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May The Road Rise With You

Important Note: I do not own the rights to this song.

May the Road Rise With You

An old poem.

The first line is endlessly argued over its exact translation from the Gaelic, never-the-less, this poem sounds across different languages and strikes at the soul.

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Years ago, Public Image Ltd. produced a strange and stirring video that at times caught the uplifting power of that ancient Irish blessing. Their lyrics are completely different except for that one key sentence, the opening line.

At one point in the song, PIL may have been protesting the interrogation techniques of the old Royal Ulster Constabulary.

I could be wrong, I could be right
I could be black, I could be white
I could be right, I could be wrong
I could be black, I could be white
They put a hot wire to my head
‘Cause of the things I did and said
They made these feelings go away
Model citizen in every way

We are left to wonder. May the road rise with you.

By thomasfarley01

Business writer and graphic arts gadfly.

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