When the Potatoes Did Not Grow
The dark tale of the Irish famine… republished on the site
When the potatoes from the blight they did not grow
And the leaves they wilted and turned black upon the stem
And the growing tubers beneath the earth they shriveled
Hunger awaited the people who depended on them.
To pay the rent for homes they gave away their crops
Soldiers in uniforms guarded the barns that held the grain
Ships at the docks under guard loaded their stocks
Brought wheat to lands of plenty to be sold for their gain
Help us help the people who starve, went the governments plea
As to pray for the dead tolled bells from the steeple
And when ships came with aid, they passed in the the ports
Ships laden with food exported from a land of hungry people.
Let us not forget that in those now distant days
There was food in Ireland to feed its people and more
But to pay the landlord class, by the order of the church
The food went to lands of plenty far from its shore.
May God smite the rich and the clergy of the time
Who said let their bills to the landlords must all be paid
So that if from hunger they did die they could look God in the eye
And that they were honest and pay they’re bills they could to him have said.