Hold me now, oh hold me now
Till this hour has gone around
And I’m gone on the rising tide
For to face Van Diemen’s land
It’s a bitter pill I swallow here
To be rent from one so dear
We fought for justice and not for gain
But the magistrate sent me away
Now kings will rule and the poor will toil
And tear their hands as they tear the soil
But a day will come in this dawning age
When an honest man sees an honest wage
Hold me now, oh hold me now
Till this hour has gone around
And I’m gone on the rising tide
For to face Van Dieman’s land
Still the gunman rules and Widows pay
A scarlett coat now a black beret
They thought that blood and sacrifice
Could out of death bring forth a life
This is a one of the songs that shows that in simplicity lies beauty. It´s slow in tempo, but The Edge´s voice makes it perfect. The melody is based on the old Irish song Van Diemen’s Land is the former name for the island of Tasmania. There was an British penal colonies in Australia. Many Irishmen were amongst those sent to Australia for they have committed crimes.
The song is dedicated to Irish poet John Boyle O’Reilly (28 June 1844–10 August 1890). He was a patriotic man who fought against British rule and was arrested and sent to Van Diemen´s land.
Imagine that you´ve fought against injustices against your people. You´ve written, you´ve discussed, even committed violent acts. You want to fight for your people´s human rights. Perhaps too harsh, but still. You are waiting for the ship to arrive and take you in shackles to the other side of the world. You will spend weeks on the ship, perhaps in bad conditions, guarded all the time. And our facing a long sentence in prison, in a faraway land, in a prison with a bad reputation.
Perhaps someone is there at the docks to wish/hope/pray for a safe journey. They must´ve been thinking: “Will we ever see each other again?” What will happen to our common cause? Perhaps he thinks that my part of the struggle is over, perhaps he thinks that I will some day return. Perhaps he thinks that I´ve done many bad things and I deserve this sentence.
The last verse is only in the sleeve of the record, it´s not heard in the album. It takes the idea of the song to the troubles of Northern Ireland. Still the gunman rules, from both sides. Have we learn anything?
This simple song has such great ideas inside, that it´s very beautiful and touching.
