An anti-war protest song against the British colonial wars in Ceylon ( Shri Lanka ) at the end of the 18th century. Sung by British opera singer Benjamin Luxon accompanied by American folk singer Bill Crofut on the banjo. e song is a monologue by an Irish woman who meets her former lover on the road to Athy, which is in County Kildare, Ireland. After their illegitimate child was born, the lover ran away and became a soldier. He was badly disfigured, losing his legs, his arms, his eyes and, in some versions, his nose, in fighting on the island of “Sulloon”, or Ceylon (now known as Sri Lank), and will have to be put in (or, in some versions, with) a bowl to beg. In spite of all this, the woman says, she is happy to see him and will keep him on as her beau.
While goin’ the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo
While goin’ the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo
While goin’ the road to sweet Athy
A stick in me hand and a tear in me eye
A doleful damsel I heard cry,
Johnny I hardly knew ye.
Chorus:
With your drums and guns and guns and drums, hurroo, hurroo
With your drums and guns and guns and drums, hurroo, hurroo
With your drums and guns and guns and drums
The enemy nearly slew ye
Oh my darling dear, Ye look so queer
Johnny I hardly knew ye.
Where are the eyes that looked so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the eyes that looked so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the eyes that looked so mild
When my poor heart you first beguiled
Why did ye scadaddle from me and the child
Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye.
(Chorus)
Where are your legs that used to run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are your legs that used to run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are your legs that used to run
When you went to carry a gun
Indeed your dancing days are done
Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye.
(Chorus)
I’m happy for to see ye home, hurroo, hurroo
I’m happy for to see ye home, hurroo, hurroo
I’m happy for to see ye home
All from the island of Ceylon
So low in the flesh, so high in the bone
Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye.
(Chorus)
Ye haven’t an arm, ye haven’t a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven’t an arm, ye haven’t a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven’t an arm, ye haven’t a leg
Ye’re an armless, boneless, chickenless egg
Ye’ll have to be put with a bowl out to beg
Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye.
(Chorus)
They’re rolling out the guns again, hurroo, hurroo
They’re rolling out the guns again, hurroo, hurroo They’re rolling out the guns again But they never will take my sons again No they’ll never take my sons again Johnny I’m swearing to ye.
St. Casimirdied at the age of 23 in 1484 from lung disease. He was buried with his favorite song, a Latin hymn to Mary called “Omni die dic Mariae” which we know as “Daily, Daily Sing to Mary.” Because of his love for the song, it is known as the Hymn of St. Casimir though he didn’t write it.
A copy of this hymn by Bernard of Cluny was found beneath the right temple of St. Casimir’s incorrupt body when his grave was opened.
Prayer:
Daily, daily sing to Mary, Sing, my soul, her praises due: All her feasts, her actions honor With the heart’s devotion true.
Lost in wond’ring contemplation, Be her majesty confessed: Call her Mother, call her Virgin, Happy Mother, Virgin blest.
2 She is mighty in her pleading, Tender in her loving care; Ever watchful, understanding, All our sorrows she will share.
Advocate and loving mother, Mediatrix of all grace: Heaven’s blessings she dispenses On our sinful human race.
3 All our graces flow through Mary; All then join her praise to sing: Fairest work of all creation, Mother of creation’s King.
Sing in songs of peace unending, Call upon her lovingly: Seat of wisdom, Gate of heaven, Morning star upon the sea.
Blessed Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 1179), also known as Saint Hildegard, and Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, visionary, and polymath.
“Angels, living light most glorious!
Beneath the Godhead in burning desire
in the darkness and mystery of creation
you look on the eye of your God
never taking your fill:
What glorious pleasures take shape within you!
Pierre Corneille, inspired by the account ofSaint Polyeuctus’ martyrdom, used elements from the saint’s story in his tragedy Polyeucte (1642). In 1878 it was adapted intoan opera by Charles Gounod, with the assistance of the librettist Jules Barbier. Other works based on the play include a ballet by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1679), and the opera Poliuto (1838) by Donizetti (adapted with Scribe as Les martyrs). Paul Dukas composed his Polyeucte overture, which premiered in January 1892.
from Wikipedia
Above: Léon Escalais sings ” Source dèlicieuse” from Polyeucte by Charles Gounod
with piano recorded in 1906.
Below:
Auteur : Paul Dukas (1865-1935)
Titre : Polyeucte, ouverture pour la tragédie de Corneille (1891)
Interprètes : Roberto Benzi ; Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine
Album : The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Année : 1987
——————-
Polyeucte, Overture to Corneille’s tragedy. Polyeucte is an overture composed by Paul Dukas in 1891 for the tragedy of the same name by Pierre Corneille. Dukas made his public debut with the first performance of this overture on January 23 1892 at the Concerts Lamoureux.
I been standin’ on the rock, waitin’ for the wind to blow
I been standin’ on the rock, waitin’ for the wind to blow
I been standin’ on the rock, waitin’ for my seeds to grow
I been walkin’ on the ground, waitin’ for the guns to quit
I been walkin’ on the ground, waitin’ for the guns to quit
I been walkin’ on the ground, waitin’ for the pieces to fit
better get back to the country, look around and find you a home
better get back to the country, look around and find you a home
better get back to the country, that’s where we all come from
I been standin’ on the rock, waitin’ for the wind to blow
I been standin’ on the rock, waitin’ for the wind to blow
I been standin’ on the rock, waitin’ for my seeds to grow (whew!)
I been standin’ on the rock, waitin’ for my seeds to grow
I been standin’ on the rock, waitin’ for my seeds to grow
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils’ debut album.
Release date: December 1973
Compact Disc Release circa 1993
Origin: Springfield, MO
Record label: A&M Records
Members: Mike Granda, Dave Painter, Ron Gremp, Nick Sible, Bill Jones, Kelly Brown, Steve Cash, Randle Chowning, John Dillon, Rune Walle, Ruell Chappell, Larry Lee
The metal band Skinny Puppy has billed the Department of “Justice” for using their songs to torture prisoners.
“‘We thought we would invoice them properly, so we hit them with the evil numbers of $666,000,’ Keyboardist CeVin Key said during a phone call from New Orleans. ‘We gave them a breakdown of the bill.’
According to a guard, who is writing a book about his Guantanamo experience, guards used Skinny Puppy songs on four occasions. ‘The funny thing is that one of those songs was used on a bootleg,’ Key said. ‘What really bothers us is that they played our songs at an intolerable volume for hours on end. The guards would ridicule the detainees when they defecated or urinated themselves. How can there be a torture camp there? It’s wrong. We’ve found out all about this over a year ago and it just ticked us off.'”
2297Kidnapping and hostage taking bring on a reign of terror; by means of threats they subject their victims to intolerable pressures. They are morally wrong. Terrorism threatens, wounds, and kills indiscriminately; it is gravely against justice and charity. Torture which uses physical or moral violence to extract confessions, punish the guilty, frighten opponents, or satisfy hatred is contrary to respect for the person and for human dignity. Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law.91
2298 In times past, cruel practices were commonly used by legitimate governments to maintain law and order, often without protest from the Pastors of the Church, who themselves adopted in their own tribunals the prescriptions of Roman law concerning torture. Regrettable as these facts are, the Church always taught the duty of clemency and mercy. She forbade clerics to shed blood. In recent times it has become evident that these cruel practices were neither necessary for public order, nor in conformity with the legitimate rights of the human person. On the contrary, these practices led to ones even more degrading. It is necessary to work for their abolition. We must pray for the victims and their tormentors.
Skinny Puppy’s album The Weapon, released in 2013, was inspired by their experience with the DoJ. This video is disturbing, but no more disturbing than what the government is doing in our name. Kind of sad when heavy metal bands are doing more to call out evildoers and evildoing than the Christian Churches.
