Sunday 7 June 2009

londonderry air


i owe this song to an old mate called chris ragg. chris used to live in londonderry, and i often visited him there, mainly in the year 2000. i spent some time on my own on days when chris was at work. during this time i scanned the walls and streets on both sides and enjoyed the place. it is northern ireland's second biggest city, both in size and population. it has a very interesting past and has sadly been caught up in the problems between protestants and catholics, but i wanted to portray a positive image, and i hope i achieved this. the song itself wasn't even meant to be typical of northern ireland, more a universal song on seeing and experiencing a new city and enjoying its vibrancy. i like the lines "the smiles on people's faces is a welcome sight" and "you might look like a stranger but you're not in danger."


written - march 2000

about - londonderry, northern ireland's second biggest city

lyrics -

no sky falls on me
as far as i can see
all roads seem to lead to prosperity

the bridge links the past
to the present at last
the smiles on people's faces is a welcome sight

and you might look like a stranger
but you're not in danger
walking through the fair londonderry air

all roads lead me home
an overturned traffic cone
all that's left of a terrorist war zone

and the river helps me
send myself to sleep
upon these walls they built a past unique

and you might feel you're an outcast
cos you're not in belfast
walking through the fair londonderry air

the smiles on people's faces is a welcome sight

and you might look like a stranger
but you're not in danger
walking through the fair londonderry air

acoustic version, june 2009:

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