Karan Casey - Bata Is Bótar (The Stick And The Road) lyrics

Ó chaitheas-sa seal i measc na bponcán Ag codailt amuigh fé chrann mo dhóchais Ag réabadh fallaí a thóg m'athair romham Idir é is an doicheall i bhfuinneog a súl (Chorus:) ‘Sea thugadar go fial dúinn a raibh acu le tabhairt Bata is bóthar is fonn abhaile ‘Sea téir abhaile go h-ifreann Is fan sa bhaile in Éirinn Is chuas ina dhiaidh sin go Londain groí Mo dhá láimh liom is mé liom féin Dá mbeinnse céad bliain ag doras Sheáin Bhuí Ní bhfaighinn bheith istigh i ngar dá chroí (Chorus) Is bhíos ag a' deireadh i ndeireadh an domhain Ag luí béal faoi ibpoll an uaignis Ag scríobadh na cré i dtrínse ró mhór A bhí chomh cúng le huaigh mo linbh (Chorus) Is bhíos-sa lá i dtír na ndall Ag iarraidh dídean ó racht na farraige Ní bhfuaireas-sa ann ach airgead ag méileach Is fliuchadh mo bhéil de mo dheora féin (Chorus) (Translation:) O I spent a time in the land of the yanks Sleeping out under the tree of my hope Tearing down walls my father had built before me Between himself and the window of suspicion of their eyes (Chorus:) Yeah they gave us generously what they had to give The stick and the road and the longing to go home Yes go home to hell And stay home in Ireland And I went after that to greater London My two hands hanging and me on my own If I was a hundred years at the door of John Bull I wouldn't get in close to his heart (Chorus) And I was in the end at the end of the world Lying face down in the pool of loneliness Scratching at the clay in a trench too wide That was as narrow as the grave of my child (Chorus) And one day I went to the land of the blind Looking for shelter from the rage of the sea All I found there was the bleating of money And the wetting of my mouth from my own tears (Chorus)