Lyr Add: New Firefighter Song...(Lorcan Otway)

Subject: Lyr Add: New Firefighter Song...
From: InOBU
Date: 13 Apr 03 - 01:00 AM

Farewell Danny Rowan
Words Lorcan Otway
Tune, Traditional The Next Market Day or good luck to the company...
All rights reserved Otway 2003


Farewell Danny Rowan, you'll be missed around here
For you know firefighting and you brought us good cheer
But New York has a mayor with a heart made of stone
For he's cutting the fire force, so farewell Danny Rowan

Like so many others, your pension to save
Your leaving the city and your fellows so brave
And the folks of this city will never forget
How you faced those burning towers, in the worst fire yet

Where was Mayor Bloomberg when you answered that call
When New York's fire fighters, even after the fall
stuck to their task with such courage unbound
Though they all lost dear friends they did not let us down

Now who can imagine such callous distain
As to force these retirements before grief could wane
For ten friends who were lost are still fresh on Dan's mind
As he packs his belongings, to leave the finest kind

But still not content that his budget is sound
The mayor is closing our firehouses down
In spite of the people who depend on them so
More like Danny Rowan, will be forced to go

So good luck, Danny Rowan, good health and good cheer
We'll remember you Danny, when sirens we hear
And I wish I could say its with fond memories
But I fear we'll be thinking of a mayor's treachery

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New Firefighter Song...
From: alanabit
Date: 13 Apr 03 - 10:11 AM

It reminds me a bit of Kipling's Barrack Room Ballad about the attitudes of people to soldiers in uniform. Can't remember what it is called.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New Firefighter Song...
From: BEK
Date: 13 Apr 03 - 10:24 AM

Damn! I didn't know about this. Lovely song----it needs to be sung loud and clear. Clearly, Bloomberg didn't lose anyone he cared about in the towers.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New Firefighter Song...
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 13 Apr 03 - 05:20 PM

The poem is "Tommy", alanabit, (and it's a song too of course, as Peter Bellamy made sure):

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o'beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:

O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mr. Atkins", when the band begins to play...

And the rest of it is here.

Bin Laden took 343 firefighters - I'd imagine the Mayor's score is probably a bit higher than that.

And over here they're hellbent on cutting back on the firefighters. They call it modernsation.

"Tell all your children to tell all their children..."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New Firefighter Song...
From: InOBU
Date: 14 Apr 03 - 11:07 PM

Well Bloomberg droped more shoes today, Five man units on firetrucks cut to four. Thanks to all you who voted for him. Larry