Al Stewart is one of my favourite songwriters and two of his songs, On the Border and Always the Cause highlight the Spanish Civil War. I’ve always felt that a third song, The News From Spain, should have been about the conflict, but instead it’s an excellent love song.
The fishing boats go out across the evening water,
Smuggling guns and arms across the Spanish border.
The wind whips up the waves so loud,
The ghost moon sails among the clouds,
And turns the rifles into silver,
On the border.
On my wall, the colours of the maps are running.
From Africa, the winds, they talk of changes coming.
The torches flare up in the night,
The hand that sets the farms alight,
Has spread the word to those who’re waiting
On the border.
In the village where I grew up
Nothing seems the same.
Still you never see the change
From day to day.
No one notices the customs slip away.
Late last night the rain was knocking on my window,
I moved across the darkened room, and in the lamp-glow,
I thought I saw down on the street,
The spirit of the century
Telling us that we’re all standing
On the border.
In the islands where I grew up,
Nothing seems the same.
It’s just the patterns that remain,
An empty shell.
But there’s a strangeness in the air you feel too well.
The fishing boats go out across the evening water,
Smuggling guns and arms across the Spanish border.
The wind whips up the waves so loud,
The ghost moon sails among the clouds,
And turns the rifles into silver,
On the border,
On the border,
On the border,
On the border.
Bad news over the great divide
Comes in from every side
Still hope won’t be denied
There was always the Cause
There was always the Cause
Oh La Pasionara sang
This day, no pasaran!
It echoed out in Catalan
There was always the Cause
There was always the Cause
Mariposa
Late nights waiting on the via dolorosa
Hold me closer
Not long now, oh ma bella hermosa
There was always the Cause
Setbacks come at every turn
New ways are hard to learn
Tonight I saw Guernica burn
There was always the Cause
There was always the Cause
Mariposa
Late nights waiting on the via dolorosa
Hold me closer
Not long now, oh ma bella hermosa
There was always the Cause
Three years gone in the heart of Spain
He brings home a quiet pain
He’ll never be that young again
There was always the Cause
There was always the Cause
The Olive Tree is about the Spanish Civil War, and highlights the Welsh connection to that conflict. A modern day example of that connection can be found in the Manic Street Preachers’ If You Tolerate This, Your Children Will Be Next, arguably the greatest song written about the Spanish Civil War and one of the finest songs of our time.
The title comes from a poster. That poster contains upsetting images of the fascists’ deliberate policy of targeting and killing children. These deaths were not acts of war, they were acts of murder.
The song contains the immortal line, ‘If I can shoot rabbits then I can shoot fascists.’ This line is attributed to Tom Thomas of Bedlinog, an International Brigades volunteer.
The future teaches you to be alone
The present to be afraid and cold
“So if I can shoot rabbits then I can shoot fascists”
Bullets for your brain today
But we’ll forget it all again
Monuments put from pen to paper
Turns me into a gutless wonder
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
Will be next, will be next, will be next
Gravity keeps my head down
Or is it maybe shame
At being so young and being so vain
Holes in your head today
But I’m a pacifist
I’ve walked La Ramblas but not with real intent
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
Will be next, will be next, will be next, yeah will be next
And on the street tonight
An old man plays with newspaper cuttings of his glory days
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
Will be next, will be next, will be next
More songs to follow.
Hannah Howe 