The Grand Old Duke of York
Traditional
O, the Grand old Duke of York
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again.
And when they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only halfway up
They were neither up nor down.
No more tears – Sylvia Armanious © 2004
No more tears for me to cry.
No more days where I have to lie.
No more sadness to darken my day.
No more rain to fog my way*.
No more pain in my life.
No more fear of death by man’s** knife
No more tears for me to cry.
No more tears,
No more tears for me.
Altered: *daydreams **getting killed with life’s
ChoralWiki and Noteworthy Scriptorium
Sylvia Armanious was an Egyptian Coptic Christian whose family fled persecution to New Jersey. The poem above written in 2004 reveals Sylvia’s thoughts as she reflects upon the changes that this brought about in her life. In January 2005 she and her family (Monica, 9, herself, 15, Hossam, 47, and Amal, 37) were found having been stabbed to death in their new home. Dear reader, you may read more here (Christianity Today), here (New York Post) and here (New York Times). Whilst the motive for their murder may have been misunderstood the report from the Coptic Church, speaks well of the family and of Sylvia.