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



           G  D   G D               G D
there were roses, roses, there were roses
        D            A          G            D
and the tears of the people ran together



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



           G  D   G D               G D
there were roses, roses, there were roses
        D            A          G            D
and the tears of the people ran together




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

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



           G  D   G D               G D
there were roses, roses, there were roses
        D            A          G            D
and the tears of the people ran together



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


           G  D   G D               G D
there were roses, roses, there were roses
        D            A          G            D
and the tears of the people ran together


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

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




           G  D   G D               G D
there were roses, roses, there were roses
        D            A          G            D
and the tears of the people ran together

           G  D   G D               G D
there were roses, roses, there were roses