"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."---John 14:27 (ESV).
First the main event which inspired these songs:
Bloody Sunday (Irish: Domhnach na Fola)[1] is the term used to describe an incident in Derry,[2] Northern Ireland, on 30 January 1972 in which 27 civil rights protesters were shot by members of the 1st Battalion of the British Parachute Regiment during a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march in the Bogside area of the city.[3] Thirteen people, seven of whom were teenagers, died immediately, while the death of another person 4½ months later has been attributed to the injuries he received on the day. Two protesters were injured when they were run down by army vehicles.[4] Many witnesses, including bystanders and journalists, testify that all those shot were unarmed. Five of those wounded were shot in the back.[5]
Two investigations have been held by the British Government. The Widgery Tribunal, held in the immediate aftermath of the event, largely cleared the soldiers and British authorities of blame, but was criticised by many as a "whitewash"[6][7][8] including former chief of staff to Tony Blair, Jonathan Powell.[9] The Saville Inquiry, established in 1998 to look at the events again (chaired by Lord Saville of Newdigate), is expected to report in late 2009.
The Provisional Irish Republican Army's (IRA) campaign to extend Irish rule to Northern Ireland had begun in the two years prior to Bloody Sunday, but perceptions of the day boosted the status of and recruitment into the organisation enormously.[10] Bloody Sunday remains among the most significant events in the Troubles of Northern Ireland, chiefly due to the fact that it was carried out by the army and not paramilitaries, and in full public and press view.[11]
Other Bloody Sundays.
Here is John Lennon's song based on Bloody Sunday 1972:
And here are the full lyrics: Sunday Bloody Sunday
(John Lennon)
Well it was sunday
bloody sunday
When they shot the people there
The crys of thirteen marty martyrs
Filled the free derry air.
Is there any one among you
Dare to blame it on the kids?
Not a soldier boy was
bleeding
When they nailed the
coffin lidds!
Sunday bloody sunday
Bloody sunday's the day!
You claim to be majority
Well you know that it's a lie
You're really a minority
Oh this sweet emerald asle.
When Stormont bans
our marchers
They've got a lot to learn
Internment is no answer
It's those mother's turn
to burn!
Sunday bloody sunday
Bloody sunday's the day!
You anglo pigs and scotties
Sent to colonize the north
You wave your bloody
Union Jacks
And you know what it's worth!
How dare you hold on to ransom
A people proud and free
Keep ireland for the irish
Put the english back to sea!
Sunday bloody sunday
Bloody sunday's the day!
Yes it's always bloody sunday
In the concentration camps
Keep Falls and roads free forever
From the bloody english hands
Repatriate to britain
All of you who call it home
Leave ireland to the irish
Not for London or for Rome!
Sunday bloody sunday
Bloody sunday's the day!
I must say I like the U2 version better and here is my favorite version of the U2 version:
And here's another good version of it:
And here are the full lyrics to U2's version:
Sunday Bloody Sunday
(U2)
I can't believe the news today,
I can't close my eyes and make it go away.
How long, how long must we sing this song?
How long? Tonight we can be as one.
Broken bottles under children's feet,
Bodies strewn across a dead end street,
But I won't heed the battle call,
It puts my back up, puts my back up
against the wall.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.
And the battle's just begun,
There's many lost, but tell me who has won?
The trenches dug within our hearts,
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn
apart.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.
How long, how long must we sing this song?
How long, Tonight we can be as one.
Tonight, tonight.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.
Wipe the tears from your eyes,
Wipe your tears away,
Wipe your blood shot eyes.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.
And it's true we are immune.
When fact is fiction and T.V. is reality,
And today the millions cry,
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die.
The real battle just begun.
To claim the victory Jesus won,
On a Sunday bloody Sunday,
Sunday bloody Sunday.
So what's your favorite version?
Posts
