Mick Hanly
I was lured by the rockin horse, sweets and the búl-a-bos, 50 wild boys to a room
Sing lámh lámh eile the dish ran away with the spoon
Black shoes and stockings for those who say don’t Blue is the colour outside
God made the world, and the snake tempted Eve and she died
Wild Christian Brothers sharpening their leathers, learn it by heart that’s the rule
All I remember is dreading September and school
And they made me, for better or worse
The fool that I am or the wise man I’ll be
And they gave me their blessings and curse
It wasn’t their fault it was me, the one that you see
The priest in confession condemns my obsession with thoughts that I didn’t invite
I mumble and stutter he slams down the shutter, goodnight
Stainless as steel you know how I feel someone shoot me while my soul is clean
I don’t think I’ll last, my vow to abstain is obscene
Arch-Confraternity men to the fight raise up your banners on high
Searching for grace securing my place when I die
And they made me, for better or worse
The fool that I am or the wise man I’ll be
And they gave me their blessings and curse
It wasn’t their fault it was me, the one that you see
God kept a very close eye on me
All round my bed in the darkness he spied on me
Caught me in the long grass so often he died for me
Ballrooms of Romance in Salthill and Mallow I stood like John Wayne by the wall
Lined up like cattle we wait to do battle and fall
You can’t wine and dine her in an old Morris Minor but ask her before it’s too late
I danced on her toes, accepted rejection as my fate
Drink was my saviour it made me much braver but I couldn’t hold it too well
Threw up on the coach, it ruined my approach when I fell
And they made me, for better or worse
The fool that I am or the wise man I’ll be
And they gave me their blessings and curse
It wasn’t their fault it was me, the one that you see
God kept a very close eye on me
God He kept a very close eye on me
God She kept a very close eye on me
Previously recorded with Moving Hearts in 1981, Mick Hanly’s opening verse brings me right back to my first day in infant school (Sept 1949). Sister Philomena sought to comfort us with Honey Bees. Sister Rose lurked in the background. Those Brides of Jesus were primed to prepare us for the 15 years of doctrine and programming that were to follow. Patrician Brothers and Dominican Priests continued the process, some with decency and kindness, others with violence and frustrated intolerance. Some of us slipped the net, others took the cloth, some lived on blissfully, a few unfortunates took the high jump or made for the river. Mick well describes elements of our early lives as we grew up in a culture that was tightly controlled by the power from Rome. Over the past 10 years Jim Higgins repeatedly called for this song at sound checks. It began to drift back into the set list. He remembers seeing the sleeve of the 1981 Moving Hearts single in his father’s record store (Music City, Shop St. Galway). And still they keep on ringing the bell.