Goodbye Erin’s Isle, we’re crossing the sea
With nothing much at all but a handful of dreams
Farewell to Strabane, not a man to be found
The wild geese have flown to a Black Country town
Farewell to the sun and the blue, blue sky
You stand on the deck and you wave goodbye
One last look at the land you adore
Leave your broken heart on a Caribbean shore
Wild Geese spread their wings and sail across the sea
You stand on the deck and dream of success
There’s plenty of jobs in the NHS
Pavements of gold across the Irish Sea
Tears in your eyes as you walk down the quay
Fishermen farmers from Montego Bay
Sugar cane workers, Saint Kitts .migr.s
Calypso carousers from Barbadian shores
In a Liverpool Infirmary scrubbing down the floors
Wild Geese spread their wings and sail across the sea
Cooks in the kitchen, porters in the hall
Cleaners in the theatre, nurses in the wards
Goodbye Tipperary, farewell Skibereen
We’re washing dirty dishes in the ward canteen
They didn’t like their accents, the colour of their skin
They needed their work but they didn’t want ‘em in
They did the jobs that no-one else would do
No Irish, no blacks in Britannia Avenue
Wild Geese spread their wings and sail across the sea
We cared for the young, we cared for the old
The summers were wet and the winters were cold
A night nurse in Bilston is doing her rounds
Dreaming of the sunsets in old Spanish Town
They were young, they were strong, they were keen, they were proud
They came from the land, they were bold, they were loud
They were just passing through, didn’t mean to stay
Ended up stranded on bottom-line pay
Wild Geese spread their wings and sail across the sea
With nothing much at all but a handful of dreams
Farewell to Strabane, not a man to be found
The wild geese have flown to a Black Country town
Farewell to the sun and the blue, blue sky
You stand on the deck and you wave goodbye
One last look at the land you adore
Leave your broken heart on a Caribbean shore
Wild Geese spread their wings and sail across the sea
You stand on the deck and dream of success
There’s plenty of jobs in the NHS
Pavements of gold across the Irish Sea
Tears in your eyes as you walk down the quay
Fishermen farmers from Montego Bay
Sugar cane workers, Saint Kitts .migr.s
Calypso carousers from Barbadian shores
In a Liverpool Infirmary scrubbing down the floors
Wild Geese spread their wings and sail across the sea
Cooks in the kitchen, porters in the hall
Cleaners in the theatre, nurses in the wards
Goodbye Tipperary, farewell Skibereen
We’re washing dirty dishes in the ward canteen
They didn’t like their accents, the colour of their skin
They needed their work but they didn’t want ‘em in
They did the jobs that no-one else would do
No Irish, no blacks in Britannia Avenue
Wild Geese spread their wings and sail across the sea
We cared for the young, we cared for the old
The summers were wet and the winters were cold
A night nurse in Bilston is doing her rounds
Dreaming of the sunsets in old Spanish Town
They were young, they were strong, they were keen, they were proud
They came from the land, they were bold, they were loud
They were just passing through, didn’t mean to stay
Ended up stranded on bottom-line pay
Wild Geese spread their wings and sail across the sea
Contributed by DoNQuijote82 - 2015/2/2 - 18:11
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Wild Geese
Wild Geese, 2004-2006 a show based on stories of exile and migration as they have affected Irish, African/Caribbean, African, South Asian and Chinese migrants and refugees.
Wild Geese is a song and video ballad of exile and migration, using live music and video to combine the stories of Irish nurses, Asian textile workers, Iranian refugees and Chinese cockle-pickers and to highlight the contradictions in the position of migrant workers, often trapped in some of the poorest jobs, which no-one else will do, but vilified in parts of the media.
Performers:
Jilah Bakhshayesh
Gaylan Nazhad
Dave Rogers
Fred Wisdom