"Scarlet Ribbons"

   
I peeked in to say goodnight
And I heard my child in prayer
"And for me some scarlet ribbons
Scarlet ribbons for my hair"
All the stores were closed and shuttered
All the streets were dark and bare
In our town, no scarlet ribbons
Scarlet ribbons for her hair
Thru the night my heart was aching
Just before the dawn was breaking
I peeped in and on her pillow
On her pillow lying there
Lovely ribbons, scarlet ribbons
Scarlet ribbons for her hair
If I live to be a hundred
I will never know from where
Came those ribbons, scarlet ribbons
Scarlet ribbons for her hair

"Germaine"

   
I do think that women could make politics irrelevant.
By as a kind of spontaneous cooperative action,
the like of which we have never seen.
Which is so far from people's ideas of state structure
and vital social structure that seems to them like total anarchy.
And what it really is is very subtle forms of interrellation
which do not follow sort of hierachical pattern which is
fundamentally patriarchal.
The opposite to patriarchy is not matriarchy but fraternity.
And I think it's women who are going to have to
break this spiral of power
and find the trick of cooperation.

"Fire On Babylon"

   
She took my father from my life oh
Took my sister and brothers oh
I watched her torturing my child
Feeble I was then but now I'm grown
Fire on Babylon
Oh yes a change has come
Fire on Babylon
Fire
Fire
Fire
She's taken everything I liked
She's taken every lover oh
And all along she gave me lies
Just to make me think I loved her
Fire on Babylon
Oh yes a change has come
Look what she did to her son
Fire
Fire
Fire on
Life's backwards
Life's backwards
People turn around
The house is burned
The house is burned
The children are gone
Fire
Fire
Fire on Babylon
Oh yes a change has come
Fire on Babylon
Fire
Fire, oh
Fire, oh
Fire on Babylon
Oh yes a change has come
Look what she did to her son
Look what she did to her son
Fire, haha
Fire, haha
Fire
Fire
Fire, aha
Fire on Babylon
Fire on Babylon

"John I Love You"

   
John I love you
I'm ever so fond of you
Will you wait for me
'Til I am heavenly
Oh there's much work to do
But I love you
Oh you're tender
Your name's a whisper
I let tears fall like rain
Apple-sized they were
All over her
And through all of those times
When you could have died
This is what you find
There's life outside your mother's garden
There's life beyond your wildest dreams
There hasn't been any explosion
We're not spinning like Dorothy
If you look now then you'll see why
Don't be afraid to cry
This time don't let yourself fly
Child
Pick up those dancing shoes
Kick off those wedding blues
These are the ways
You can choose
Child you're tender
Your name's a whisper
There's life outside your mother's garden
There's life beyond your wildest dreams
There hasn't been any explosion
We're not spinning like Dorothy
And if you look now then you'll see why
Don't be afraid to cry
This time don't let yourself fly
Child
Pick up those dancing shoes
Kick off those wedding blues
These are the ways
You can choose
Child I love you
I'm ever so fond of you

"My Darling Child"

   
My darling child
My darling baby
My darling child
You gave life to me
My darling child
My darling baby
My darling child
You came and saved me
My darling child
My darling baby
My darling child
God gave you to me
Me little ninja
My little dancer
Me little streetfighter
Me little chancer
Me lovely boy
Me lovely babby
My pride and joy
Me little puppy
Me little wolf
Me little lamby
My favourite boy
My angel babby
Me little ninja
Me little dancer
Me little streetfighter
Me little chancer
Me love me boy
Me love me babby
My pride and joy
Me little puppy

"Am I A Human?"

   
Am I a human
It's very good
Maybe I am
It's very nice
The feelings in me
And the fire
Keeps me warm

"Red Football"

   
I'm not no red football
To be kicked around the garden
No no I'm a red christmas-tree ball
And I'm fragile
I'm not no animal
Though I am to you
I'm not no crocodile
Like the one in Dublin Zoo
Who lived in a cage
the length and breadth of his body
When a window which people would look through
And throw coins on his back to taunt him
'though he couldn't move
Even if he wanted to
I'm not no animal in the zoo
I'm not no whipping boy for you
You may not treat me like you do
I'm not no animal in the zoo
My skin is not a football for you
My head is not a football for you
My body's not a football for you
My womb is not a football for you
I'm not no animal in the zoo
This animal will jump up and eat you
I'm not no animal in the zoo
And I've every intention
Of leaping up and getting you

"All Apologies"

   
What else should I be
All apologies
What else should I say
Everyone is gay
What else could I write
I don't have the right
What else should I be
All apologies
In the sun
In the sun I feel as one
In the sun
In the sun
I'm married
Buried
Buried
I wish I was like you
Easily amused
Find my nest of salt
Everything's my fault
I'll take all the blame
Aqua sea-foam shame
Sunburn with freezer-burn
Choking on the ashes of her enemy
In the sun
In the sun I feel as one
In the sun
In the sun
I'm married
Buried
Buried
All in all is all we all are
All in all is all we all are
All in all is all we all are
All in all is all we all are
All in all is all we all are
All in all is all we all are

"A Perfect Indian"

   
A Perfect Indian is he
Remembering him life is sweet
Like a weeping willow
His face on my pillow
Comes to me still in my dreams
And there I saw a young baby
A beautiful daughter was she
A face from a painting
Red cheeks and teeth aching
Her eyes like a wild Irish sea
On a table in her yellow dress
For a photograph feigned happiness
Why in my life is that the only time
That any of you will smile at me
I'm sailing on this terrible ocean
I've come for my self to retrieve
Too long have I been feeling like Lir's children
And there's only one way to be free
He's shy and he speaks quietly
He's gentle and he seems to me
Like the elf-arrow
His face worn and harrowed
Is he a daydreamer like me
I'm sailing on this terrible ocean
I've come for my self to retrieve
Too long have I been feeling like Lir's children
And there's only one way to be free

"Scorn Not His Simplicity"

   
See the child
With the golden hair
Yet eyes that show the emptiness inside
Do we know
Can we understand just how he feels
Or have we really tried
See him now
As he stands alone
And watches children play a children's game
Simple child
He looks almost like the others
Yet they know he's not the same
Scorn not his simplicity
But rather try to love him all the more
Scorn not his simplicity
Oh no
Oh no
See him stare
Not recognizing the kind face
That only yesterday he loved
The loving face
Of a mother who can't understand
what she's been guilty of
How she cried, tears of happiness
the day the doctor told her it's a boy
Now she cries tears of helplessness
and thinks of all the things he can't enjoy
Scorn not his simplicity
But rather try to love him all the more
Scorn not his simplicity
Oh no
Oh no
Only he knows how to face the future hopefully
Surrounded by despair
He won't ask for your pity or your sympathy
But surely you should care
Scorn not his simplicity
But rather try to love him all the more
Scorn not his simplicity
Oh no
Oh no
Oh no