‘Across The Border’ (Sharp), The Alarm
Lead Vocals:Dave Sharp
Lyrics
Across the Irish border Hidden in a car And there's Guns and ammunition That were smuggled from Armagh Well that's not right - and they should stop the fight And they should sort it out And they let them march and let them shout Kill it shoot it down (And if you) Bum it to the ground Kill it light the fuse What's the point, oh what's the use Kill it shoot it down (And if you) Bum it to the ground (And you) Kill it light the fuse There ain't no point and there ain't no use Now Mr. Ian Paisleys marching From Ireland to 'L.A.' Now he's looking for your sympathy And guns for the U.D.A. Well that's not right - and they should stop the fight And they should sort it out And they let them march and let them shout Kill it shoot it down (And if you) Bum it to the ground Kill it light the fuse What's the point & what's the use Kill it shoot it down (And if you) Bum it to the ground (And you) Kill it light the fuse There ain't no point and there ain't no use (What about the guns) (What abour the guns) Well now the letter bombs are posted And the booby traps are laid And the British soldiers marching They're marching to their graves Well that's not right - and they should stop the fight And they should sort it out - and they let them march And let them shout. Kill it shoot it down (And if you) Bum it to the ground Kill it light the fuse What's the point & what's the use Kill it shoot it down (And if you) Bum it to the ground Kill it light the fuse There ain't no point and there ain't no use
Notes
Mike Peters Notes
Dave Sharp was the writer of this song which along with Up For Murder was one of the first few Dave Sharp Alarm songs. The lyrical and political stylings of these two songs were inspired by Dave’s love of The Stray Cats and particularly their song Storm The Embassy
(Alarm 2000 Collection liner notes).
“Anyway, Sharpie used to come home and stay with Twist. When this whole thing had gone on with Carl Wallanger and their dads had stopped them going to down, Dave used to come in the navy and by this time we’d got Seventeen going. We were a three-piece and we got Dave to join because he was the brilliant guitarist. He fitted in great, but also he’d picked up a lot on his travels and had become greatly politisized. He knew a lot about what was going on in the world, much more than we did living in Rhyl. When he started writing for The Alarm he started to pour that out. There was a song by The Stray cats called Storm The Iranian Embassy. It was one of their great numbers, it was like a punk rock, political rock a billy number. Sharp was really into that and Across The Border was heavily influenced by that and also by Dave, when he was in the navy, had docked in Belfast and had some experiences in the Falls Road. He really wanted to see and experience what Ireland was all about. And this is the song he wrote of his experience in the middle of the troubles. It was was of the first things he ever did for The Alarm, so I’m going to have a go at playing it now. It called Across The Border” – Mike Peters
Versions
-1982 Demo [3:36] : From August 1982 demo session funded by Ian wilson. Recorded at Brittania Row Studios, London
-1982 b-side [3:30]: Recorde September 7 198, Produced by The Alarm, Aricentus, Steve Tannet, Harry Murlowski & Ian Wilson, Engineered by Jess Suttcliffe, Harmonica by Mark Feltham, Keyboards – Angie Knox
-1983: Live – KBFH [3:15] ::Recorded June 27th, 1983 at The Metre, Boston, MA, USA.
