I dream,
The constant tug of my Derry roots.
poem by Liam ó Comáin
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Related quotes
There was an Old Derry down Derry,
Who loved to see little folks merry;
So he made them a Book,
And with laughter they shook,
At the fun of that Derry down Derry!
by Edward Lear from A Book of Nonsense (1846)
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The Song Of The Driver
(after Lorca)
Over ice, down hills,
Blue car, pale moon,
Love is calling me
To a fireside in Derry.
(Chorus)
Oh Derry, Derry, Derry,
My own lovely Derry
The capital of the north
West of Erin.
Sure the journey is long
But the car it is sound
As I drive over hills
And through valleys.
(Chorus)
The journey I know well
For I've covered it before
On my way to the
Oak Grove of Erin.
(Chorus)
poem by Liam ó Comáin
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The Thief And Cordelier. A Ballad
To the tune of King John and the Abbot of Canterbury.
Who has e'er been at Paris must needs know the Greve,
The fatal retreat of th' unfortunate brave,
Where honour and justice most oddly contribute
To ease heroes' pains by a halter and gibbet.
Derry down, down, hey derry down.
There death breaks the shackles which force had put on,
And the hangman completes what the judge but begun;
There the Squire of the Pad and the Knight of the Post
Find their pains no more baulk'd and their hopes no more cross'd.
Derry down, down, hey derry down.
Great claims are there made, and great secrets are known,
And the king, and the law, and the thief, has his own;
But my hearers cry out, What a deuce dost thou ail?
Cut off thy reflections, and give us thy tale.
Derry down, down, hey derry down.
'Twas there then in civil respect to harsh laws,
And for want of false witness to back a bad cause,
A Norman, though late, was obliged to appear,
And who to assist but a grave cordelier?
Derry down, down, hey derry down.
The Squire, whose good grace was to open the scene,
Seem'd not in great haste that the show should begin,
Now fitted the halter, now traversed the cart,
And often took leave, but was loath to depart.
Derry down, down, hey derry down.
What frightens you thus, my good son? says the priest?
You murder'd, are sorry, and have been confest.
O Father! my sorrow will scarce save my bacon,
For 'twas not that I murder'd but that I was taken.
Derry down, down, hey derry down.
Pough! pr'ythee ne'er trouble thy head with such fancies;
Rely on the aid you shall have from Saint Francis;
If the money you promis'd be brought to the chest,
You have only to die, let the Church do the rest.
Derry down, down, hey derry down.
And what will folks say if they see you afraid?
It reflects upon me as I knew not my trade:
Courage, Friend, for to-day is your period of sorrow,
And things will go better believe me to-morrow.
Derry down, down, hey derry down.
To-morrow, our hero reply'd, in a fright,
He that's hang'd before noon ought to think of to-night;
Tell your beads, quoth the priest, and be fairly truss'd up,
For you surely to-night shall in Paradise sup.
Derry down, down, hey derry down.
Alas! quoth the Squire, howe'er sumptuous the treat,
Parbleu! I shall have little stomach to eat;
I should therefore esteem it great favour and grace
Would you be so kind as to go in my place.
Derry down, down, hey derry down.
That I would, quoth the Father, and thank you to boot,
But our actions, you know, with our must suit;
The feast I proposed to you I cannot taste,
For this night, by our Order, is marked for a fast.
Derry down, down, hey derry down.
Then turning about to the hangman, he said,
Despatch me, I pr'ythee, this troublesome blade,
For thy cord and my cord both equally tie,
And we live by the gold for which other men die.
Derry down, down, hey derry down.
poem by Matthew Prior
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A Derry on a Cove
’Twas in the felon’s dock he stood, his eyes were black and blue;
His voice with grief was broken, and his nose was broken, too;
He muttered, as that broken nose he wiped upon his cap—
‘It’s orfal when the p’leece has got a derry on a chap.
‘I am a honest workin’ cove, as any bloke can see,
‘It’s just because the p’leece has got a derry, sir, on me;
‘Oh, yes, the legal gents can grin, I say it ain’t no joke—
‘It’s cruel when the p’leece has got a derry on a bloke.’
‘Why don’t you go to work?’ he said (he muttered, ‘Why don’t you?’).
‘Yer honer knows as well as me there ain’t no work to do.
‘And when I try to find a job I’m shaddered by a trap—
‘It’s awful when the p’leece has got a derry on a chap.’
I sigh’d and shed a tearlet for that noble nature marred,
But, ah! the Bench was rough on him, and gave him six months’ hard.
He only said, ‘Beyond the grave you’ll cop it hot, by Jove!
‘There ain’t no angel p’leece to get a derry on a cove.’
poem by Henry Lawson
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I grew up in Derry, of course, and it was - Derry was the worst example of Northern Ireland's discrimination.
Alone on Vacation
Hot restless August days
Can’t seem to quench my thirst
Dry summer August nights
Can’t seem to get you off my mind
The mornings are even more difficult
I wake up missing you by my side
The sunny beach is a terrible site
I am not alone but alone in the crowd
As I walk alone the burning sands
I hesitated upon my every step
With thoughts of you being left behind
Us separated by the connecting ocean
Rescue me from this scorching summer
I should not be here alone without you
Only you have the perfect warmth
Around you I feel comfortable and calm
poem by Kay Barcelon
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Hot Summer
Burnt by the day time,
As it's terribly hot,
I cursed today's clime
About winter I thought.
Nights come with cool stars
It looks I can dream:
If apple-trees blossom on Mars,
What can be moved by steam.
Shut-eye can't meet with my thoughts,
Confuses them, not letting me sleep.
Is it the nature's faults?
Why does it hot days keep?
The city burnt in the molten furnace,
All for the day it managed to face.
I yarn, have two hours sleep before dawn,
The night has already gone.
Oh! It's my nature's drama:
In winter I dream about summer
When autumn comes I want spring
New wishes it will certainly bring.
©Larisa Rzhepishevska (Odessa, Ukraine)
The 7th of August,2012
poem by Larisa Rzhepishevska
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He Often Thinks Of Rosie
He often thinks of Rosie where might she be today?
Is she still back home in Derry from here long miles away
For three years they were an item but for them things did not work out
As often can happen in love affairs between one from a Northern Land and one from a Land in the far South.
He did not wish to live over there and in Melbourne she would not stay
Nostalgia won out over love or so 'twould seem that way
She went back home to Derry though he had asked her to become his wife
Young Rosie she was homesick a natural thing in life.
His wife and he have parted ways they have a year old son
The love died in their marriage he is not the first or he won't be the last one
To know of marriage failure such is life I do suppose
Yet his greatest love will always be the lovely brown haired Derry Rose.
He often thinks of Rosie they parted ways six years ago
He loved her and he always will though apart they did grow
Nostalgia won out over love in their case anyway
She went back home to Derry and home in Melbourne he did stay.
poem by Francis Duggan
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And it is very moving because one has to see the site not as just another site of development but it is a very special site. It is a site that souls and hearts of all Americans.
quote by Daniel Libeskind
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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August The Thirtieth
The sky overcast the rain comes down in drizzle August the thirtieth the date of today
This time tomorrow yes this time tomorrow Spring will be just a few hours away
Some birds are nest building others on their eggs sitting male magpie is piping on the stringybark tree
At this time of year he attacks without warning even humans who venture near his territory.
The clock on the Winter is ticking and ticking time on anyone or anything does not wait
Fragile pink blossoms on the fruit trees in the garden such things of beauty that Nature create
Spring brings her youth to this Southern Country spreading her greenery everywhere she goes
Wildflowers by the creek are coming to bloom now pink on the buds amongst the thorns of the rose
August the thirtieth the Winter is dying Spring is a beautiful time of the year
White flowers in clusters amongst the pittosporums the flute of the butcherbird pleasant to hear
Everyday nearer to bloom and to sunshine the year one might say fast aproaching it's prime
Winter is dying the year's coldest Season Spring brings her green with her fresh and warm clime.
August the thirtieth the second last day of the Winter rain fall in drizzle from an overcast sky
Pink flowers are fading upon the camellias blooms of the Winter in early Spring die
The Goddess of Spring she is quickly approaching over the cliffs of the southern bay
On this time tomorrow from this Southern Country she will be only a few hours away.
poem by Francis Duggan
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August....
August is the month for kids it’s the last few weeks of freedom before a new school year begins.
August is the month where many parents are excited that its here cause they don’t want their kids home alone.
August is the last month before fall begins.
August is the only month that has fewer holidays than most months.
August is the month where most teens are happy because it means that it’s the last school year for most.
August is the month that I really don’t care for but I also like as well.
poem by Natasha Ligons
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August 7, 4: 15
J. bon jovi
It was another day
A perfect texas afternoon
A mother and two children play
The way they always do
As they raced home from the mailbox
A mother and her son
Against a little girl of 6 years old
The independant one
The deputies went door to door
Through all the neighborhood
They said I got some news to tell you folks
Im afraid it aint so good
Somehow something happened
Someone got away
Someone got the answers for what happened here today
Oh no, oh no, oh no, no, no, no
Tell me it was just a dream - august 7 4:15
God closed his eyes and the world got mean
August 7 4:15
Now the people from the papers and the local tv news
Tried to find the reason
Cop dogs sniffed around for clues
Someone shouted hit and run
The coroner cried foul
Her blue dress was what she wore
The day they laid her body down
Oh no, oh no, oh no, no, no, no
Tell me it was just a dream - august 7 4:15
God closed his eyes and the world got mean
August 7 4:15
I know tonight that theres an angel
Up on heavens highest hill
And no one there can hurt you baby
No one ever will
Somewhere someones conscience is like a burning bed
The flames are all around you
How you gonna sleep again
Oh no, oh no, oh no, no, no, no
Tell me it was just a dream - august 7 4:15
God closed his eyes and the world got mean
August 7 4:15
song performed by by Bon Jovi
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Songs The Minstrel Sang
Its almost over its almost done
And you cant put the blame on anyone
Its almost easy and its almost fun
Did you get caught with your britches on
Hi derry day in the month of may
Was the song the minstrel sang
To the good of robin hood
Maid marion and all the gang
His aim was mean and his shot was clean
And his suit was the shade of evergreen
The folks he knew hadnt naught to fear
When the sheriff was there they were over here
Hi derry doon in the month of june
Was the song the minstrel sung
To the good of robin hoods
Good name and a place to run
He loved strong ale and a run down jail
Was the kind of a scene where he never failed
There was no man on the sea or land
Who could get maid marion on the trail
Hi derry day in the month of may
Was the song the minstrel sang
To the good of robin hood
Maid marion and all the gang
Its almost over its almost done
And you cant put the blame on marion
She almost made it to the friars gate
But the old wooden bridge wouldnt elevate
Hi derry doon in the month of june
Was the song the minstrel sung
To the good of robin hoods
Good name and a place to run
song performed by by Gordon Lightfoot
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Exodus (Noah's Ark 2001)
Get on board our silver sun
This is noahs arc
In the year 2001
Up in heavens park.
Exodus, we go to another world.
Exodus, foundation a better world.
Journey of discovery.
From this world of ours.
Flying to a new home in the stars.
Exodus, into the future
Another world, we fly away.
Exodus, into the dawn of
A better world, another day.
Exodus, a new horizon
Another world weve just begun
Exodus, we face tomorrow
A better world, another sun.
Exodus, we go to another world.
Exodus, foundation a better world.
Sailing through the universe
Near the speed of light
Planet earth is blue and out of sight.
Exodus, into the future
Another world, we fly away.
Exodus, into the dawn of
A better world, another day.
Exodus, a new horizon
Another world weve just begun
Exodus, we face tomorrow
A better world, another sun.
Get on board our silver sun
This is noahs arc
In the year 2001
Up in heavens park.
Exodus
Exodus
Exodus
Exodus
Exodus, a new dimension
Another world, weve just begun
Exodus, we face tomorrow
A better world, another sun.
Exodus, we face tomorrow
A better world, another sun.
Exodus, a new horizon...
3rd, unreleased verse:
Therell be no technology
On this new-found land
Natures peace without the touch of man
song performed by by Boney M.
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Memories Re-lived
For far too long now
I have been facing backwards
Fists clenched
Back turned defiantly
On my future and the unknown
Instead I choose to plant my thoughts
In warm late August afternoons
And days gone by
Under the watchful eye of the moon
I pore over memories
Like precious treasures brought up from the sea bed
Each time I expose them to my conscious mind
They become a little fainter
A little less real
Over and over I replay them
Wishing I could go back
My soul crys for the lost oppurtunities
And beautiful summer afternoons
But now, reluctantly,
I must leave those days to rest
Where they belong, in my past
And in my mind
I stand and leave
My love, my best friend and me
To laugh forever
In the August sun
poem by Kathryn Gardiner
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Spring Is Arriving
The weather is wet as the old man remember
But two days from now on the first of September
The Goddess of Spring without any commotion
Will arrive in the Land by the Southern Ocean
In the quiet of midnight when most people are sleeping
Through wood and through park and paddock she will come creeping
In the Southern Hemisphere her three months of residency she will be assuming
When the golden flowers on the wattles are blooming
It looks like August will end as it began raining
But about that the farmers will not be complaining
They have had to survive through many a drought stricken Season
And to smile in the rain they have every good reason
To the southern shore the Spring her way silently winging
And in the rains of late August the wild birds are singing.
poem by Francis Duggan
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We set up a beta site, a test site, with movie, music and book reviews. If you're reading them and you want to buy a book or a ticket for a movie that's reviewed on the site, you can do that without leaving our site.
Baban
I am walking alone with my lover in the dark,
And talking to each other with the quiet of the night;
But the site of this city is pleasant and,
My lover is so beautiful to meet.
I am Baban and i do have my mind on my lover,
And like the wings of love in the land of roses;
But this site of the city is very pleasant,
And my lover is very beautiful to meet.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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If I Only Had A Brain (feat. Jewel, Images, Ry Cooder & David Sanborn)
(from the soundtrack album The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Do Come True; performed by Jackson Browne backed by Ry Cooder & David Sanborn)
See, I can't scare anybody.
They come from miles around
To laugh in my face and eat in my field.
Said a scarecrow swinging on a pole,
To some blackbirds sittin' on a fence,
"Oh, the Lord gave me a soul,
But, forgot to give me common sense."
Said the blackbirds, "Well, well, well.
What the thunder would you do with common sense?"
Said the scarecrow,"Would be pleasin'
just to reason out the reason
of the wishes and the whyness and the whence"
If I had an once of common sense...
(If he had an ounce of common sense)
(Well, what would you do Scarecrow?")
I would while away the hours
Conferin' with the flowers
Consultin' with the rain
And my head I'd be scratchin'
While my thoughts were busy hatchin'
If I only had a brain.
I'd unravel every riddle,
For every individle,
In trouble or in pain.
With the thoughts I'd be thinkin',
I could be another Lincoln,
If I only had a brain.
Oh I-- could tell you why,
The ocean's near the shore.
I could think of things I never thought before,
Then I'd sit-- and think some more.
I would not be just a nothin',
my head all full of stuffin',
My heart all full of pain.
I would dance and be merry,
Life would be a dingle derry,
If I only had a brain.
If I only had a brain--
(If he only had a brain.)
I could tell you why
The ocean's near the shore.
I could think of things I never thought before
And then I'd sit-- and think some more.
Ya, it would be kind of pleasin'
To reason out the reason,
for the things I can't explain.
Then perhaps I'd deserve you,
and be even worthy of you,
If I only had a brain.
I could dance and by merry,
Life would be a dingle derry,
If I only had a brain.
If I only had a brain.
(If he only had a brain.)
song performed by by Jackson Browne
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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If I Only Had A Brain
(from the soundtrack album the wizard of oz in concert: dreams do come true; performed by jackson browne backed by ry cooder & david sanborn)
See, I cant scare anybody.
They come from miles around
To laugh in my face and eat in my field.
Said a scarecrow swinging on a pole,
To some blackbirds sittin on a fence,
Oh, the lord gave me a soul,
But, forgot to give me common sense.
Said the blackbirds, well, well, well.
What the thunder would you do with common sense?
Said the scarecrow,would be pleasin
Just to reason out the reason
Of the wishes and the whyness and the whence
If I had an once of common sense...
(if he had an ounce of common sense)
(well, what would you do scarecrow? )
I would while away the hours
Conferin with the flowers
Consultin with the rain
And my head Id be scratchin
While my thoughts were busy hatchin
If I only had a brain.
Id unravel every riddle,
For every individle,
In trouble or in pain.
With the thoughts Id be thinkin,
I could be another lincoln,
If I only had a brain.
Oh i-- could tell you why,
The oceans near the shore.
I could think of things I never thought before,
Then Id sit-- and think some more.
I would not be just a nothin,
My head all full of stuffin,
My heart all full of pain.
I would dance and by merry,
Life would be a dingle derry,
If I only had a brain.
If I only had a brain--
(if he only had a brain.)
I could tell you why
The oceans near the shore.
I could think of things I never thought before
And then Id sit-- and think some more.
Ya, it would be kind of pleasin
To reason out the reason,
For the things I cant explain.
Then perhaps Id deserve you,
And be even worthy of you,
If I only had a brain.
I could dance and by merry,
Life would be a dingle derry,
If I only had a brain.
If I only had a brain.
(if he only had a brain.)
song performed by by Jackson Browne
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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