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
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 awokenÂ