Mary's Eyes - Janis Ian

Mary’s eyes are startling blue

And her hair’s Newcastle gold

And she walks the thin white line

Between the body and the soul

She’s as faithful to her history

As a novice to his fast

For she is standing on the bones

Of Ireland’s past

She is singing of the troubles

And a fire in the land

'til I can almost feel the famine

Slipping through my trembling hand

And I wonder as I hear her

That the spirit still shines through

And she can reach across the ocean deep

And break my heart in two

Mary’s wise as she is foolish

She’s as constant as the tide

For it’s a woman’s heart that beats beneath

That stubborn Irish pride

We are saints and we are sinners

We are heroes we are thieves

We are all of us beginners

On the road to Galilee

She is singing of the troubles

And a fire in the land

'til I can almost feel the famine

Slipping through my trembling hand

And I wonder as I hear her

That the spirit still shines through

And she can reach across the ocean deep

And break my heart in two

So let us hoist a pint of silence

To the east where Ireland lies

And we’ll stare across the waters

For a glimpse of Mary’s eyes

We are ships without a harbour

We are sailors on dry land

And the song goes on forever

Even though the record can’t

She is singing of the troubles

And a fire in the land

'til I can almost feel the famine

Slipping through my trembling hand

And I wonder as I hear her

That the spirit still shines through

And she can reach across the ocean deep

And break my heart in two