Before The Hunger Song By Des Wade

Des is a songwriter, mainly, and he has no plans to release this himself but perhaps someone among the many followers of this site may consider it worthy of performance so I include lyrics and chords. It's about the Irish famine /great hunger of 1847 -52. The Famine Song by Johnny McEvoy is also worth a listen.



[Am]Were my [C]people youn[Em]ger before the [Am]hunger 
           
Were they[C] lighter in heart and [Am]soul

[Am]Did they[C] fly in the dance and [G]live the ro[Am]mance
               
And have[C] faith in the[G] stories of [Am]old 

How deep was the dread with so many dead
No heroes to heed their cries
From the cradle of the brave none would come to save them 
No champions would arise


CHORUS
            
There were [F]songs for the new day a-[C]dawnin’
      
And for the [G]twilight’s endless [Am]glow
 
But [F]none for the cold, empty[C] mornin’s
      
Of a [G]race without any [Am]hope


Tears and kisses and the last long embraces 
The pause at the bend in the road
For one more look at beloved faces
*Croíbhriste faoi bhrón, faoi bhrón

What can a nation do when their destiny is doom 
And their future is a holocaust
While the living must leave the misery and ruin    
To wander the workl hollowed by loss

Shattered pride – broken lives
The blight that scars us yet
To starve in ditches while our harvest riches
Went to other mouths instead

CHORUS

There were songs for babies a-borning
And laments for the laying to rest
But none for the wakes and the mournin’
And the takin’ of all that was best


Were my people younger before the hunger 
Were they lighter in heart and soul
Did they  fly in the dance and live the romance
And have faith in the stories of old 

*Translation – Brokenhearted with sorrow, with sorrow


Des Wade © 2013