One of the most remarkable stories of recent times is how a heartfelt poem penned back in the 1990s by Michael Walsh became a soaring international success after its soul-driven message was transformed into a ballad.

The Nation of the Downcast Eye is not, of course, the first poem set to create a tsunami from the airwaves of history.

Lili Marlene

Among some of the most remarkable examples of penned poetry popularised by being put to music were the German poem, Lili Marlene.

This beautiful anti-war folk song was scribbled down by a sad 18-year-old German sentry named Hans Leip as he sat in his bleak sentry box during World War I.

Lili Marlene went on to become history’s most popular wartime ballad, being translated into over 60 languages.

The Universal Soldier

To a smaller extent, the popularity of the German poem-ballad was another anti-war song.

The Universal Soldier was penned by Buffy Sainte-Marie, a Canadian songwriter. It became an international best-seller after being sung by Scottish songwriter Donovan.

The Red Rose Café

Penned in a harborside tavern in Holland, this poem was penned by Pierre Kartner. The original poem, written in 1975 to be set to musical notes, was titled Het kleine café aan de haven (The Little Café by the Harbour).

Other great poem-ballads have won hearts and minds around the world over the centuries.

The Great Ascent

Yet, had these poems not ascended from word to ballad, we are unlikely ever to have heard of them.

It was only during World War II that Hans Leip’s Lili Marlene achieved fame, as a filler between radio advertisements.

Hans Leip lived until 1983, so the soldier-poet did see fame if not fortune.

The Nation of the Downcast Eye

The Nation of the Downcast Eye was penned during the 1990s, nearly 30 years ago. During this period, it was perhaps read by fewer than 100 lovers of poetry.

Prophetic and Uncannily Accurate

Remarkably, the ballad’s prophetic lyrics have proved uncannily accurate and especially fitting for Britain, Europe and for much of the oppressed Western White world today.

Within a few days of being uploaded to YouTube, the folk song’s aching, thought-provoking words, being transcribed to ballad lyrics, had gathered hundreds of views and undoubtedly have a promising future.

The Presence of God that I See

The Presence of God that I See, penned also by Michael Walsh, reached hundreds of hearts within days of being uploaded onto YouTube.

Written in 1995 as an entry for a Carol Competition in Liverpool, The Presence of God that we See was rejected. The critics laughed then.

They are not laughing now. 

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