Wednesday, April 11, 2007

The Fields of Athenry

Allow me to follow up on Kevin’s initial introduction. Depending on the topic, the time of day, and the unforeseen temperament of any one who should post here, the ideas, rants and rambles could be fueled by [individually or in combined elements]; joy, anger, outrage, coffee or beer.

I will start my first post with “joy” – joy in the knowledge that Kevin is a great parent. How, may you ask, do I know this? Well, that a good question that deserves a fine answer. Kevin called me the other day to discuss music, movies and sports [OK … so I didn’t know who Gilbert Arenas was … I haven’t watched the NBA since the refs stopped calling “traveling”].

Anyway, I was thanking Kevin for sending me a great CD burn that contained songs that used Uilleann pipes. I had to tell Kev that one song in particular; the Dropkick Murphy’s version of “The Fields of Athenry” was amazing. At which point Kev put his five year old daughter on the phone – she then proceeded to sing the entire song to me.What more proof could you possible need that Kev is doing a wonderful job as a parent?

For those who wish to sing along with Eirann [or Paddy Reilly, Frank Patterson, Ronan Tynan, Brush Shiels, James Galway, or The Dropkick Murphys … all of whom have recorded this song], here are the lyrics.As to the author of the song, I found this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fields_of_Athenry:

The claim has been made that the words originate from a broadsheet ballad published in the 1880s by Devlin in Dublin with a different tune; however Pete St. John has stated definitively that he wrote the words as well as the music, so the story of the 1880s broadsheet may be false.Either way … it’s a great track!

By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young girl calling
"Michael, they have taken you away
For you stole Trevelyan's corn
So the young might see the morn'
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay"

Low lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the fields of Athenry

By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young man calling
"Nothing matters, Mary, when you're free
Against the famine and the crown I rebelled, they ran me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity"

Low lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the fields of Athenry

By a lonely harbour wall, she watched the last star falling
As the prison ship sailed out against the sky
For she'll live in hope and pray for her love in Botany Bay I
t's so lonely 'round the fields of Athenry

Low lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the fields of Athenry

1 comment:

cregs said...

That's funny. I just heard that version last month putting together a "Crunchy St. Paddies" cd for a buddy.
Awesome version of the song and now a personal favorite. Not being as good a parent as Kev though, my kids now know all the words to "Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced"...cregs