The Island - Paul Brady (1985)

Wreckage down on main street

After knowing this song I was never the same again. I never tire of this, it always evokes deep emotions. Paul describes with word and music the futility of violence and war in a way I never experienced before. In a line showing desperate protest and sarcasm he declares 'young boys dying in the ditches Is just what being free is all about' And still more,  'we sacrifice our children To feed the worn-out dreams of yesterday...trying to carve out tomorrow from a tomstone' The song  referred to the conflict in Ireland at the time but it easily applies to other countries where there is civil war. But best to listen and be moved. Alternate version by Dolores Keane