Lyr Req: If We Had Built a Wall (Dominic Madden)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: If We Had Built a Wall (Dominic Madden)
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 28 Feb 11 - 08:15 AM

Patric Street - exlnt

L in C#

Subject: Lyr Add: IF WE HAD BUILT A WALL (Dominic Madden)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Feb 11 - 08:01 AM

IF WE HAD BUILT A WALL
Dominic Madden
As sung by Patrick Street on "Street Life" (2003)

1. Graffiti-covered concrete came crashing to the ground.
The whole world celebrated as the Berlin wall came down.
The war at last is over ending pain, torment and tears,
But here the war's been thriving for eight hundred dreadful years.

CHORUS: If we had built a wall
From Dundalk to Donegal,
A barrier we could see for fifty years,
World opinion then might frown
And this wall would tumble down
And we could sell the Germans souvenirs.

2. You cross this country east to west along the great divide.
There's nothing there to tell you you've crossed to the other side
Invisible barriers that we build are the ones that never fall.
Maybe it would be different if someone had built a wall.

3. Friends and families reunited as music rocked the town.
Pity we don't have a wall. We could just knock it down.
But the scars we have go deeper; the pain is here to last,
And we'll never build a future by looking to the past.

4. German people east and west are united once again,
But Irish people north and south, can they ever be the same
I don't know what the answer is or if there's one at all.
I wish it was as easy as just knocking down a wall.


[AllTheLyrics.com says Daithi Rua recorded this song, but it isn't mentioned at his web site.

YouTube has a video of Irish Mythen singing (it says) WE BUILT THE WALL but that obviously is the same song. Her web site doesn't mention the song under either title.

Irish Mythen's performance certainly doesn't sound like comedy.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: If We Had Built a Wall (Dominic Madden)
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 24 Feb 11 - 11:49 AM

Here a version of the complete lyrics, probably not absolutely accurate but clearly comprehensible. Political comedy, of course, by no means to be taken for face value or as a serious satire.

On Good Friday 1998, the world was touched, as in the Berlin case before. If they can do it in Northern Ireland, they can do it in Palestine as well, we thought.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: If We Had Built a Wall (Dominic Madden)
From: GUEST,guesttttt
Date: 24 Feb 11 - 08:50 AM

yep, it sounds like you're looking at the work of one Irish Mythen, I saw her in concert once, t'was fabulous, i think the song may be on youtube

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: If we had built a wall
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 21 Sep 10 - 11:11 AM

Allmusic.com, says that IF WE HAD BUILT A WALL, in a medley with THE MARCH OF TIME, was recorded by Patrick Street on their album "Street Life" (2003). The songwriting credit is given to "Burke & Foley/Madden, Dominic"—but since it is a medley it is not clear who wrote what. I did, however, listen to a couple of samples and I got these words:

If we had built a wall from Dundalk to Donegal,
A barrier we could see for fifty years.
World opinion then might frown
And this wall would tumble down,
And we could sell the Germans souvenirs.

Friends and families reunited as music rocked the town....

You cross this country east to west along the great divide.
There's nothing there to tell you you've crossed to the other side.
Invisible barriers that we build are the ones that never fall.
Maybe it would be different if someone had built a wall....


IF WE HAD BUILT A WALL is also on the various-artists album "The Irish Folk Festival '05." Allmusic doesn't identify the performers, but it appears that "Kevin Burke and Ged Foley" are mentioned on the album cover. Burke and Foley are members of Patrick Street.

I found a couple of reviews that say Dominic Madden wrote IF WE HAD BUILT A WALL.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: If we had built a wall
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Sep 10 - 09:37 PM

Irish Mythen, not sure the song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: If we had built a wall
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jun 01 - 09:04 AM

Might be from track from Goats Don't Shave!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: If we had built a wall
From: Sorcha
Date: 06 Jun 01 - 09:24 PM

refresh

Subject: If we had built a wall
From: GUEST,JB
Date: 27 May 01 - 11:33 AM

Got the words of a beautiful song from a German friend recently. The song is called I think "If we had built a wall" and refers to the troubles in Northern Ireland. The problem is that he transcribed the words from a tape and I just know they can´t be correct. Does anyone know of the song? I would love to get the correct words.

The refrain starts something like this:

If we had built a wall from Dundalk to Donegal, A --- we could see for fifty years, World opinion then might fall and this wall would tumble down, And we could sell the Germans souvenirs.

Thanks in advance.

JB