The Streets of Birmingham.....(2017)

The Streets of Birmingham © Tony Fallon 2017.

The Streets of Birmingham © Tony Fallon 2017.


Before I met you that day I was as cold as ice
In twenty four hours I only ate one bowl of rice
Not only was my body cold but also my soul
I had given up any hope I would ever be whole
You gave me coffee and some bread,cheese and ham
On the cold and lonely streets of Birmingham

I knew at once you were from the Emerald Isle
The moment you spoke to me and I saw that smile
You told me you were going home on the boat
As from your purse you handed me a five pound note
You looked so lovely in your cape and gown
I was shocked when you mentioned your hometown
I was embarrassed humiliated and full of shame
And far too self conscious to ask your name
For that was the town where I spent my boyhood
Motherless and bitter and misunderstood
I used to paint scenery and I used to draw
That was not manly enough for my paw
I first visited Paris then went to Amsterdam
And was finally on the streets of Birmingham

I told you my name and you stood there awed
And you kept on repeating "Oh My God"
You said I was considered the cream of the crop
My pictures were sold in many a Tullamore shop
You said my father found dozens in a closet
And experts raved about the blended composite
You told me then your name was Bridget Cunningham
And I'd never sleep again on the streets of Birmingham

Well you bought me some new clothes and odds and ends
Then took me back to Ireland and shocked all our friends 
My father had put all the money in an account
I was surprised when he gave me the full amount
He said he had longed for the day I would arrive
And had prayed every night that I was still alive
I regretted the pain I had caused him as a child
And I am so glad that because of you we reconciled

I've again taken up my pencil brush and paint
And I thank the Lord for sending me a saint
We walk the streets of Tullamore with our baby and pram 
And I will never go back to the streets of Birmingham