Ardoyne

Brother, it looks like your neighbor is building a fence
Best get the tape measure, make sure it's not on your side, he's been there before
Three paces over and five to the left is the edge
Move it or I'll move it for you next time
   Katie, don't stand so close to the door

Boys will be boys but men won't be men
And all this is bound to end sadly
In a world behaved badly

Children don't play in the yard after school, go inside[1]
Monday I'll drive you and Tuesday we'll go to a movie if you study hard
Don't worry about what the other kids say, mind yourselves
Jesus will save everyone in the end, in the end
   the Lord doesn't take sides

Boys will be boys but men won't be men
And all this is bound to end sadly
In a world behaved badly

Katie, I promise you this is the last time, I swear
We can move south with your uncle, he has a Nintendo and three little boys
Brother, I'm glad to hear no one was hurt in the fire
I'll be there Friday, I'll help you rebuild, tell me
   when is the neighbor girl's wake?

Boys will be boys but men won't be men
And we'll try forgetting it gladly
In a world behaved badly

Brother, I'm starting to worry for you and the kids
It's not the same neighborhood, you and I used to
   play football out in the streets


  1. I happened to be in the UK while the Holy Cross Dispute was unfolding. The nightly news footage of the children walking through barricades, shielded by their parents from molotov cocktails of both the verbal and physical varieties, made a lasting impression. ↩︎

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