Where I Came From And Here

Where I came from accomplishment means power of money Unless of course you've known sporting success And things are much the same here in Australia If you are poor others you won't impress. And though I've climbed to the cross at the top of Clara High above the fields and woods of Claramore That never would be seen as an achievement As many others have done that before. For recognition I then turned to writing Only to find my verses wouldn't sell I must have been a bad boy in my past life For to be condemned to writing doggerel. I left Ireland because my life had been going nowhere In search of better fortune and renown And I'm even more anonymous in this Southern Country Than I have ever been in Millstreet Town. I know that many see me as a failure As I've always lived quite close to poverty Though I won't be losing any sleep to worrying Of what other people think and say of me. The Cromwells and the Hitlers are remembered Though countless people by them speared and shot It's sad to think that they live on in history When all their innocent victims are forgot. And their victims all good and decent people And to be different was their only crime The evil doers though looked on with disfavour Still spoken of despite the passing time. I once walked through a valley full of roses And I heard the dipper sing in a clear flowing stream But sad to say I felt so disappointed To wake and find it only was a dream. Perhaps my dream was of a better World The far off hills green from a distance seen But when you reach that hill you find out different And after all it is not quite so green. Where I came from and here is not so different And societies everywhere are much the same The millionaire always seen as successful As wealth and power go hand in hand with fame.