Joe Mcdonnell

Oh my name is Joe McDonnell From Belfast town I came That city I will never see again For in the town of Belfast I spent many happy days And I loved that town in oh so many ways For it's there I spent my childhood And found for me a wife I then set out to make for her a life Oh but all my young ambition Met with bitterness and hate I soon found myself inside a prison gate And you dare to call me a terrorist While you look down your gun When I think of all the deeds that you have done - You have plundered many nations Divided many lands You have terrorized their people You ruled with an iron hand And you brought this reign of terror to my land Through the many months internment In the Maidstone and the Maze I thought about my land throughout those days Why my country was divided Why I was now in jail Imprisoned without crime or without trial And though I love my country I am not a bitter man I've seen cruelty and injustice at first hand And so one faithful morning I sbold freedom's hand For right or wrong I tried to free my land Then one cold October's morning I was trapped in the lion's den And I found myself in prison once again I was committed to the H-Blocks For fourteen years or more On the "blanket" the conditions they were poor Then a hunger strike we did commence For the dignity of man But it seemed to me that no one gave a damn Oh but now I am a saddened man I've watched my comrades die If only people cared or wondered why Oh may God shine on you, Bobby Sands For the courage you have shown May your glory and your fame be widely known And Francis Hughes and Ray McCreesh Who died unselfishly And Patsy O'Hara, and the next in line is me And those who lie behind me May your courage be the same And I pray to god my life was not in vain And though sad and bitter was the year of 1981 All was not lost, but it's still there to be won