Christy Moore started in the music business in the mid-sixties, when his life as a bank clerk was interrupted by a bank strike, and he moved to England. There he became involved in the folk music scene at the time, and spent a few years playing pubs and clubs around the country.
His return to Ireland was marked by the album 'Prosperous', which proved to be a milestone in the rapprochement of Irish music to the popular mainstream. This album benefited from a collaboration of the leading talents of contemporary folk music, musicians such as Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny and Liam O'Flynn, and this one-off was to lead to the formation of Planxty, a band who were soon to be at the leading edge of the revival of Irish traditional music.
Over the following years the musical status of Planxty became legendary both in Ireland, Britain and throughout Europe. However in 1974 the band split up to pursue solo projects. It was during this period that Christy continued to explore new ground as a solo artist recording a number of solo albums including 'The Iron Behind the Velvet' (TARACD2002) which featured Andy Irvine and 'Live in Dublin' (TARACD2005) with Donal Lunny.
The original Planxty lineup of Christy, Andy, Liam and Donal then reformed in 1979. They recorded two further albums with Tara Records 'After the Break' (TARACD3001) and 'The Woman I Loved So Well' (TARACD3005). There were several additions and changes to their lineup most notably the addition of Matt Molloy, flautist from The Bothy Band, who later joined The Chieftains, and Bill Whelan.
In 1981 Planxty performed a Bill Whelan arrangement called 'Timedance' as the intermission piece for the Eurovision song contest, held that year in Ireland. Later it was released as a single and is now included on Bill's CD of 'The Seville Suite' (TARACD3030) released by Tara in 1992.
In the eighties Christy again teamed up with Donal Lunny to form Moving Hearts, another ambitious and innovative Irish band which sought to mix jazz into the folk-rock fusion. Ever the wanderer, Christy was soon breaking out on his own again, and it was in the eighties that he began to establish himself as one of Ireland's leading solo artists with a string of acclaimed albums and high profile tours.
In the mid-nineties Christy decided to take a break from the music for a few years. In the year 2000 Christy return to live performances with a series of Dublin concerts. Over the last few years he has released a number of solo projects including a television series, a live album and a 6 CD boxset.
All for the Roses
Christy Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's time to try the other side,
The B&I to paradise,
To sergeants and their men.
He's never been to Dun Na Ri,
Combed the beaches after three,
Chips and beer and greenery,
He signed and took the soldiers crest,
A decent man in battle dress,
When bugles blow you do your best,
For sergeants and their men.
All for the roses, over the sea.
He's way ahead; he's second to none,
With his fabrique nationali gun,
Marching bands with Saxon blood,
Sergeants and their men.
They landed with the sinking sun,
An invasion by the media run,
They covered up and they kissed with tongues,
Sergeants and their men.
But the phantom gunner danced the end,
And battered human bodies bled,
They butchered us, we butchered them,
Sergeants and their men.
All for the roses, over the sea,
All for the roses, Finglas boys to be.
Now a flower of sleep grows on his grave,
Forgotten soon the cowards and the brave,
But the coldest hate still lives today,
For sergeants and their men.
All for the roses, over the sea,
All for the roses, Finglas boys to be.
"All for the Roses" by Christy Moore is a deeply political and reflective song about a soldier who signs up to fight for his country, only to realize the harsh reality of war. The song begins by introducing us to a 25-year-old soldier who is disillusioned with his life and decides to join the army. He is eager to see the world beyond his hometown and is excited about the prospect of adventure. He enlists in the army, thinking that he will be fighting for a noble cause and serving his country. However, as he embarks on his journey, he realizes that the reality of war is far from what he had imagined. The soldier is then ordered to fight in a war that he does not believe in, and he finds himself among the chaos and bloodshed.
The song then delves into the betrayal of soldiers who are used as nothing more than pawns in a larger political game. The soldiers, who are simply following orders, are made to feel like they are fighting for a greater cause. However, as the song suggests, the war is just a game being played by the media and those in positions of power. The song paints a grim picture of war, where young soldiers are forced to become murderers and victims of a system that does not care about them.
The song ends with a poignant reminder of the futility of war, as the singer is forgotten, and all that is left is a simple flower growing on his grave. The song serves as a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by soldiers and the political games that are often played at their expense.
Line by Line Meaning
He's twenty-five; he's sick and tired,
At the age of twenty-five, he grew frustrated with his current state of being.
It's time to try the other side,
He believed it was time to explore a different way of life.
The B&I to paradise,
The boat ride on the B&I ferry to Dun Na Ri, which was considered a paradise to him.
To sergeants and their men.
To the sergeants and soldiers who rule the land he intended to go to.
He's never been to Dun Na Ri,
He has never been to Dun Na Ri before.
Combed the beaches after three,
He never had the experience of wandering the beaches of Dun Na Ri at 3 AM.
Chips and beer and greenery,
He never enjoyed the ambiance of a scenic environment, along with beer and a delicious serving of chips.
Brothers one and all.
Everyone was a brother irrespective of their backgrounds or beliefs.
He signed and took the soldiers crest,
He enlisted in the military and received the soldier's badge with his name on it.
A decent man in battle dress,
He was a well-mannered person who followed strict military attire regulations.
When bugles blow you do your best,
Whenever the bugles sound, you must give your best performance.
For sergeants and their men.
He did it all for the sergeants and their soldiers.
All for the roses, over the sea.
He did everything for the love of his country, and even crossed the ocean for it.
He's way ahead; he's second to none,
He was the best of the best, and he stood out from his peers.
With his fabrique nationali gun,
He had the best possible weapon, a Fabrique Nationale rifle.
Marching bands with Saxon blood,
There were marching bands that were part of the entirety of the war, and some had Saxon ancestry.
Sergeants and their men.
The sergeants and their soldiers once again played a significant role in this line.
They landed with the sinking sun,
The forces arrived near the end of the day when the sun was on its way down.
An invasion by the media run,
The entire assault was broadcast by the media present there.
They covered up and they kissed with tongues,
Couples engaged in full-on, tongue-in-mouth kissing as a diversion from the war.
Sergeants and their men.
The sergeants and soldiers once again played a significant role in this line.
But the phantom gunner danced the end,
The ghostly gunner showed up near the end of the battle, battling alongside the forces.
And battered human bodies bled,
The battle was so vigorous that the Human bodies suffered massive wounds and bled profusely.
They butchered us, we butchered them,
Both sides suffered losses, causing a massive massacre on either side.
Sergeants and their men.
The sergeants and soldiers, the epitome of patriotism, once again played a significant role in this line.
Now a flower of sleep grows on his grave,
A symbol of peace, the lines denote sleep as a state of harmony after death.
Forgotten soon the cowards and the brave,
The people, both courageous and cowardly, shall soon fade away from memory.
But the coldest hate still lives today,
The hate for such wars still exists in our hearts, and it continues to be a significant issue even today.
For sergeants and their men.
Once again, the love/hate for the sergeants and soldiers played an integral role in the line.
All for the roses, over the sea,
Through tribulation and sacrifice, all was done for the love of their country.
All for the roses, Finglas boys to be.
All were fighting for the love of their country, and the boys from Finglas were leading the way.
Contributed by Caden M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dr Francis Teeney
Sheer poetry for the soul