After hearing this song on BBC Radio Ulster, sung by Kathryn Duncan (I think) I decided
to learn it on guitar. The version of the song I downloaded was The Sands Family - There
Were Roses, a live recording from 1988. This work below is tabbed to be played with that
uses "Bm" for parts of the song, however when I was tabbing out the live version I have,
I found that "Bm" didn't work.
base to work from for my own tab for the live version.
It's pretty accurate, however I think that the end of each verse when it ends with G,
should have another note played. What that note is however I'm not sure. Please send
any corrections to eekeekeek@hotmail.co.uk.
Standard tuning (or in my case, slightly flat of standard), with a capo on the second fret.
my song for you this evening
It's not to make you sad
nor for adding to the sorrows
of this troubled northern land
but lately I been thinking
and it just won't leave my mind
to tell you of two friends one time
who were both good friends of mine
alan bell from benagh
he lived just across the fields
a great man for the music
and the dancing and the reels
o'malley came from south armagh
to court young alice fair
and we'd often meet on the ryan road
and laughter filled the air
there were roses, roses, there were roses
and the tears of the people ran together
alan he was protestant
and sean was catholic born
it never made a difference
for the friendship it was strong
and sometimes in the evening
when we heard the sound of the drums
we said it won't divide us
we will always be the ones
for the ground our fathers ploughed in
well the soil is just the same
and the places where we say our prayers
have just got different names
we talked about the friends who died
and hoped there'd be no more
it was little then that we realised
the tragedy in store
there were roses, roses, there were roses
and the tears of the people ran together
it was on the sunday morning
when the awful news came round
another killing has been done
just outside newry town
we knew that alan danced up there
we knew he liked the band
when we heard that he was dead
we just could not understand
we gathered at the graveside
on that cold and rainy day
and the minister he closed his eyes
and he prayed for no revenge
and all the ones who knew him
from along the ryan road
bowed their heads
and said a prayer
for the resting of his soul
there were roses, roses, there were roses
and the tears of the people ran together
well fear it filled the countryside
there was fear in every home
when the car of death came prowling
round the lonely ryan road
a catholic will be killed tonight
to even up the score
o christ it's young o'malley
that they've taken from the door
"alan was my friend" he cried
he begged them with his fear
but centuries of hatred
have ears that cannot hear
an eye for an eye
was all that filled their minds
and another eye for another eye
till everyone is blind
there were roses, roses, there were roses
and the tears of the people ran together
so my song for you this evening
it's not to make you sad
nor for adding to the sorrows
of this troubled northern land
but lately I been thinking
and it just won't leave my mind
to tell you of two friends one time
who were both good friends of mine
I don't know where the moral is
or where this song should end
but I wonder just how many wars
are fought between good friends
and those that give the orders
are not the ones to die
it's bell and o'malley
and the likes of you and i
there were roses, roses, there were roses
and the tears of the people ran together
there were roses, roses, there were roses