"Seize The Day"
All songs copyright control. Damien Dempsey/Northside Music (p)+(c) 2000-2003.
Glossary:
Celtic Tiger - the economic boom in 1990s Ireland
Gaels - the ancient Celtics tribes that travelled from Europe to Ireland and Scotland
Na Paisti (Na Pawshtee) - The children
Diomas (jeimos) - Old Irish meaning prod, The ancient origins of the name O’Diomasaigh, O’Dempsey in English
Jar - sup, batter, drink, alcohol, sauce, gargle
Mountjoy - prison in Dublin
Holes - use your imagination
Smack - gear, skag, heroin
Yuppies - upwardly mobile types
Bag - Punch bag
Handbrake turn - favourite manoeuvre of joy riders
Industrial school - notorious reform schools run by Christian brothers
Letterfrack - Industrial School in Connemara
Daingean - Industrial School in Offaly
Poitín - Irish Spirit
Brendan Behan - legendary Irish writer
Shane MacGowan - singer and writer with The Pogues and The Popes
Luke Kelly - singer with the Dubliners
Christy Moore - singer and writer with Planxty and Moving Hearts
Lord, won't you give me the strength to be strong, and be true
Cos, Lord, when the devil gets into my head, I'm so blue
You knock me, if you're so mighty, why waste your time with me
If I'm bad, ignorant and sad
Why waste your time, you're mad
You're just mad, because your life is sad
You've done nothing worth while
Twist the knife
Because you hate your life
My life you want to spoil
I'm never going to let
Your negative vibes and comments
Get through to my psyche and cripple me
I'm never going to let
Your negative vibes and comments
Get through to my psyche and cripple me
I never will forget
The suffering that my people went through
In my country and overseas
Were no use, verbal abuse
That's all you have to give
You preach nil, you're so cynical
Jesus, wake up and live
Your bad vibe will drive away your tribe
And where will you be then
All alone
Heart as cold as stone
Hurting yourself again
Famine days, drove us here, off the land
They told us to clear, now they drive you
From the cities, to make way for all the Yuppies
They stood back, and didn’t act
Those in power should have been sacked
Decimate the inner cities, move them out, bring in the wealthy
Hey little baby I want to take you from here
Hey little baby I don't want to see you on the gear
It's so hard to find your way back
Hey little baby it's every parent's worst fear
For their child to end up on smack
There was pills, there was tabs
There was pain and needle jabs
And the ghosts overdoses
Replace the ghosts of tuberculosis
There was dust and there was liquid
You could buy for just a few quid
And escape out of the jungle
To return and crawl and stumble
Hey little baby I want to take you from here
I want to take you away from here
Hey little baby I don't want to see you on the gear
It's so hard to find your way back
Hey little baby it's every parent's worst fear
For their child to end up on smack
You lie, high, cry "please don't go"
Now I walk along these streets
All the ghosts, they walk their beats
Up to flats and into stairwells
Where they lie in heroin hell
Little kids they walk right through them
I just hope they don't become them
I am an angry man yeah, I vent it when I can, yeah
On the bag, not the skag
The negativity, yeah, pushed onto young paddy, yeah
Is a shame, whose to blame?
And when the baby cries, yeah, she has been criticised, yeah
Been put down, it's passed down
But it's all good, it's all good
All I say to you today
It's all good, sure it's all good
All I say to you today
And positivity, yeah, it is the way for me, yeah
It is truth, it is youth
They try to keep us down, yeah
They hide the high kings crown, yeah
From the Gaels, Kathleen wails
And to survive their sting, yeah
You have to be the king, yeah
Grasp the wealth of yourself
Love yourself today, ok, ok
Love yourself today, ok, ok
Factories, trains and houses, playground of my youth
The place that left me mute,
I threw back my shoulders
Factories, trains and houses,
The place that makes some strong,
And hurries you along,
Some grow old very quick there.
No star ever played the cellar bar,
Glass and bottle fights,
We saw some crazy nights,
But then fights do excite you.
I'm awoken by a...
Handbrake turn outside,
I knew lads who died,
That sound chills me inside still.
Howth Junction could take you away
And in the hayfields we'd squander the day
And from the corner of Holywell road.
See the sunset over Saint Donaghs,
See the sunset over us all,
See the sunset over Saint Donaghs.
Some boys want to get me,
Because I hit one back,
I still can here the crack,
Of his head on the concrete
Doin' drugs and drinking,
Makes you so depressed,
And then you think you're blessed,
When you're dropping a tablet.
Troubled years and fighting,
Makes you sad you know,
And Mammy had to go,
Sure it's best in the long run.
Howth Junction could take you away
And in the hayfields we'd squander the day
And from the corner of Holywell road.
See the sunset over Saint Donaghs,
See the sunset over us all,
See the sunset over Saint Donaghs,
See the sunset over the world.
You look around, you say what's up
You see another Irishman taking to the 'sup
You see that's the way, that's the way they came
You look around, you say what's up
You see another Paddy and he taking to the 'sup
You see that's the way, that's the way they came
Take me out on the jar today
We'll drink stout and we'll be okay
We might get our holes tonight
We'll get in a fight alright
Brendan Behan was a friend of mine
He loved the bars and he drink cheap wine
Get outta his mind with a lad and lass
He'd ride them both and then go to mass
Shane McGowan loves Dublin town
I drank with him once and woke up on the ground
Maybe someday we'll meet up and do 'brunch'
Some beers and a shandy too
Luke Kelly meant a lot to me
He sang from in here and then swigged his beer
If ordering pints was a crime
He'd be in Mountjoy for eternity
Christy Moore was an awful hoor
He'd drink poteen 'til the bogs were clean
He brought me great joy since I was a boy
The day he went dry the publican cried
Take me out on the jar today
We'll drink stout and we'll be okay
We might get our holes tonight
We'll get in a fight alright
Take me out on the jar today
Greedy, greedy, greedy, greedy, greedy
So greedy, greedy, greedy, greedy, greedy
Now they saw the Celtic Tiger in my home town
Brings jewels and crowns, picks you up off the ground
But the Celtic Tiger does two things
It brings you good luck or it eats you up for its supper
It’s the tale of the two cities on the shamrock shore
Please Sir can I have some more
Cos if you are poor you’ll be eaten for sure
And that’s how I know the poor have more taste than the rich
And that’s how I know the poor have more taste than the rich
Hear the Celtic Tiger roar - I want more
Hear the Celtic Tiger roar - I want more, more, more
The fastest growing inflation rate in the world,
the cost of a run down house is absurd
This isn’t any age for a low income wage
Ask anyone who’s locked in a cage
A couple with kids can’t afford a place to live
Even if they have a good job
We’re bring robbed by the builders and the fat cat government
A league of greed and they don’t even need for a thing
It’s a sin
But it’s the nature of the beast
You’d better go and find a priest and confess
Because your greed is gonna leave you soulless
Where we gonna live, what we gonna do
We’ll have to move in with the woman in the shoe
They’re driving us onto the streets
While the fat cat in government cheats, and always
gets away with his crime
A kid steals a jacket and does time
Just look at the world around you
Tell why is there so much need
Because of greed
So greedy, greedy, greedy, greedy, greedy
Flying o'r the sea,
My guitar and me.
Thirty thousand feet,
What a brilliant feat.
Go west, don't go east,
A famine or a feast.
We're treated better there,
A homeless one is rare.
I feel,
The city's lure.
The apple of my eye,
I cherish her.
Everybody's here,
From all across the earth,
Tongues and tribes galore,
There isn't any war.
New York, New York, I'm comin'
New York, New York, I'm comin'
New York, New York, I'm comin'
New York, New York, I'm comin.
I missed a day or two of school, because I was called a fool
And beat around the place, because I was staring into space
He stole a little bit of coal, because his flat was cold
There’s mountains of coal on the docks
He took some and rain into the cops
And now we’re packed off to school
Industrial school
We’ll learn the meaning of the word, meaning of the word
And now we’re locked up in school
Industrial school
We’ll learn the meaning of the word cruel
Tooralooraloo, Tooraloorali,
Tooralooraloo, Whackfoldadi,
Tooralooraloo, Tooraloorali,
Tooralooraloo, Whackfoldadi
My uncle was sent to Daingean
My Granda to Letterfrack
And the child that was locked up there
Never did come back
Some were raped and some were tortured
Some beaten and abused,
Frightened little children, so lonely and so confused
Now the Irish have their stories and their music that’s passed on
From distant generations, who were kept down for so long
But they also have the madness, child abuse and rage
Sexual frustration passed down from another age
Their language land and culture, their ancient pride was lost,
And sexual repression was what religion cost.
We have to break the cycle, cos it’s still passed down boss
We have to break the cycle before any more kids are lost
Oh the great Gaels of Ireland
And the great Gaels of Scotland
They were kept down for so long
All they wanted was freedom
Well they took ancient Greece on
And they took ancient Rome on
Yes they took all the Turks on
They were powerful for so long
They're the first kings of Europe
And their women weren't shut up
Yes their women were leaders
They won battles, gave orders
Oh the great Gaels of Ireland
And the great Gaels of Scotland
They were kept down for so long
All they wanted was freedom
Well they brought Christian teachings
To the pagans in Britain
There was great courage displayed
Look at how we were repaid
We were sold into slavery
And shipped to the West Indies
There was Irish and Scotch slaves
Staring over their huge wains
Oh the great Gaels of Ireland
And the great Gaels of Scotland
They were kept down for so long
All they wanted was freedom
Now I want you to be proud
And I want you to shout loud
"I am proud of my people
I politically rebel"
Oh the great Gaels of Ireland
And the great Gaels of Scotland
They were kept down for so long
All they wanted was freedom
Na paisti, be proud
Na paisti, be haughty
Diomás
Diomás
Diomás
Diomás
"Dempsey" is of Gaelic origin -- it's an anglicized form of "O
Diomasaigh" and "Mac Diomasaigh", meaning "descendant of Diomasach" or
"descendant of Diomasaigh". Both names are derived from the Gaelic word
"diomas", meaning "proud".
Marching down my street
Right past my own church
You beat your drums of hate
Until your hands burst
And the route you take through my neighbourhood
Is a well planned route
Baying for some blood,
Woh some blood.
You could march down your own streets,
But that’s now what you want
There’s no point in that
You need someone to taunt
And the hate they feel
Is beaten into them
From their infancy,
Drummed and drummed again
Woh again
I have many friends, who come from your background
But they see through hate and their own voice they’ve
found
Every summertime, we are under siege
Every summertime, it’s the marching season siege
Woh the siege, it’s the marching season siege
Woh the siege, the siege, the siege, the siege
Seize the day, hey, and look to Jah
Sha la
There's work to do, Tooraloo
So don't give in
'Cos some day you'll win
Seize the day, hey
Sure you don't want no regrets when you look back
Seize the day, hey
Sure at least you'll know
You gave this life a crack
Seize the day, hey
And look to Jah
Sha la
There's work to do, Tooraloo
So don't give in
Cos someday you'll win
Living every day, like it was my last
C'mon everyone,
Time, it goes so fast
All songs copyright control. Damien Dempsey/Northside Music (p)+(c) 2000-2003. | 
