In her new song “Let’s Do Things We Normally do,” Dido borrows lyrics from a notorious protest song that originally paid tribute to imprisoned provisional IRA men in the 1970s called “The Men Behind The Wire.” The song, which was once banned by the BBC, is currently heralded as an anthem, of sorts, for current extreme movements in Ireland, such as Continuity IRA and the Real IRA.
The Daily Mail reports Dido borrowed the lines “Armoured cars and tanks and guns/Came to take away our sons/But every man must stand behind,/The men behind the wire.”
An official in Belfast has scolded Dido for not knowing the lyrics were originally “written about people who were murderers, arsonists and terrorists.” Gregory Campbell, MP for East Londonderry and Minister for Sports, Arts and Leisure, went on to say, “She should clarify her position so that her fans and the wider public knows where she stands on these things.”
Here’s the original song album art by The Barleycorn:
The Daily Mail notes the song is possibly inspired by Dido’s late father, William O’Malley Armstrong, who was raised by an Ulster Protestant, though the he left Ireland to attend English Catholic schools at a young age.