The Mother's Kiss by Don Meixner
(words are copyrighted by: Donald R. Meixner.  Music is traditional: Tramps and Hawkers )


Don's Comments:  A mother and child were found laying in a ditch in the shade of a tree.  Cheeks sunken and hollow and lips stained green from trying to ear enough grass to sustain them.   My comment on the starvation of the Irish people.  I wrote this about 8 years ago and have sung it out only once.  Help yourselves and sing it if you like.  Just tell people where it came from and if you record it and make mint of it, send me some money too. :-)))


I met a woman along the road, a baby on her arm,
She wore a shawl to wrap them both but it could not keep them warm,
When she brought forth her bowl to beg, to feed her yet unborn,
A tale she told of the ancient cold indiference and scorn.

And green was the mother's kiss upon the babies head,
That lay upon the withered breast that mother England bled,
And the green that stains the cotton cloth will surely stain the skin,
And the green can't feed the child with out or the one that sleeps with in.

Ascended lords came to the north andtook away our lands,
With foreign steel and foreign law and foreign force of hands,
They drove us from our ancient homes in serfdoms chains once more,
And while Saxons fed on Irish bread, we starved outside the door.

What they took would have feed us both, feed us all and then,
If what were left had been cut by half, it would have feed us twice again.
But England sent our bounty south, our cattle sheep and corn,
And left what grew in blighted soil to feed the native born.

And green was the mother's kiss upon the babies head,
That lay upon the withered breast that mother England bled,
And the green that stains the cotton cloth will surely stain the skin,
And the green can't feed the child with out or the one that sleeps with in.

I pray the day will never come when famine times draw nigh,
When a father's tears fall to the ground as his children fail and die,
I pray the lord will guide us and keep us safe and warm,
And in the autumn of the year, bring forth the golden corn.