Back Home in Derry The Wreck Resemblance?
Kim
A nice irishman, named Brendan Kelly, came up to me last Thursday and
said, "I have a song I think you'd like
to hear". He says , "I think you'd find it interesting, since you like
Gordon Lightfoot".
So he brings me the cd, today.
The Artist: Christy Moore, CD: Ride On, Date: 1984
The song of interest: Back Home in Derry, written by Bobby Sands, an
irish political.
The song strongly resembles, The Wreck.
Has anyone heard this song or know anything about it?
Which was written first, for example?
Found this at:
http://www.christymoore.net/lyrics/derry.html
Back Home in Derry
Provided by Alex Cormack. Updates from Colm Mc Dermott and
Damian Kieran.
Am Em
In 1803 we sailed out to sea
G D Am
Out from the sweet town of Derry
Am Em
For Australia bound if we didn't all drown
G D Am
And the marks of our fetters we carried
Am Em
In our rusty iron chains we sighed for our weans
Am Em
Our good women we left in sorrow
Am Em
As the mainsails unfurled, our curses we hurled
G D Am
On the English, and thoughts of tomorrow
CHORUS
C G Am G Am
Oh..... I wish I was back home in Derry
C G Am G Am
Oh..... I wish I was back home in Derry
At the mouth of the Foyle, bid farewell to the soil
As down below decks we were lying
O'Doherty screamed, woken out of a dream
By a vision of bold Robert dying
The sun burned cruel as we dished out the gruel
Dan O'Connor was down with a fever
Sixty rebels today bound for Botany Bay
How many will meet their reciever
CHORUS
I cursed them to hell as her bow fought the swell
Our ship danced like a moth in the firelight
White horse rode high as the devil passed by
Taking souls to Hades by twilight
Five weeks out to sea, we were now forty-three
Our comrades we buried each morning
In our own slime we were lost in a time
Of endless night without dawning
CHORUS
Van Diemen's land is a hell for a man
To live out his whole life in slavery
Where the climate is raw and the gun makes the law
Neither wind nor rain care for bravery
Twenty years have gone by, I've ended my bond
My comrades ghosts walk behind me
A rebel I came - I'm still the same
On the cold winters night you will find me
CHORUS
Bobby Sands
Thanks,
Kim
Telekidd
Fitzgerald." During the recording, one of them can be heard to say "Remember
Derry," referring to this song. On their website, the Rheostatics essentially
accuse GL of stealing the melody (or, at best, not giving credit where credit
is due) and basing "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" on it.
Unfortunately for the Rheostatics, it isn't true. The lyrics are by Bobby
Sands; every source I've checked credits the music to Gordon Lightfoot (e.g.
http://mysongbook.de/msb/songs/b/b_titel.html.)
Sands originally wrote this as a poem called "The Voyage", according to the
Bobby Sands Trust website.
Derek
>Subject: Back Home in Derry The Wreck Resemblance?
>From: myto...@earthlink.net (Kim)
>Date: 6/4/2002 7:15 PM Pacific Standard Time
>Message-id: <7fc53fdd.02060...@posting.google.com>
Ed Mullen
>This goes back to the Rheostatics, who did a cover of "The Wreck of the Edmund
>Fitzgerald." During the recording, one of them can be heard to say "Remember
>Derry," referring to this song. On their web site, the Rheostatics essentially
>accuse GL of stealing the melody (or, at best, not giving credit where credit
>is due) and basing "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" on it.
>
>Unfortunately for the Rheostatics, it isn't true. The lyrics are by Bobby
>Sands; every source I've checked credits the music to Gordon Lightfoot (e.g.
>http://mysongbook.de/msb/songs/b/b_titel.html.)
>
>Sands originally wrote this as a poem called "The Voyage", according to the
>Bobby Sands Trust web site.
>Derek
>
>
>
The Rheostatics STILL have that silly note on their web site. Let's all
send them a nice polite email (including Derek's note above) and set
them straight.
Main page - http://www.drog.com/rheostatics/start.html
The Fitz reference page - http://www.drog.com/rheostatics/bits.html
To email them - http://www.drog.com/rheostatics/write.html
And if anyone is interested, I have 3 different mp3 versions of Back
Home In Derry. Actually a very very nice song.
--
Ed Mullen
http://edmullen.net
Valerie L. Magee
some reason they have left the claim on their web site. I can only speculate as to
why, but it certainly does not make me a fan of them. It is hard to believe that it
is simply "webmaster overload" because this goes back at least three years. I don't
know if they still yell "Remember Derry" during live performances. I hope not.
I am asked about this frequently; people read it; don't remember where; don't know
it isn't true; and then pass it on. Recently, a group that performed Wreck at a
local pub repeated the story thinking it was true. Someone who heard their
performance then wrote to me and asked about it. I told them just what Derek said
here, and this GL fan went back to the pub the next week and told the people who had
repeated the story. They were horrified to have passed on something that was untrue.
So, if an e-mail campaign can get it off the Rheostatics site, it would be well
worth it.
Ed Mullen wrote:
--
Regards,
Valerie
Visit some of my web sites
... Gordon Lightfoot at http://gordonlightfoot.com
... Lightfoot Tribute Band at http://mageenet.org/LightfootTributeBand
... Michael Jerling at http://michaeljerling.com
... Artist's retreat Yaddo at http://yaddo.org
Kim
I didn't even know about that other site.
I think indeed if it's still out there, we definitely should write
them, as has been suggested.
This really upset me yesterday for about a minute, and then I knew
this couldn't even be a possibility.
I just figured that Christy Moore or Sands must have really liked the
Wreck.
I did want to know more about it however, verify the facts.
My well meaning friend did not insinuate anything negative about
Lightfoot. I think he just
thought it would be interesting for me.
He's a great guy, really!
I'll check out this website posted.
I'd still like to know more about Sands, when he wrote the song/poem
and more about the circumstances surrounding it.
If anyone has any information regarding Sands, please let me know.
Thanks,
Kim
Kim
Or write by e-mail to:
Dave Bidini
dbi...@drog.com
Martin Tielli
rad...@drog.com
Kim
Kim
Mail delivery failed: returning message to sender
rad...@drog.com
SMTP error from remote mailer after RCPT TO:<rad...@drog.com>:
host mail.xe.net [216.220.37.67]: 550 <rad...@drog.com>... User unknown
Ed Mullen
There is blessedness in being moderately annoying. ;-)
Ed Mullen
You know, Kim, I am, at this point, NEVER surprised at this. All we can
do is live and try. Or try and live.
Which, unsruprisingly to you who know me well, leads me to my favorite
quote: Don't make no sense that common sense don't make no sense no more."
Thank you John Prine.
Well, if THE INTERNET doesn't seem top work, go immideately toa search.
Ed Mullen
http://edmullen.net
EN
7fc53fdd.02060...@posting.google.com, "Kim"
<myto...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> A nice irishman, named Brendan Kelly, came up to me last Thursday and
> said, "I have a song I think you'd like
> to hear". He says , "I think you'd find it interesting, since you like
> Gordon Lightfoot".
>
> So he brings me the cd, today.
> The Artist: Christy Moore, CD: Ride On, Date: 1984
> The song of interest: Back Home in Derry, written by Bobby Sands, an
> irish political.
Out of curiosity, is Bobby Sands any relation to Tommy Sands?
-Ed N