Easter (1916) part II
recorded in the clinton studios in New York City, this is one take folks. Not a lot of mix, not a lot of edit. One goddamn take!
Here are the lyrics.
The Foggy Dew, by Francis Pearse O'Neill
'Twas down the glen one Easter morn
To a city fair rode I.
When Ireland's line of marching men
In squadrons passed me by.
No pipe did hum, no battle drum
Did sound its dread tattoo
But the Angelus bell o'er the Liffey's swell
Rang out in the foggy dew.
Right proudly high over Dublin town
They hung out a flag of war.
'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky
Than at Suvla or Sud el Bar.
And from the plains of Royal Meath
Strong men came hurrying through;
While Brittania's sons with their long-range guns
Sailed in from the foggy dew.
'Twas England bade our wild geese go
That small nations might be free.
Their lonely graves are by Suvla's waves
On the fringe of the grey North Sea.
But had they died by Pearse's side
Or fought with Valera true,
Their graves we'd keep where the Fenians sleep
'Neath the hills of the foggy dew.
The bravest fell, and the solemn bell
Rang mournfully and clear
For those who died that Eastertide
In the springing of the year.
And the world did gaze in deep amaze
At those fearless men and true
Who bore the fight that freedom's light
Might shine through the foggy dew.
I get my fighting spirit from both sides of my heritage. I must admit that six years of Republican Authoritarian rule have made me feel decidely ungovernable. They're lucky I'm an old fart and corrupted by my luxuries.
3B's
posted by The Minstrel Boy at 7:32 PM
6 Comments:
Damn, I love's me some Chieftain's (and Sinead, too)!!!
In case you're not aware, WNCW (streaming at wncw.org) does the Celtic thing Sundays from noon to 3PM (eastern). It's usually pretty good.
beautiful.
"long black veil" where this comes from is among my favorite collections (the labels and napster have pretty much destroyed the whole concept of album) also excellent is the joint effort they made with van morrison "celtic twilight" where they play straight up faithfully traditional arrangements. but, sinead, egad, i do adore her. that voice is exquisite.
Indeed. What a voice. What an appropriate voice for this song, too. Too bad the video is only of the first two verses, but even two verses of Sinead singing this song is enough to make me sigh and pick up my guitar and wish I didn't have the singing voice of a crow...
Even though I love classical music most I do love Irish Gaelic songs so very much, thanks for posting this. By the by, I taught piano lessons in QCreek--at the Earnhardt ranch for a couple of years. I was having voice lessons with Giorgio Tozzi in Scotsdale and AZ Opera Rehearsals in Phoenix also, driving down from Prescott Valley. Peace,
michael, one of the things i love about being back in arizona is that along with easily accessable changes in landscape (pine forest or desert mountains within easy drives) and climate the variety and vibrance of the music scene is exhiliarating. thursday, the AZopera is producing "Susannah" (an applachian take on the biblical story susannah and the elders), but, there is on a regular basis just about any kind of music you could ask for. grady gammage is one of my favorite venues in the entire world. being able to seat a few thousand people for an acoustic act (i once saw segovia play there unamplified/unmiked) is so very rare. glad you have fond memories of our little oasis.
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