Grandfather Rogue from HOME by Lewis Barfoot

Green Serpent crawling beneath my skin
Hustling for contact, amber eyed and ready to be welcomed in
St Patrick chased her away
But this green serpent is back
Making hay on a humid afternoon

There’s a wild woman facing a wide open sea
No brick for my timber, a wide open hole in my family tree
Begging for me to slide in
Ready to release the din
Of the dirty legacy of Grandfather rogue

He dodged the taxman, pretend he was insane
Left his young to fend for themselves
As they cried their way down the lane
Nobody knows or no-one is willing to share
What happened behind those farm walls
Maybe some people don’t even care, because
He was a rogue and they want to close that episode

That episode
It’s history, My legacy
It means something to me, oh the mystery

Of why were the children sent away?
Why the Mother deemed insane?
Why did nobody did intervene?
When they heard the screams down the boreen

It’s history, My legacy
It means something to me, oh the mystery

Why was Grandma was deemed insane?
1940’s Ireland, These woman knew such pain
Had no leg to stand on
Defined by their husband’s will
No unusual story, there’s women being silenced still
Women being silenced still

Women being silenced still

• Folk
• Irish
• Singer-Songwriter
• bluesy
• celtic folk
• folk
• irish folk
• pop folk
• singer-songwriter
• Cork