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Irish Son Lyrics
I was born in the heart of Dublin
To a holy book full of rules
Made get on our knees every Sunday
With the other fools
We were warped by the Christian Brothers
In the cell blocks at our schools
Get a handprint on your skin
From a glove of jewels
Go hit me now
That I'm twice your size
We brushed off the accusations
And bowed before your lies
This is the city that raised me
With the religion they gave me
Now I'm old enough to know my own mind
But it was leaving that saved me
I've seen so much that has changed me
So just break with your past
Feed your own mind
'Cause this Irish son has moved with the times
Weddings, deaths, and baptizing children
That's my debt paid to the church
I don't need that kind of salvation
When I get hurt
Don't fill my head with sermons
And force me to believe
This is the city that raised me
With the religion they gave me
Now I'm old enough to know my own mind
But it was leaving that saved me
I've seen so much that has changed me
So just break with your past
Feed your own mind
'Cause this Irish son has moved with the times
Our father who art in heaven
Come down here and make your presence known
We can't do it on our own
The lunatics let run the asylum
How can we find peace inside your home
When you can't trust your own
This is the city that raised me
With the religion they gave me
Now I'm old enough to know my own mind
But it was leaving that saved me
I've seen so much that has changed me
So just break with your past
Feed your own mind
Cos' this Irish son has moved with the times
Yes this Irish son has moved with the times
To a holy book full of rules
Made get on our knees every Sunday
With the other fools
In the cell blocks at our schools
Get a handprint on your skin
From a glove of jewels
That I'm twice your size
We brushed off the accusations
And bowed before your lies
With the religion they gave me
Now I'm old enough to know my own mind
But it was leaving that saved me
I've seen so much that has changed me
So just break with your past
Feed your own mind
'Cause this Irish son has moved with the times
That's my debt paid to the church
I don't need that kind of salvation
When I get hurt
And force me to believe
With the religion they gave me
Now I'm old enough to know my own mind
But it was leaving that saved me
I've seen so much that has changed me
So just break with your past
Feed your own mind
'Cause this Irish son has moved with the times
Come down here and make your presence known
We can't do it on our own
The lunatics let run the asylum
How can we find peace inside your home
When you can't trust your own
With the religion they gave me
Now I'm old enough to know my own mind
But it was leaving that saved me
I've seen so much that has changed me
So just break with your past
Feed your own mind
Cos' this Irish son has moved with the times
Yes this Irish son has moved with the times
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
The song is clearly about a young man's childhood in a Christian Brothers school where he suffered abuse.
He talks about how he found the Catholic doctrines restrictive with lines like "a holy book full of rules" which he felt he was forced to believe, and sees followers as narrow minded ("get on our knees every Sunday, With the other fools"). He thinks of the school as a prison, comparing the classrooms to "cell blocks", and sees the priests as domineering ("We were warped by the Christian Brothers") and hypocritical, juxtaposing the "handprint on you skin" from a beating with the jewelled glove which represents the wealthy and well dressed priests.
Now that he's older though, he is able to think for himself or "feed [his] own mind" and is encouraging others to do the same. It's not stated explicitly that he has actually given up on religion though, and the prayer that comes in at the end before the last chorus suggests that his faith has merely evolved. He still believes in God, but disapproves of Christian dogma and its ministries, asking God to remedy the situation.
"Go hit me now that I'm twice your size"
Actually nearly makes me cry