I was born in Derry by the waters of the Foyle
My Daddy was a shoemaker, he sweated and he toiled
Me Mammy was an anchor, I can't list the things she did
You have to be an anchor when you have so many kids
There was Kevin, Gregory, Martin, Lily, Deirdre, Noel, and then
There was Bosco, Pearse and Liam, John and Margaret, Charlotte, Jim
Cold feet hopping to and fro across the lino floor
I was the second youngest and my name is Richard Moore
The games we playеd as kids we made up from the things wе saw
Like civil rights protestors being beaten by the law
'One man, one vote' was written by the road and down we went
I read that sign a thousand times not knowing what it meant
My Uncle Gerard left his house wearing his Sunday suit
He died with both his hands held up, his last words were 'don't shoot'
The TV showed the world what we saw outside our front door
It smelled just like and felt just like and looked like a war
That day was like another day, we raced out of the school
I ran home with me mates, it was a sunny afternoon
I saw the terraced houses down along the football field
Not thinking they would be the last thing I would ever see
They said that we were hooligans, they said a stone was thrown
But we were just a bunch of kids and we were running home
We passed an army sangar in the shadow of the sun
In the shadow was a soldier and the soldier fired a gun
It was weeks before I really knew the damage done to me
When they take the bandage off I thought I'd be able to see
When the surgeon told my Daddy that he couldn't save my eyes
My Daddy asked him calmly "well then, can I give him mine?"
For Daddy was a strong man and he kept it all inside
One night he broke down in the street and wept just like a child
When she thought that I was sleeping, Mammy crept beside my bed
"He's only 10 years old, please God, o let him see" she said
Maybe it's just who I am or 'cause I was so young
But I was never angry 'bout the thing that had been done
Anger's like lighting a fire and burning your house down
It's like jumping in the river thinking someone else will drown
It's like being stuck in Derry Gaol and when your time is done
You realise that the prison door was open all along
But I was only 10 and I had all my life to live
From the moment I was blinded I was ready to forgive
So I grew up to be a man, bathed in my family's love
I used my compensation fund and bought myself a pub
I met Rita, fell in love, we married, had two girls
I taught myself to play guitar, I rocked over the world
I knew I was a lucky man, and there were many kids
Who never had a home or hope or future like I did
So I sold the pubs and changed my song and sang it loud and clear
All the way to Ethiopia and Tanzania
That day was like another day, I sat on my own
I ran my fingers through my hair, I switched off my phone
I picked up my tea cup and then I put it down
I heard footsteps behind me and I turned my face around
I thought about two rivers running silently apart
I had my parents' picture in the pocket near my heart
I could see the terraced houses still waiting in a line
His hand came from the shadow and I gathered it in mine
This is just my story and it may be hard to hear
That I forgive the man who caused all my parents' tears
But I did not do it for him, nor for him to see
Forgiveness was the gift that came and gave itself to me
Though the truth can be relentless and you think your heart won't mend
And it's like the world is ending all over again
Though the bullet's flying still somewhere high above
May you find forgiveness deep down in the depths of love
My Daddy was a shoemaker, he sweated and he toiled
Me Mammy was an anchor, I can't list the things she did
You have to be an anchor when you have so many kids
There was Kevin, Gregory, Martin, Lily, Deirdre, Noel, and then
There was Bosco, Pearse and Liam, John and Margaret, Charlotte, Jim
Cold feet hopping to and fro across the lino floor
I was the second youngest and my name is Richard Moore
The games we playеd as kids we made up from the things wе saw
Like civil rights protestors being beaten by the law
'One man, one vote' was written by the road and down we went
I read that sign a thousand times not knowing what it meant
My Uncle Gerard left his house wearing his Sunday suit
He died with both his hands held up, his last words were 'don't shoot'
The TV showed the world what we saw outside our front door
It smelled just like and felt just like and looked like a war
That day was like another day, we raced out of the school
I ran home with me mates, it was a sunny afternoon
I saw the terraced houses down along the football field
Not thinking they would be the last thing I would ever see
They said that we were hooligans, they said a stone was thrown
But we were just a bunch of kids and we were running home
We passed an army sangar in the shadow of the sun
In the shadow was a soldier and the soldier fired a gun
It was weeks before I really knew the damage done to me
When they take the bandage off I thought I'd be able to see
When the surgeon told my Daddy that he couldn't save my eyes
My Daddy asked him calmly "well then, can I give him mine?"
For Daddy was a strong man and he kept it all inside
One night he broke down in the street and wept just like a child
When she thought that I was sleeping, Mammy crept beside my bed
"He's only 10 years old, please God, o let him see" she said
Maybe it's just who I am or 'cause I was so young
But I was never angry 'bout the thing that had been done
Anger's like lighting a fire and burning your house down
It's like jumping in the river thinking someone else will drown
It's like being stuck in Derry Gaol and when your time is done
You realise that the prison door was open all along
But I was only 10 and I had all my life to live
From the moment I was blinded I was ready to forgive
So I grew up to be a man, bathed in my family's love
I used my compensation fund and bought myself a pub
I met Rita, fell in love, we married, had two girls
I taught myself to play guitar, I rocked over the world
I knew I was a lucky man, and there were many kids
Who never had a home or hope or future like I did
So I sold the pubs and changed my song and sang it loud and clear
All the way to Ethiopia and Tanzania
That day was like another day, I sat on my own
I ran my fingers through my hair, I switched off my phone
I picked up my tea cup and then I put it down
I heard footsteps behind me and I turned my face around
I thought about two rivers running silently apart
I had my parents' picture in the pocket near my heart
I could see the terraced houses still waiting in a line
His hand came from the shadow and I gathered it in mine
This is just my story and it may be hard to hear
That I forgive the man who caused all my parents' tears
But I did not do it for him, nor for him to see
Forgiveness was the gift that came and gave itself to me
Though the truth can be relentless and you think your heart won't mend
And it's like the world is ending all over again
Though the bullet's flying still somewhere high above
May you find forgiveness deep down in the depths of love
envoyé par Dq82 - 21/8/2024 - 11:58
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tiny notes
Richard Moore grew up in Derry, Northern Ireland. He described his childhood as growing up in a war zone. When he was 10 years old in 1972 he was hit by a rubber bullet on his way home from school. He was blinded for life. With the help of his devoted family and community he rebuilt his life and went on to found Children in Crossfire, a charity which has for 30 years helped vulnerable young people in developing nations. In 2007 he found, befriended and forgave the soldier who fired the bullet. The Dalai Lama wrote ‘I preach forgiveness, Richard Moore lives it.’
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