A Country Denied
Rome Lyrics


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O, you; my lowland brother
What did we really know of each other?
For they had seen to it that we were kept apart.

O, you; my lowland brother
When did we lose each other?
For you were but a boy with the freedom of falcons in his heart.
When did we know we were on the wrong side?
That this war had always been just a matter of pride?
When did we notice the one with land we love?
You'll cry within your heaven above

This is no time for amnesia;
And what glue would hold us together now,
If not the soil of Rhodesia?

Rhodesia still lies in all the slain wild beasts,
And the wind of the cotton land still in their lungs
And their sightless eyes of a honeydew sun

Now we're sleeping in circles, on the stones of silverstream
Under nectar-weeping trees
Through blood-curdling screams

This call for the great divide
It felt like an end to pride
A country dead before the seizure;
A country denied --
Rhodesia.

Rhodesia still lies in all the slain wild beasts,
And in the wind of the cotton land still in their lungs
And their sightless eyes of a honeydew sun

Now we're sleeping in circles, on the stones of silverstream
Under nectar-weeping trees;
Through blood-curdling screams

This call for the great divide
It felt like an end to pride




A country dead before the seizure;
A country denied.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Rome's song "A Country Denied" are a powerful exploration of the painful division and ultimate downfall of Rhodesia, a former British colony in Southern Africa that sought to maintain white minority rule in the face of opposition from black nationalists. The song is addressed to a "lowland brother," a white Rhodesian, and reflects on the profound and tragic ways in which the white and black populations of the country were kept apart and ultimately came into conflict with each other.


The first verse sets the stage for the sense of estrangement and loss that permeates the song. The singer asks, "What did we really know of each other?" and laments the fact that they were "kept apart" by forces beyond their control. The mention of the "freedom of falcons" in the brother's heart suggests a sense of youthful vigor and passion that may have been lost in the course of the conflict.


The second verse moves towards a more explicit critique of the Rhodesian government's policies, asking when the singer and his brother realized that they were on "the wrong side" of the conflict. The line "this war had always been just a matter of pride" suggests that the conflict was driven more by ideology and politics than by any rational calculation of the costs and benefits of the struggle. The mention of the "land we love" underscores the deep attachment that both sides had to Rhodesia, and the final line - "You'll cry within your heaven above" - suggests a sense of profound regret for the violence and destruction that the conflict wrought.


The chorus of the song emphasizes the enduring legacy of Rhodesia, with its slain wild beasts and its nectar-weeping trees. Despite the fact that the country is "dead before the seizure" and "denied" to its former inhabitants, its memory lives on in the very soil and landscape that once sustained it. The final lines of the song, with their repetition of the chorus and their haunting melody, drive home the sense of loss and tragedy that lies at the heart of Rome's powerful and insightful lyrics.


Line by Line Meaning

O, you; my lowland brother
Addressing someone close as family but questioning how much they truly know about each other due to circumstances beyond their control


What did we really know of each other?
Did we ever have the chance to really understand each other?


For they had seen to it that we were kept apart.
External forces kept us divided and prevented us from building a connection


When did we lose each other?
When did the divide between us grow too great?


For you were but a boy with the freedom of falcons in his heart.
You were once carefree and full of hope, unburdened by the weight of the world we live in now


When did we know we were on the wrong side?
When did we realize that we were fighting for the wrong cause?


That this war had always been just a matter of pride?
This conflict was fueled by egos and misguided notions of superiority


When did we notice the one with land we love?
When did we begin to truly appreciate the beauty and significance of our homeland?


You'll cry within your heaven above
We will mourn the loss of what we once had and what we could have been, from a place beyond this earthly realm


This is no time for amnesia;
We cannot afford to forget our past and the mistakes we've made


And what glue would hold us together now,
What could unite us in our current state of division?


If not the soil of Rhodesia?
The land that we call home and that runs through our veins is our only hope for unification


Rhodesia still lies in all the slain wild beasts,
The spirit of Rhodesia can be found in every animal that has perished on its soil


And the wind of the cotton land still in their lungs
The very essence of the country is alive in every breath taken by those who have passed away there


And their sightless eyes of a honeydew sun
Even in death, the beauty of the land can be seen in the color of the eyes of those who have departed


Now we're sleeping in circles, on the stones of silverstream
We are stuck in a cycle of unrest and unresolved conflict, our rest disturbed by the sound of running water from the nearby stream


Under nectar-weeping trees
The trees themselves seem to mourn our state of affairs, crying like nectar drops


Through blood-curdling screams
The sound of our suffering and pain echoes through the very air we breathe


This call for the great divide
The push for division and separation has gained momentum


It felt like an end to pride
Our sense of self-importance and arrogance has been replaced with a feeling of desperation and defeat


A country dead before the seizure;
Our land and identity were taken from us even before the official seizure took place


A country denied --
Our fate was predetermined, and we were never given a fair chance to succeed




Contributed by Jacob M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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