the soundtrack of loving the place which cradles you – in spite of everything

Natalie Merchant's Motherland, covered by Christy Moore 

No sexy woman this (the ugly bugger), but an Irish lilt and a smattering of Celtic lyricism never hurt anyone ...

the soundtrack of loving the place where one comes from – despite everything

Where in hell can you go

Far from the things that you know

Far from the sprawl of concrete

That keeps crawling its way

About 1,000 miles a day?

Take one last look behind

Commit this to memory and mind

Don't miss this wasteland, this terrible place

When you leave

Keep your heart off your sleeve

Motherland cradle me

Close my eyes

Lullaby me to sleep

Keep me safe

Lie with me

Stay beside me

Don't go, don't you go

O, my five & dime queen

Tell me what have you seen?

The lust and the avarice

The bottomless, the cavernous greed

Is that what you see?

Motherland cradle me

Close my eyes

Lullaby me to sleep

Keep me safe

Lie with me

Stay beside me

Don't go

It's your happiness I want most of all

And for that I'd do anything at all, o mercy me!

If you want the best of it or the most of all

If there's anything I can do at all

Now come on shot gun bride

What makes me envy your life?

Faceless, nameless, innocent, blameless and free,

What's that like to be?

Motherland cradle me

Close my eyes

Lullaby me to sleep

Keep me safe

Lie with me

Stay beside me

Don't go, don't you go

Motherland, Natalie Merchant

Teenage talent (she was 16 when she first fronted 10,000 Maniacs) turned accomplished mature poet/singer/songwriter. A very sexy woman.