When Pacquaio Fights Again
A key event in the sporting calendar for 2009 was the boxing match between Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao in which Ricky Hatton was KO'd in the second round. On the day of the fight the conflict between the rebels and government troops in The Philippines had an undeclared truce and the fighting stopped for the day, unofficially called P-Day. There are videos on YouTube showing the government soldiers and rebels watching the fight together on big screens that had been set up. It struck me as particularly ironic that what is often regarded as a brutal sport resulted in peace, and probably the saving of some lives; if only for one day.
The song is written from the viewpoint of a Filipino fan who had flown over to Las Vegas to watch the fight and his thoughts are going back to what was happening in the Philippines. The last line in the song "Until Pacquiao Fights Again", could refer to his next boxing match, or perhaps to Manny Pacquiao's ambition to become a politician and fight against poverty.
Rebel soldiers from miles around
Put down their guns came into town
From the fields into the town
To get ready for the fight
The government soldiers came down too
They cheered as one as soldiers do
The killing had stopped the beatings too
As they got ready for the fight
Chorus
Where were you on that day
When Pacquiao put Hatton away
And the Angel of Death flew away
As peace came to our town
I was squeezing my ticket tight,
I’d got a ticket for the fight
It had cost a lot but that's alright
I was sitting there in Vegas
I never doubted Manny Pacquiao
He was a boxing superstar
He was my hero; he’d gone far
And now he was in Vegas
chorus
Well, the sun was shining down
The sun shone down onto my town
The bell rang out to start the round
The talking now had stopped
In round one Ricky Hatton fell
He got up, then once more he fell
Then he was rescued by the bell
In Manilla time had stopped
chorus
The English fans were stunned and shocked
Ricky wasn't ready for the shot
When Pacquiao's left hook came across
And he crashed to the floor
As he lay in the boxing ring
On his back there in the boxing ring
Pacquiao was proclaimed the king
And Manilla breathed once more
chorus
Now I’m sitting on the plane
Yes, I’m going home again
I hear the rebels have gone back again
From the town into the fields
The fighting will surely start again
With all the violence and the pain
All the anger and the blame
Until Pacquiao fights again.
chorus