I remember your eyes from the 12th of July
When the sirens were screamin' and the flames lit the sky
And you held me so tight, thought you'd never let go
'Til the bullets exploded on the pavement below
And I laid you down next to a burnt out car
Screamed out for help but you were gone too far
Still got that picture of you locked away from the start
Developing inside my fanatic heart
I went around in a daze for a couple of years
With the blood in my veins frozen over with tears
And I did anything that they asked me to do
'Cause all I could see was that picture of you
And the young ones passin' by'd say, "how's about you - real hard man"
Deep down inside I was just a castle of sand
Still had that picture of you locked away from the start
Developing inside my fanatic heart
Then they took me inside, threw me up against a wall
They put electric prods on my chest and my balls
And they told me to sign things that I knew weren't true
And in the end I did what they told me to do
Then they locked me up and threw away the key
And left me there with just your memory
Now I walk through New York like a grey silhouette
Tryin' hard to remember what I'm supposed to forget
That look in your eyes on the 12th of July
When the sirens were screamin' and the flames lit the sky
Hey I sleep with other women and I hold them through the night
'Cause all I want to do is just get on with my life
But that picture of you won't let me make a new start
It's frozen inside my fanatic heart.


Lyrics submitted by WhenFiresWhisper, edited by Syrinxe

James Connolly Lyrics as written by Laurence T Kirwan

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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James Connolly song meanings
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6 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    Connolly was a founding member of the IRA, was executed by the british at some point during the Irish Revolution in the early 1920's.

    AirCav1stOfThe9thon June 10, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Connolly was pre-IRA Ireland. He was a socialist and beloved by the Bolsheviks (more than one statue of him stood in Russia) - hence the socialist tone to the song. He led the Easter Rising in 1916 which captured the General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin. After they controled the GPO Connolly's cohort Patrick Pearse declared the Republic of Ireland - Illegally. Once the British found out about this they sent in the Army and Connolly was injured and captured. Since Connolly's wounds kept him from being able to stand, the British tied him to a chair and shot him in the head.

    The majority of Ireland saw Connolly and his group as a bunch of radicals and condemned their actions. However, once word spread about how the British had executed Connolly the population started to support the revolutionaries and the IRA emerged. The IRA, led by Michael Collins (The Big Fellah, on the Home of the Brave album) would eventually win their independance on December 6, 1921.

    barfolimewon December 07, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    You are both rigth, u 2. James Connoly was ICA leader and one of the most important men during the Easter-Rising. Patrick Pearse was IRB leader and Sean McDermott his assosiate). The GPO (General Post Office) was the headquater of the ICA during the Easter Risinng. Kilmainham jail or "Kilmainham gaol" is a famous jail in Dublin (Connoly was executed in this jail). So far my search results. Hope it'll be helpfull.

    Larry5on January 27, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    So the Irish revolution came in two parts, the cultural nationalism crowd who thought that Ireland deserved independence from Britain because it was culturally distinct--this was around the time of a huge renaissance in Irish arts what with Yeats and Lady Gregory and Synge and the Abbey Theatre and so on and so forth, all very noble and glamorous but rather an impractical thing to die for...dulce et decorum, you might say... And then there was James Connolly and co., who thought that Ireland needed independence from Britain in order to attain their broader goal for a more just, equal society, everywhere. "But don't let them wrap any green flag around me and for God's sake, don't let them bury me in some field full of harps and shamrocks, and whatever you do, don't let them make a martyr out of me--No! Rather raise the Starry Plough on high, sing a song of freedom. Here's to you, Lily, the rights of man and INTERNATIONAL REVOLUTION!"

    I mean...this is my ANTHEM. And a lesson for anyone trying to get out from under the thumb of an empire without then creating a new, still more oppressive nationalism in its place. A better flag is not reason enough for revolution (or a secession, to whom it may concern...)--a better society is. The fight goes on!

    NationalAnathemaon May 14, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Memory

    I guess I'm an optimist in that I watch mass media and still have hopes of finding something new and interesting on it. Such was the case when I watched Conan O'brien in the 90's and came across these guys. It was the first time I heard the word proletariat on television (I don't recall them uttering the words "international revolution"). Very powerful stuff. I went to my local music store the next day and picked up Fires of Freedom (thank God for independent owners, I never came across their recordings at Walmart). I have been a fan of theirs since then.

    Anglagard1on February 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    barfolimew- get ur facts straight. not all of ireland is free from british rule

    ThinkSolutionson March 09, 2010   Link

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