Music
Lyrics
The Wild Barrow Road
"Ireland is the only nation in the world where procrastination takes on a sense of urgency" but putting things off,especially writing,arranging and rehearsing a tune for a gig can prove fatal. Yet there they were ,in the back seat of the car ,fiddle and whistle in full flight ,preparing a tune to be played in concert that very night.
This song is a snapshot of a brief moment in time, on a journey we were taking through the picture perfect rolling hills and valleys of Cumbria with summer in full bloom.
Things have a strange way of working themselves out.
Preface
From the clicking of the cricket
To the buzzing of the bee,
The wild bird sings her chorus
And the seabirds cry at sea,
All of Nature's music
And all her wondrous tunes
Will ne'er compare to the one I heard
That moonlit night in June
THE WILD BARROW ROAD
ON THE WILD BARROW ROAD
AT TWENTY PAST NOON
AT THE FOOT OF THE HILLS
AT THE TAIL END OF JUNE
TWO BOYS IN THE BACK SEAT
PUT LEGS ON A TUNE
THAT THEY'LL PLAY DOWN IN BARROW
TONIGHT 'NEATH THE MOON
TONIGHT 'NEATH THE MOON
TONIGHT 'NEATH THE MOON
THAT THEY'LL PLAY DOWN IN BARROW
TONIGHT 'NEATH THE MOON
GREY BRIDGES FLYING OVER
AND FAST SWEEPING DOWN
TO THE WILD ROAD TO BARROW
BRINGING LIFEBLOOD TO TOWN
TWO BOYS IN THE BACK SEAT ARE CRAFTING A SOUND
THAT THEY'LL PLAY THERE TONIGHT
'NEATH THE MOONLIGHT ABOUND
'NEATH THE MOONLIGHT ABOUND
'NEATH THE MOONLIGHT ABOUND
THAT THEY'LL PLAY THERE TONIGHT
'NEATH THE MOONLIGHT ABOUND
AS WE DRIVE THROUGH THE VALLEY
WE RISE AND WE FALL
LIKE THIS TUNE WITH NO TOP OR NO BOTTOM AT ALL
WILL COAX FROM THE CROWD
A CELESTIAL CROON
WHEN IT'S PLAYED DOWN IN BARROW
TONIGHT 'NEATH THE MOON
TONIGHT 'NEATH THE MOON
TONIGHT 'NEATH THE MOON
WHEN IT'S PLAYED DOWN IN BARROW
TONIGHT 'NEATH THE MOON
TONIGHT 'NEATH THE MOON
TONIGHT 'NEATH THE MOON
WHEN IT'S PLAYED DOWN IN BARROW
TONIGHT 'NEATH THE MOON.
The Femme Fatale of Maine
The name Englebert Reilly can translate roughly as "Angel of light, valiant and courageous". A fitting tribute to a normal decent man, led astray.
This song is an allegorical cautionary tale. The lady is temptation personified and she encompasses all temptations and although enchanting and alluring she is artful and devious in the deception of her suitors.
This is an exhortation to all to be wary whilst practising seemingly innocent pastimes as they can quickly turn into vices and as the second verse implies, one should draw on one's past experiences in order to make an informed decision whilst choosing one's "hobbies".
Abstinence may be a fine solution but until that happens tread carefully.
THE FEMME FATALE OF MAINE
Englebert Reilly was the rambling kind
He'd go down to the river
And there he'd find that lady fair
That made auld Bertie shiver
Time moved on and Bertie passed
But the lady still remained
A siren to the rich old men
The Femme Fatale of Maine
Lock up your shillings
From the ladies too willing
They'll take all your money
And leave you to cry
Lock up your dimes
And shield them from crime
And the ladies forsake
Or they'll leave you to die
Now the hallowed souls of foolish men
Roam the banks of the old Dead River
Every stage of a poor man's life
Should at least inform the other
But a lady fair will leave men cold
And take all they can give her
And love can cloud the sharpest mind
So she'll suffer those fools forever
Lock up your shillings
From the ladies too willing,
They'll take all your money
And leave you to cry
Lock up your dimes
And shield them from crime
And the ladies forsake
Or they'll leave you to die.
Englebert Reilly was the rambling kind
He went down to the river,
And there he washed his hands of love
Now he'll wander free forever.
This Boy
The tale of a young man's struggle in love. In a relationship with someone that's totally wrong for him but lacking the strength to put an end to the hardship of it all for fear of being left alone when the harsh reality is that staying is worse than any loneliness he could ever feel.
A fruitless, joyless and loveless relationship can lead to self doubt and despair yet ,more often than not, the solution is for one party to walk away and for the healing process to begin.
"And I'll be fine, you'll see!"
THIS BOY
Looking outside
Through the dusty window
Turning my back to the threadbare sofa
where she'd lay,
Pressing my forehead to the pane
Peering down at the streets and the cobbles as she walked away.
Deep inside there's an anger calling
Burning hot like the towering streetlights down below
The leafless trees like soldiers standing tall and casting shadows on the melting snow
This boy is broken hearted
This boy has fallen low
This boy's will is worn
This boy is heading home
Drinking long and hard into the wee small hours
Underneath a coat on the threadbare sofa once again
But I'm free from the shackles of the sleepless nights
And the longing for a woman who did nothing for my soul, just caused me pain.
Though my heart feels empty
like the worn out pockets
On this old tweed jacket
that the girl I'd loved she bought for me,
Those days long gone
And they're never to return
Like a dried up tear
on your cheek in the sun
And I'll be fine you'll see!
This boy is broken hearted
This boy has fallen low
This boy's will is worn
This boy is heading home
This boy is broken hearted
This boy is fallen low
This boy's will is worn
And this boy is heading home.
Passage West
This song highlights the binding and enduring strength of a love that can grow between two people even in the hardest and darkest of times. A beautiful love story that from the outset revolves around two young lovers sharing their timeless rites of passage ( no pun intended) but ultimately a love song for a winsome wonderful port town on the west bank of Cork harbour and the home of the song's composer John Spillane. Pasáiste Thiar. Passage West ,County Cork, Ireland.
Passage West
I met my love in Passage west
The sun was sinking down to rest
The river to the stars confessed
"Twas the dark haired woman I loved best
We wandered down by the Chapel Square
And there was magic in the air
And Mother Nature gently pressed
The burning river to her breast
I offered her a golden ring
My hand, my heart and everything
I offered her a sweet love nest
By the flowing banks of Passage West
Chorus; Oh love will you go, will you go, will you go?
Or love will you stay, will you stay, will you stay? x2
We watched the ferry come and go
We watched the river ebb and flow
The tide breathe in, the tide breathe out
We watched the Passage flowers grow
The ghostly forms of the hungry years
In sad procession did appear
With hope and sorrow made their way
For their passage west to Amerikay
Chorus
The famine queen stood tall and proud
On either bank the people bowed
From Passage West came a Fenian yell
Rule Brittania, rule in hell!
Chorus
The grass grows green on the other side
And mighty ships sail out the tide
To far flung harbours across the sea
Far away from Passage, my love and me
Chorus
I met my love in Passage west
The sun was sinking down to rest
The river to the stars confessed
"Twas the dark haired woman I loved best
Baby don't Go
A new song, seemingly archaic in style in it's verses yet brought closer to the present day by the use of a phrase like Baby don't go. This nuance in dialect, if you will, gives the song's message a timeless feel.
The Age old formula of " man loves woman, man screws up,man loses woman and leads a lonely meaningless existence,deeply regretting his foolishness forever" is to the fore in this story. Joni Mitchell sang "don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone". She was right.
The backstory detailing the man's actions we'll leave up to one's imagination and by that rationale one can choose to pity the protagonist's sad plight.....or not.
Baby don't Go
When first he kissed her honey lips
And down she fell into his wishing well.
She wished she'd have him evermore
Alas! Be careful what you're wishing for.
Chorus
Baby don't go, don't go, don't go, don't go
I love you so,I love you don't you know?
Baby don't go, don't go, don't go, don't go
I love you so, I love you don't you know?
Don't you know?
Now anchors break and lovers drift
No more their branches will entwine
Now cracked and worn
They've come undone
What once was ours becomes just mine.
Chorus
Her tears now falling like the rain
He knows its time to count the cost
"I know I've caused you so much pain"
She turns away , now all is lost.
His fire is faded,his embers dim
And time has passed,It never waits
Through lonely years and seasons grim
He can still see her smile
And his heart still breaks.
Chorus x2
Plough and Stars
Plough and Stars is a song that provides brief windows into the tumultuous History of Ireland. A complex story of struggle, loss and triumph but ultimately, hope. This song is not a pacifist's song but rather an anti rebel song celebrating the turn in attitude and the tendency in recent years to put down the gun.
Plough and Stars
There’s a broken throne of a fallen clan
Way up North in a lonesome glen
9 years fought 300 lost
When they sailed away the die was cast.
From Brest they sailed across the main
They turned their backs to the winter sun
Driven hard like a nail out from Bantry Bay
Any union of creed well it came undone
Chorus
This is no sad song sung for you
It’ll ring out bold, it will ring out true
And come the morning we’ll rise again
And we’ll break the chains from the plough and stars
Break the chains from the plough and stars
break the chains from the plough and stars
The seeds of souls on fallow ground
While food aplenty did surround
The mounds of grain grew even higher
Those empty bellies fuelled the fire
Pawning all we had to quell those hungry screams
During 6 months sad in the Lockout of 13
‘Let us arise’ came Larkin's call
Let the poor man rise and the rich man fall.
Chorus
The sky ran away on ten young men
Dead bodies cast
Waif like from a dirty cell
No skylarks song will we hear tonight
Just the cries and the anguish of the peoples plight
Chorus
Derry Gaol
This song conveys the common story of harsh sentencing practised during the 19th century in Ireland. The hero is sent to Derry Gaol for the crime of stealing a loaf of bread.
Sourced from the singing of Alan Burke and penned by Alan himself and Tim Potts. Here Alan explains the song's conception.
"Myself and Tim had finished recording an album but were a song short for it. He mentioned a song called Derry Gaol that he'd heard a guy called Jim Eldon from the north east of England sing. Tim could only remember the title and the melody. So I set to writing new words. Tim added a few verses and I wrote a new melody for it as the tune Tim had for it wasn't too exciting. That's how the song came about."
Thanks Alan and Tim for your kind permission.
Derry Gaol
When Derry Gaol I first did see
A suit of clothes they gave to me
The bugs came out and loud did hail
"Here's more fresh meat for Derry Gaol"
I stole a loaf and curse my luck
I had no plan and I came unstuck
If I'd had of thought of the price I'd pay
I'd have done it still but got away
The judge he eyed me in the dock
And slammed his gavel on the block
"It's five long years in Derry Gaol"
Wouldn't have been so bad but the loaf was stale
Down in Derry Gaol
At six o'clock the bell does ring
And for parade we all fall in
The turnkey calls for smarter gear
Well if we were smart we wouldn't be in here
At seven o'clock the beds are made
At eight o'clock the tables laid
With rotten scraps, no fish nor meat
The dirty slops the pigs won't eat
Down in Derry Gaol
In Derry gaol the work is hard
It's breaking stones out in the yard
It's breaking stones 'til half past ten
Then it's out once more breaking stones again
There's men in here done awful crimes
Others fallen on hard times
But all of them are better than
The stinking judge and the policeman
Well if I was the jailer and he was me
I'd get up one morning and set me free
I'd leave me mates the bunch of keys
And I'd leave the jailer the bugs and the fleas
Down in Derry Gaol