"Famine" lyrics
Okay, I want to talk about Ireland
Specifically, I want to talk about the famine
About the fact that there never really was one
There was no famine
See, Irish people were only allowed to eat potatoes
All the other food, meat, fish, vegetables
Were shipped out of the country under armed guard
To England while Irish people starved
And then in the middle of all this
They gave us money not to teach our children Irish
And so we lost our history
And this is what I think is still hurting me
See we're like a child that's been battered
Has to drive itself out of its head because it's frightened
Still feels all the painful feelings
But they lose contact with the memory
And this leads to massive self-destruction
Alcoholism, drug addiction
All desperate attempts at running
And in its worst form becomes actual killing
And if there is ever gonna be healing
There has to be remembering then grieving
So that there can be forgiving
There has to be knowledge and understanding
There was no famine, was no famine
There was no famine
American army regulation
Says you mustn't kill more than ten percent of a nation
'Cause to do so causes permanent psychological damage
It's not permanent, but they didn't know that
Anyway, during the supposed famine
We lost a lot more than ten percent of our nation
Through deaths on land or ships of emigration
But what finally broke us was not starvation
But its use in the controlling of our education
Schools go on about black '47
On and on about the terrible famine
But what they don't say is in the truth
There never really was one
Was no famine
There was no famine
There never really was one
England doesn't take responsibility
For destruction that it's caused
For its empire and now commonwealth
They left us uninformed
And we are lost, like the reality of our history
Like decades of land we invade
Not just killing, crushing culture
Taking away identity and heritage
Tradition and music, therefore love
Confidence and understanding about who you are
And where you're from and what you're made of
It's essential that we educate
There's blood on hands and guilt at stake, England needs a hug
It's backed itself into a corner like a scared dog
If we can learn the truth with compassion and understanding
We can move forward
And then we can learn not to pass on our trauma
And if there is ever gonna be healing
There has to be remembering then grieving
So that there can be forgiving
There has to be knowledge and understanding
And if there is ever gonna be healing
There has to be remembering then grieving
So that there can be forgiving
There has to be knowledge and understanding
There was no famine
The Big Hunger
It's not called the great famine anymore
There was nothing great about it, it's called an Gorta Mór
Which was in English translated as The Big Hunger
Specifically, I want to talk about the famine
About the fact that there never really was one
There was no famine
See, Irish people were only allowed to eat potatoes
All the other food, meat, fish, vegetables
Were shipped out of the country under armed guard
To England while Irish people starved
And then in the middle of all this
They gave us money not to teach our children Irish
And so we lost our history
And this is what I think is still hurting me
See we're like a child that's been battered
Has to drive itself out of its head because it's frightened
Still feels all the painful feelings
But they lose contact with the memory
And this leads to massive self-destruction
Alcoholism, drug addiction
All desperate attempts at running
And in its worst form becomes actual killing
And if there is ever gonna be healing
There has to be remembering then grieving
So that there can be forgiving
There has to be knowledge and understanding
There was no famine, was no famine
There was no famine
American army regulation
Says you mustn't kill more than ten percent of a nation
'Cause to do so causes permanent psychological damage
It's not permanent, but they didn't know that
Anyway, during the supposed famine
We lost a lot more than ten percent of our nation
Through deaths on land or ships of emigration
But what finally broke us was not starvation
But its use in the controlling of our education
Schools go on about black '47
On and on about the terrible famine
But what they don't say is in the truth
There never really was one
Was no famine
There was no famine
There never really was one
England doesn't take responsibility
For destruction that it's caused
For its empire and now commonwealth
They left us uninformed
And we are lost, like the reality of our history
Like decades of land we invade
Not just killing, crushing culture
Taking away identity and heritage
Tradition and music, therefore love
Confidence and understanding about who you are
And where you're from and what you're made of
It's essential that we educate
There's blood on hands and guilt at stake, England needs a hug
It's backed itself into a corner like a scared dog
If we can learn the truth with compassion and understanding
We can move forward
And then we can learn not to pass on our trauma
And if there is ever gonna be healing
There has to be remembering then grieving
So that there can be forgiving
There has to be knowledge and understanding
And if there is ever gonna be healing
There has to be remembering then grieving
So that there can be forgiving
There has to be knowledge and understanding
There was no famine
The Big Hunger
It's not called the great famine anymore
There was nothing great about it, it's called an Gorta Mór
Which was in English translated as The Big Hunger
