| Bars of Nineveh: Lyrics & Synopsis |
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Lyrics Bars of Nineveh You’ve clouded my thought They’re full of men Not living as they ought Bars of Nineveh Where the creed prevails That great is greedy And yet how spirit fails Bars of Nineveh Where none stoops low To meet the needs Of the poorest below Bars of Nineveh Pride eats you away Lost and the lonely I have watched them stray Leaving no room for the young or for old The wait for peace is such a mighty wait Leaving no room at the hostel or inn I don’t know where to begin Leaving no room for the young or for old The wait for peace is such a mighty wait Leaving no room at the hostel or inn I don’t know where to begin Could be the bars of Nineveh Bars of Nineveh As the night draws in Bars of Nineveh To fall silent within Bars of Nineveh You’re so far away I cry for virtue And I’ll show you the way Bars of Nineveh You’ve clouded my thought They’re full of men Not living as they ought Bars of Nineveh Where a creed prevails That great is greedy And so the spirit fails Leaving no room for the young or for old The wait for peace is such a mighty wait Leaving no room at the hostel or inn I don’t know where to begin….I don’t know where to begin Leaving no room for the young or for old The wait for peace is such a mighty wait Leaving no room at the hostel or inn I don’t know where to begin…I don’t know where to begin Could be the bars of Nineveh Looking for elbow room Looking for elbow room Looking for elbow room here Looking for elbow room here Leaving no room for the young or for old The wait for peace is such a mighty wait Leaving no room at the hostel or inn I don’t know where to begin…I don’t know where to begin Leaving no room for the young or for old The wait for peace is such a mighty wait Leaving no room at the hostel or inn I don’t know where to begin…I don’t know where to begin Could be the bars of Nineveh Could be the bars of Nineveh Could be the bars of Nineveh Synopsis This was roughly the start of the narrative in my mind. The city of Nineveh is constantly rebuked in the text but I am not entirely sure that we learn what it is that was going on there. I envisaged a sort of hostility and distrust towards outsiders, and a general lack of concern for the welfare of the most vulnerable inside the city. To be inclusive has never meant a loss of self for me but only renewal of self. At times it does depress me to see and to hear groups or factions huddled in bars and restaurants fuelling each others prejudices and growing louder and more obnoxious in their xenophobia and aggression as they sink the pints! That’s a sort of modern Nineveh to me. The 'looking for elbow room' reference is a nod to the writer JB Phillips and his wonderful book 'Making Men Whole'. In it he argues for us to work alongside the eternal… and yet to know each and every limitation! That I find helpful. |