Famine – English Lyrics

• By: Sinéad O'Connor

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw emotion and historical depth of Sinéad O'Connor's "Famine." This powerful spoken-word piece, rich with Irish history and O'Connor's unflinching perspective, offers a unique opportunity to understand the nuances of Irish-English relations and the enduring impact of colonial history. Through its direct and poetic lyrics, you can explore themes of truth, memory, and cultural identity, making it a compelling listen for anyone interested in language as a vehicle for historical and social commentary.

[English]

♪ Ah, ah, ah, ah ♪

♪ Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah ♪

♪ Okay, I want to talk about Ireland ♪

♪ Specifically, I want to talk about the "famine" ♪

♪ About the fact that there never really was one ♪

♪ There was no "famine" ♪

♪ See, Irish people were only allowed to eat potatoes ♪

♪ All of the other food, meat, fish, and vegetables ♪

♪ Were shipped out of the country ♪

♪ Under armed guard to England ♪

♪ While the Irish people starved ♪

♪ And then in the middle of all this ♪

♪ They gave us money not to teach our children Irish ♪

♪ And so we lost our history ♪

♪ And this is what I think is still hurting me ♪

♪ You see we're like a child that's been battered ♪

♪ As to drive itself out of its head because it's frightened ♪

♪ Still feels all the painful feelings ♪

♪ But they lose contact with the memory ♪

♪ And this leads to massive self-destruction ♪

♪ Alcoholism, drug addiction ♪

♪ All desperate attempts at running ♪

♪ And in its worst form becomes actual killing ♪

♪ And if there ever is gonna be healing ♪

♪ There has to be remembering and then grieving ♪

♪ So that there then can be forgiving ♪

♪ There has to be knowledge and understanding ♪

♪ All the lonely people ♪

♪ Where do they all come from ♪

♪ All the lonely people ♪

♪ Where do they all belong ♪

♪ An American army regulation ♪

♪ Says you mustn't kill more than 10% of a nation ♪

♪ Cause to do so causes permanent psychological damage ♪

♪ It's not permanent, but they didn't know that ♪

♪ Anyway, during the supposed "famine" ♪

♪ We lost a lot more than 10% of our nation ♪

♪ Through deaths on land or on ships of emigration ♪

♪ But what finally broke us is not starvation ♪

♪ No, but it's use in the controlling of our education ♪

♪ Schools go on about "Black 47" ♪

♪ On and on about the terrible "famine" ♪

♪ But what they don't say is, in truth ♪

♪ There really never was one ♪

♪ All the lonely people ♪

♪ Where do they all come from ♪

♪ All the lonely people ♪

♪ Where do the all belong ♪

♪ So, let's take a look shall we ♪

♪ The highest statistics of child abuse in the EEC ♪

♪ And we say we're a Christian country ♪

♪ But we've lost contact with our history ♪

♪ See, we used worship God as a mother ♪

♪ We're suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder ♪

♪ Look at all our old men in the pubs ♪

♪ Look at all our young people on drugs ♪

♪ We used to worship God as mother ♪

♪ Now look at what we've done to each other ♪

♪ We've even made killers of ourselves ♪

♪ The most child-like trusting people in the universe ♪

♪ And this is what's wrong with us ♪

♪ Our history books, the parent figures lied to us ♪

♪ I see the Irish, as a race, like a child ♪

♪ That got itself bashed in the face ♪

♪ And if there ever is gonna be healing ♪

♪ There has to be remembering and then grieving ♪

♪ So that there then can be forgiving ♪

♪ There has to be knowledge and understanding ♪

♪ All the lonely people ♪

♪ Where do they all come from ♪

♪ All the lonely people ♪

♪ Where do they all belong ♪

♪ Forgiveness ♪

♪ Forgiveness ♪

♪ Forgiveness ♪

♪ Forgiveness ♪

♪ Yes ♪

♪ Forgiveness ♪

♪ Forgiveness ♪

♪ Forgiveness ♪

♪ Yes ♪