There Were Roses Tab par Tommy Sands

Tommy Sands - There Were Roses

C
my song for you this evening
     F       G       C
It's not to make you sad
                       G
nor for adding to the sorrows
         F                
of this troubled northern land
C
but lately I been thinking
        F           G       C
and it just won't leave my mind
                   G
to tell you of two friends one time
          F        
who were both good friends of mine
C
alan bell from benagh
          F        G       C
he lived just across the fields
                    G
a great man for the music
         F       
and the dancing and the reels
C
o'malley came from south armagh
    F           G     C
to court young alice fair
                            G
and we'd often meet on the ryan road
     F                    
and laughter filled the air



           F  C   F C               F C
there were roses, roses, there were roses
        C            G          F            C
and the tears of the people ran together



C
alan he was protestant
     F        G       C
and sean was catholic born
                G
it never made a difference
        F
for the friendship it was strong
C
and sometimes in the evening
          F        G            C
when we heard the sound of the drums
                 G
we said it won't divide us
         F
we will always be the ones
C
for the ground our fathers ploughed in
         F        G       C
well the soil is just the same
                        G
and the places where we say our prayers
      F
have just got different names
C
we talked about the friends who died
     F            G     C
and hoped there'd be no more
                           G
it was little then that we realised
     F               
the tragedy in store



           F  C   F C               F C
there were roses, roses, there were roses
        C            G          F            C
and the tears of the people ran together




C
it was on the sunday morning
         F      G        C
when the awful news came round
                G
another killing has been done
     F
just outside newry town
C
we knew that alan danced up there
    F       G         C
we knew he liked the band
                   G
when we heard that he was dead
         F
we just could not understand
C
we gathered at the graveside
         F       G     C
on that cold and rainy day
                     G
and the minister he closed his eyes
        F
and he prayed for no revenge
C
and all the ones who knew him
      F        G    C
from along the ryan road

bowed their heads
    G
and said a prayer
        F
for the resting of his soul



           F  C   F C               F C
there were roses, roses, there were roses
        C            G          F            C
and the tears of the people ran together



C
well fear it filled the countryside
          F       G     C
there was fear in every home
                           G
when the car of death came prowling
           F
round the lonely ryan road
C
a catholic will be killed tonight
   F    G      C
to even up the score
                    G
o christ it's young o'malley
             F
that they've taken from the door
C
"alan was my friend" he cried
   F           G        C
he begged them with his fear
                 G
but centuries of hatred
     F
have ears that cannot hear
C
an eye for an eye
     F        G           C
was all that filled their minds
                     G
and another eye for another eye
      F
till everyone is blind


           F  C   F C               F C
there were roses, roses, there were roses
        C            G          F            C
and the tears of the people ran together


C
so my song for you this evening
     F      G        C
it's not to make you sad
                      G
nor for adding to the sorrows
        F
of this troubled northern land
C
but lately I been thinking
       F          G        C
and it just won't leave my mind
                   G
to tell you of two friends one time
         F
who were both good friends of mine

C
I don't know where the moral is
   F          G           C
or where this song should end
                      G
but I wonder just how many wars
    F
are fought between good friends
C
and those that give the orders
    F       G       C
are not the ones to die
              G
it's bell and o'malley
         F
and the likes of you and i




           F  C   F C               F C
there were roses, roses, there were roses
        C            G          F            C
and the tears of the people ran together

           F  C   F C               F C
there were roses, roses, there were roses