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Doch​á​s (Hope)

by The Crossing

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1.
2.
I did it for my country, And for my family. I stood my ground against the crown For Eire untied 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. Thought 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?
3.
Dochás 02:30
From north, south, east and west, From each people, from each land, We see love and we see hate And blood shed by a brother's hand. But there's One to give us hope, And there's One to give us rest, For the One who gave us life Is the One who loves us best. From Rwanda to Kuwait, From Beirut to Belfast town, On country roads and city streets The tears flood the quiet ground. Like the echo of a bell Far beyond the ocean's foam, You can hear the growing swell Of a people coming home. In the morn you'll see the star In the west and in the east; He'll be calling from afar All His children to the feast.
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Refugee 03:22
A letter yellowed by the years Slips from her weathered hand To the weary trail of tears We walk today. She stops to rest and gathers up The faded memories Of family and friends She'll no more see. Tracing words that speak with fire Of passion and of joy, With dusty fingers creased By wind and toil, She gently presses to her lips This chapter of her life As she walks the last time On her homeland's soil. We walk along together Towards a barren place, Past streams and bodies, fields and empty towns. Our prayers wing slow and silent Into the cloudless air; Her tired plea is for peace again. At times we cannot understand The hear of tyranny That ravages our homes And fragile dreams. The cry for mercy whispers From a land of refugees, And from the woman who is Walking next to me. We reach the distant borderland On a dark and dreamless night; She goes her unknown way As I go mine. I hope she'll find that peace Beyond the reaches of our minds While she hopes that I won't Forget this time.
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7.
Standing in the mist last night Caught by the winter rain That fell on the ghosts of the city— I felt I was home again. I could almost hear ancient melodies, The skirl, and the pibroch's pride; But they were lost in the cries of the children, And the hearts where hope has died. From the highlands to harbor towns, Barra to Culloden's plain, You are fair and wild, bittersweet, Lovely land, a land of pain. God knows you were a fighter All in your younger days; But God knows how kingdoms come and go, And how hard to rise again. But I know Someone who wants you; I know Someone who loves you, I know Someone who knows your name, Someone who knows your name. A passionate heart in each one burns, A love that's fierce and warm. Solid you stand in wind and rain As the mountains within the storm. Each of you, sons and daughters, Has a destiny In Someone who died, who rose up again, And in Him will your lives be free.
8.
I lift up my eyes and I look to the mountains, And see by their shadow I'm nothing at all. The hills tower over me black and forbidding; The tangles of forest bid me come and fall. No light may enter the caves a great fortress Their darkness defended by cavern and wall. A torrent, a flood crashes over the rocks and The thundering falls drown a voice still and small. Listen, my child, for I made these great mountains, The sky far above you, the rocks and the fall, The tangles of forest, the caves and the crags And whatever dwells in them; my hands formed them all. The shadows are emptied of threat for I'm in them As I am with you where you follow my call. So lift up your eyes and look over the mountains And walk in my shadow; I'll not let you fall.
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10.
When the sun sets over the highlands And sleeps beneath the sea, When shadows stretch o'er the lowlands And starlight fills my eye, Then the eagle seeks his eyrie, And the gray owl finds his wings, And homeward bound my weary step And the ending of the day. At the ending of the day At the ending of the day Now before the breathing fire, As the glowing embers burn, I bare my heart before you Like a rock to wind or storm. And like the stone did I stand firmly? Or did I wander soft away? Have I done all, did I please you? At the ending of the day.
11.

about

As we worked on the songs for this album, hope seemed to be the overriding theme of the material. In the book of Hebrews, the author writes, "We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul..." (Heb. 6:19). Our main hope is for each of you to have an enduring, loving relationship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

credits

released June 1, 1996

Hilde Bialach—Vocals, Cello
Jennifer Ingerson—Fiddle, Vocals
Mike Baznik—Guitar, Bouzouki, Keyboards, Upright Bass, Dulcimer, Vocals
Pat Peterson—Bodhrán, Whistle, Bones, Vocals
Tony Krogh—Vocals, Highland Pipes, Guitar, Bouzouki, Didgeridoo, Bodhrán, Whistle
Mark Hall—Flute, Harp, Vocals

Recorded and mixed at Tone Zone Studios, Chicago. Engineered and mixed by Ed Bialach. Mastered at SAC Digital Mastering, Phoenix, by Roger Seibel.

Gikas Markantonatos (highland snare drum on "Someone Who Knows Your Name" and "Mikes Reel") appears courtesy of Celtic Aire. Additional keyboards on "Psalm" by Ed Bialach.

All songs © 1996 Grrr Music/ASCAP.

Design and layout by Pat Peterson/Wheatsdesign. Atmospheric cover photos taken by Pat Peterson and Scott Ingerson at Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, Georgia.

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The Crossing Chicago

The Crossing is a talented group of musicians firmly rooted in the traditional celtic music featuring bagpipes, whistles, fiddle, cello and harp among their many instruments. They blend original songs with traditional Irish and Scottish jigs and reels as well as atmospheric ballads. With their songs they get you thinking while their instrumentals get your feet moving. ... more

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