Darkness Before the Dawn Words and Music: Pete Kavanagh

The raid took place on a warm summer's night The rebels commandeered the NAAFI The store was set alight The fire raged wild and the flames roared down upon The Doran family in the Darkness Before the Dawn

Bill Doran rushed outside as the stairwell fell apart Bridget held their daughter Katy close to her heart She dropped the baby down to Bill and went back for their son John Screams rang out in the Darkness Before the Dawn

The top floor of the store collapsed, John and Bridget died Young William was burnt bad Doctor Roantree saved his life All in the name of freedom, this reckless deed was done Out on the Moorefield Road in the Darkness Before the Dawn

Some said the rebels were heroes, but the town was torn apart This raid upon the NAAFI blackened many a hearts The Doran family killed and maimed in the war of ‘21 As freedom beckoned in the Darkness Before the Dawn

In Kilbelin Cemetery the final price was paid. A wife – a mother – a son – a brother, in that grave were laid We remember the Doran family as time rolls on Reflect upon our freedom in the Darkness Before the Dawn

Learn more about the story behind the song on Pete's website: https://petekavanagh.com

Acoustic Guitar , Harmonica and Vocals: Pete Kavanagh Additional Instrumentation and Backing vocals: Martin Leahy Produced by Pete Kavanagh and Martin Leahy Mastered by Richard Dowling Copyright Pete Kavanagh Music/IMRO

Photo courtesy of Kildare County Archives and Local Studies

Mercy (Lyrics and Music by Pete Kavanagh) Goldenbridge Polluted waters Bring your son Bring your daughter Golden bars Faraway stars Lambs ready for the slaughter

Plots and Schemes Walls and fences Children serve a prison sentence Broken dreams Open menace Nothing so heavy as emptiness

Mercy Mercy Heaven up there in the sky
God forgot our wings
Sister Brother Where is my Mother
God forgets a lot of things Bitter kisses Poisoned lips Shattering steel silence Crucifixes and penguin slips Nothing so heavy as emptiness You will never be free of this God made the bees and the bees make the honey, Mercy Children do the work and the nuns get the money, Mercy Little fingers bleed on your sacred rosary beads, Mercy Children on their knees as Heaven starts to freeze Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

You liar You thief You swore to protect me

MUSIC CREDITS: Music & Lyrics by Pete Kavanagh © Pete Kavanagh 2021 Musicians: Pete Kavanagh, Hally, Graham Hopkins, William McCormack Produced by Hally Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Hally at ArtHouse Studios

Mercy is taken from Pete's debut album "Join up the Dots".

MUSIC CREDITS: Music & Lyrics by Pete Kavanagh © Pete Kavanagh 2020 Musicians: Pete Kavanagh, Joe Heffernan, Lenny Cahill & Hally Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Hally at Art House Studios Produced by Hally

LYRICS Hold On (Lyrics and Music by Pete Kavanagh) Slow down, let me gather my thoughts The why whys, the what whats Come 'round, we'll talk of forget-me-nots The lows and highs, the knotted knots Lost and found, give it all that you got Read between the lines, Join up the Dots Gone to ground, feels like I'm losing the plot Turning tides, X marks the spot

Travellin' through time, lost in a dream Forgetting your face n' all that you mean Movin' my mind, beyond my being Misplacing this place, everything seen

It all connects, I'm here and now Shot out from space, Southbound I'm trying to hold on Hold on