Carol Denney 2004
Finest Kind liner notes say “metaphor for the Iraq war dead…in small town West Virginia. The quiet, dignified voice of this song reflects a rural community where discussion of the war is more nuanced but, as she says, ‘the loss of one person is felt deeply, and mourned collectively.'” There are two other choruses but changing up choruses every time is hard for social sings.
Finest Kind: https://ianrobb1.bandcamp.com/track/the-riley-boys
https://ianrobb1.bandcamp.com/track/the-riley-boys
It was lovely in the spring, all the flowers were in bloom And we met beside the shore for a moment There were birds and there were planes flying patterns all around And we shared a single sound for a moment Chorus: If the Riley boys were here they would tell us not to cry Dry your eyes they’d say there’s work to do tomorrow If the Riley boys were here we’d hold fast another year And be thankful for what mercy we could borrow If it’s quiet in the streets it is not for want of feet That would march if they could only find the way If the halo round the light on this quiet street tonight Were the hearts that wander by it would be crying It’s so hard to read the news and so beautiful outside And the world that seemed so wide now seems so broken All the things we love and keep in our dreams and in our sleep Startled birds that we have suddenly awoken