Lyrics

I did it for my country
And for my family
I stood my ground against the crown
For Eire united and free
I know the cost of freedom
I've paid the price of war
I've fought and bled, left others dead
To even out the score

Memories and history
Charge through me like a flood
Struggles lost and won were all
Meted out with blood
I stood upon the shoulders
Of MacCool, O'Neill and Pearce
Living life in the Troubles
As they lived life in theirs

Chorus:
My heart is still a harbor
Of the wilderness of war
There's safety in the shadows
Of how I lived before
I never questioned orders
Or asked the reasons why
I justified the truth I made
I justified a lie

Cease-fire on the evening news
And I think that time will show
There's more than peace that matters
When you're living on the dole
Where dreams they come, the nightmares
Of glory and of shame
Of course and means and comrades
Devoured by the flame

Though they struggle round me
Surrounded by a storm
Of those who've gone before me
And those who'll carry on
It was all so clear for moments
Before the rain set in
A drowning man, a patriot
Is it honor or is it sin