Oh farewell you streets of sorrow
And farewell you streets of pain
I'll not return to feel more sorrow
Nor to see more young men slain
Through the last six years I've lived through terror
And in the darkened streets the pain
Oh how I long to find some solace
In my mind I curse the strain
So farewell you streets of sorrow
And farewell you streets of pain
No I'll not return to feel more sorrow
Nor to see more young men slain
There were six men in Birmingham
In Guildford there's four
That were picked up and tortured
And framed by the law
And the filth got promotion
But they're still doing time
For being Irish in the wrong place
And at the wrong time
In Ireland they'll put you away in the Maze
In England they'll keep you for seven long days
God help you if ever you're caught on these shores
The coppers need someone
And they walk through that door
You'll be counting years
First five, then ten
Growing old in a lonely hell
Round the yard and the stinking cell
From wall to wall, and back again
A curse on the judges, the coppers and screws
Who tortured the innocent, wrongly accused
For the price of promotion
And justice to sell
May the judged be their judges when they rot down in hell
You'll be counting years
First five, then ten
Growing old in a lonely hell
Round the yard and the lousy cell
From wall to wall, and back again
May the whores of the empire lie awake in their beds
And sweat as they count out the sins on their heads
While over in Ireland eight more men lie dead
Kicked down and shot in the back of the head
You'll be counting years
First five, then ten
Growing old in a freezing hell
Round the yard and the lousy cell
From wall to wall, and back again
You'll be counting years
First five, then ten
Growing old in a lonely hell
Round the yard and the lousy cell
From wall to wall, and back again
Nel 1988 fu la prima canzone ufficialmente finita nella blacklist dell'IBA britannica che ne proibì la trasmissione su radio e tv pubbliche e private del Regno Unito
La motivazione ? "lyrics alleging that some convicted terrorists are not guilty and that Irish people in general are at a disadvantage in British courts of law...We think these allegations might support, solicit or invite support for an organisation provided by the Home Secretary's notice."
Poco dopo anche Christy Moore and That Petrol Emotion subirono lo stesso "ban".
Il brano è meraviglioso, sia a livello musicale che emotivo, uno dei migliori del repertorio dei Pogues.
[Modificato da admin/moris 11/09/2006 22.45]