THE chair of Hampshire County Cricket Club has penned an emotional song dedicated to a little girl killed in the Manchester bombing attack.

Rod Bransgrove, guitarist in Southampton rock band Strapped for Cash, said ‘Even Jesus Wept’ is a tribute to those who lost their lives in the atrocity and is dedicated to Saffie Roussos, the youngest victim of the attack who was just eight-years-old.

The band have hit the studio to release the track to help support the welovemanchester emergency fund, which is assisting the victims and families of those involved in the tragic Manchester Arena bombing in May.

The heartfelt track was written by Mr Bransgrove with the band’s keyboard player Sean McMenemy, and also features vocals from local singer 18-year-old Lucy Smith.

Originally penned 18 months ago, the lyrics were inspired by footage of a terrorist attack in Syria and the death of innocent children.

After May’s devastating attack at an Arianna Grande concert, which killed 23 adults and children and injured 250, the band decided to go back into the studio to re-record the song.

Mr Bransgrove said: “When I originally wrote the words for this song I was thinking of a mother receiving the news that her child was not coming home because they had been killed by an attack they would not have understood.

“It is a parent’s plaintiff search for answers to a needless massacre in the name of religion.

“When we saw the same haunting images on our screens after the Manchester attack and the face of little Saffie, it felt like this song had been written for her.”

The track was first recorded as a demo in 2015, with the band opting to feature Lucy on it after hearing her perform on the radio.

After tweaking the lyrics, the group then recorded the track at Southampton’s Aubitt Studios with Chris Thomas, who worked on Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, and turned it into a track to honour the lives lost in the attack.

Rod added: “We are very excited to see the response to the single and hope people will support the welovemanchester appeal and families such as Saffie’s by downloading the record.”

‘Even Jesus Wept (Song For Saffie)’ is available to download on iTunes at itunes.apple.com/gb/album/even-jesus-wept-feat-lucy-smith-single/id1254177551 and all royalties will be going to the welovemanchester Emergency Fund.