Lyr ADD: Last House on Our Street (Colum Sands)

Subject: "Last house in our street" sung by "Sands Family"
From:
Date: 17 Feb 98 - 08:49 AM

Looking for the song Last house in our street sung by the Sands Family / Northern Ireland

Subject: Lyr Add: LAST HOUSE IN OUR STREET (Colum Sands)
From: Wolfgang Hell
Date: 24 Feb 98 - 04:01 AM

Here it is from the Sands family album "Tell Me What You See" (a German release).

It is a sad song on a part of Belfast. The last time I have seen Belfast was in 1967. It looked quite different then. Alison has told us how different many (most?) parts of Belfast still look like compared to the prejudices nursed by TV. I believe her from what I have seen in other towns of Northern Ireland after 1967. But there are those parts of the City this song is about.

Colum Sands wrote the song after the group performed in Cyprus Street, Belfast, in 1982. He writes (not his exact words, but my retranslation from a German translation):
"We had the address where the gig was to happen, but when we arrived at the specified street, it seemed to be totally uninhabited and deserted. All windows were bricked and stared at each other like with blind eyes. We thought it was all a mistake and just wanted to drive on when we saw a little girl playing ball at the other end of the street. We asked for the address and she led us through rubble and empty houses to the hall in a backyard in which we were supposed to play. I wrote this song about the little girl playing all alone in a street, in a world, of which only few people know or want to know."

Wolfgang

THE LAST HOUSE IN OUR STREET
(Words and Music: Colum Sands)

1. The last house in our street is the one that we are living in.
Throw the ball against the wall and back to me.
All the other windows have concrete curtains.
Open up your eyes and tell me what you see.

2. The flowers in our garden are made of bricks and broken glass.
Throw the ball, etc.
And 'round the back we're growing an outside toilet.
Open up your eyes, etc.

3. Wee Albert Mooney was blinded by a petrol bomb....
The bomber said, "we're sorry, it must have been an accident." ...

4. A big rubber bullet killed little Johnny Morrisey....
A policeman fired it. It must have been an accident....

5. God made the world, and Belfast is a part of it....
Sometimes I wonder if Belfast was an accident....

6. There's a wall, so there is, between us and them, there is....
Is there anyone can tell me that they didn't help in building it? ...

7. But the eyes of the world have concrete curtains....
Would you tear down the wall? Would you open up the windows? ...
Would you open up your eyes and tell me what you see?

Repeat first verse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxMgNGyxdVI

Subject: last house on our street
From: alison
Date: 29 Apr 01 - 10:02 PM

not sure of the actual title... but it is about Belfast, and the "peace line"

the second and last lines are repeated in every verse... and if I remeber rightly are

"throw the ball against the wall......."

and

"open up the windows and tell me what you see".......

I think it has been done by Enda Kenny.. but he didn't write it.........

anyone know it?

slainte

alison

Subject: Lyr Add: THE LAST HOUSE ON OUR STREET (C Sands)
From: Sarah2
Date: 29 Apr 01 - 10:25 PM

THE LAST HOUSE ON OUR STREET
—Colum Sands

The last house on our street is the one that we are living in.
(Throw the ball against the wall and back to me.)
All the other windows have concrete curtains in.
(Open up your eyes and tell me what you see.)

The flowers in our garden are made of bricks and broken glass.
(Throw the ball against the wall and back to me.)
And 'round the back we're growing an outside toilet.
(Open up your eyes and tell me what you see.)

Wee Albert Mooney was blinded by a petrol bomb.
(Throw the ball against the wall and back to me.)
The bombers said, "We're sorry; it must have been an accident."
(Open up your eyes and tell me what you see.)

A big rubber bullet killed little Jimmy Morrisey.
(Throw the ball against the wall and back to me.)
A policeman fired it — it must have been an accident.
(Open up your eyes and tell me what you see.)

Now, God made the world, and Belfast is a part of it.
(Throw the ball against the wall and back to me.)
But sometimes I wonder if Belfast was an accident.
(Open up your eyes and tell me what you see.)

There's a wall, so there is, between us and them, there is.
(Throw the ball against the wall and back to me.)
Can anybody tell me that you no hand in building it?
(Open up your eyes and tell me what you see.)

But the eyes of the world have concrete curtains.
(Throw the ball against the wall and back to me.)
Would you tear down the wall, would you open up the windows?
(Would you open up your eyes and tell me what you see?)

(Repeat 1st verse)

****

Sarah

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: last house on our street
From: alison
Date: 29 Apr 01 - 10:27 PM

thanks Sarah.. I just did a supersearch and found an earlier thread

but thanks anyway......

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: last house on our street
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 30 Apr 01 - 05:43 PM

Also recorded by Roy Bailey on 'New Directions in the Old'. In the notes he says he was reminded of it by Enda Kenny after having heard it elsewhere, presumably from Colum himself.