![]() Wire spoke about the heroism of the International Brigade, then, almost as an aside, added with deepening regret that his generation no longer seemed to understand that "literally millions of people had laid down their lives for us, just so we can be here now". But, as with Bishop Farrar, there is a subtext to the song that makes it far more interesting than might at first seem the case. Outwardly, the song is a paean to the International Brigade, the idealistic foreigners who fought against Franco during the Spanish civil war. He was being quizzed about the "un-rock'n'roll" nature of the lyrics he had written for his group's new album, This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours, and, in particular, the first single from it, If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next. Like Hughes, I was intrigued by the thought that anyone could make such a commitment, to anything, and it came back to me when I ran across a quote from Nicky Wire of Manic Street Preachers in a music paper a month or so ago. "If I flinch from the pain of the burning, believe not the doctrine that I have preached." (His words on being chained to the stake.) ![]() A brief introduction read:īurned by Bloody Mary's men at Caermarthen. ![]() It was unusually gruesome, even for the Wes Craven of poetry, but there was more to it than that. British rock is in a feeble state, says Andrew Smith, who's sick of bland, why we need Manic Street Preachers - they may be earnest, but at least they have passion.Īt school, I remember being fascinated by a Ted Hughes poem called The Martyrdom of Bishop Farrar.
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