1. |
Dónal Kenny
04:35
|
|||
|
Come piper play the “Shaskeen Reel” or else “The Lassies on the Heather”
Come Mary lay aside your wheel, we will dance once more together
At the fair, the patterns of before, the reels, the jigs we tripped full many
Ne’er again this loved old floor will feel the foot of Donal Kenny
Softly she rose and took his hand, and softly glided through the measure
While clustering round, the village band watched half in sorrow, half in pleasure
Warm blessings flow from every lip that sees the dancers every motion
“O Blessed Virgin guide the ship that bears bold Dónal o’er the ocean”
“O, God be with you all,” he sighs, as down his face the bright tears streaming
“God guard you well, a rún,” they cry, “upon the strange path you are going“
So full his breast, he scarce could speak, the burning grasp, the stretched hands taking
He pressed a kiss on every cheek, and sobbed as though his heart was breaking
“Boys, don’t forget me when I’m gone, for sake of the the days passed over
The days you spent on heath and bawn, with Dónal Rúa, the rattling rover”
“Mary, a grá, your soft brown eyes willed my fate,” he whispered lowly
"Another has your heart, goodbye, heaven grant you both its blessings holy"
A kiss upon her brow of snow, and a rush across the moonlit meadows
Whose bloom-clad hazels trembled slow, o’er the mossy boreens wrapped in shadows
Away o'er Tully's bounding rill and far beyond the Inny river
One cheer on Carrick's rocky hill, and Dónal Kenny's gone forever
A full wind rustles through the sails, o'er Galway Bay the ship was heaving
And smothered groans and bursting wails told all the grief and pain of leaving
One form among that exiled band of parting sorrow gave no token
Still was his breast and cold his hand, Dónal Kenny's heart was broken
|
||||
2. |
||||
|
Farewell to you whose song has come from east at dawn of day
And graced the breezes blowing soft across the fields of May
And echoed throughout Kresge’s Hall on the fair banks of the Mon
For though the time’s not passed you by, you must be passing on
Full oft atop the blossomed boughs your songs came drifting down
Alighting on attentive ears which reveled in their sound
Your songs would flutter from your breast with clear full-throated ease
The sweetest heard within the storm, the gentlest on the breeze
The prickly chill of winter’s breath will never pierce your side
Nor will you see the barren branch weighed down by frosty white
For you’ll be carried on the wind, undimmed and undismayed
To warmer lands where you can rest, away from baneful shade
And when the colors they return, and spring is all around
The blossoming boughs will drop their buds to fall without a sound
The silent trees will stand their watch above the lonely glen
And we’ll be left to wonder when we’ll hear your songs again
|
||||
3. |
The Banks Of Colorado
04:06
|
|||
|
On the banks of Colorado, where the fair May sun does shine
I have come down to this river to meet a love of mine
But the banks are dry and sandy, and the murmuring water’s low
No rain has blessed this valley to ease this river’s flow
In April first I saw her, a year and month ago
She stood in all her splendor on the banks of Colorado
The icy drifts of winter the sun had banished clear
To join with rain and dewdrops and flow beside my dear
No gold in California could ever match her hair
No roses red and blooming to her lips could compare
No sapphires from the Indies could e’er outshine her eyes
No silk could lie as gently as that true love of mine
In springtime there we courted, and in summer did the same
And when autumn changed its colors I resolved to change her name
But her mother scorned my parents and her father scorned my trade
And my winter was made colder for the loss of that fair maid
And so now I walk this valley and sit in willowed shade
And wish that stream would take me beneath its gentle waves
But the clouds have brought no mercy, no grace has brought a flood
So I’ll sit beneath the willows and wait for my true love
|
||||
4. |
When I See Her
03:29
|
|||
|
When I see her, she’s wearing a pair of pink sandals
Her hair’s long and curly, and tied in the back with a bow
She’s running, and turns back to tell me to follow
I try to go with her, but I can’t see where she goes
When I hear her, she’s throwing her head back and laughing
Through fits of giggles, her voice is as strong as it’s kind
She leans in to whisper, she says that she’ll tell me a secret
But when I’m awakened, the words fall away from my mind
When I hold her, I feel the warm beat of her body
Her arms on my shoulders, her soft cheek pressed up on my own
I try to hold tightly, I try not to let her slip from me
But when the moon sets I am left lying cold and alone
When I saw her, her face was as pale as the morning
When I heard her, her breath was drowned out by machines
When I held her, her body was light as a feather
I pulled her close to me, and held her as she went to sleep
When I see her, I’ll follow her always and ever
When I hear her, I’ll give her a secret to keep
When I hold her, I’ll never let go of her
And I know that I’ll see her when I go to sleep
|
||||
5. |
Fare Ye Well
03:21
|
|||
|
The hour is late and the morning is breaking
The lark in the clear air has started her song
Forever I’d sit among friends and companions
But the night is too short and the day it is long
So fare ye well all you boys of the evening
Fare ye well all you ladies sublime
My fortune is calling, and no man can shun it
My only regret is to leave you behind
Over bottles and glasses we’ve talked and debated
The mistakes of the past and the new world to come
We’ve lifted our pints over heroes and comrades
But I’ve emptied my glass, and it’s time to move on
So fare ye well all you gadflies and scholars
No whiskey or porter could e’er cloud your minds
Speak of me fondly in song and in story
My only regret is to leave you behind
The tunes of evening have flown through their measures
They dance through my head and make my ears ring
But the dawning of day puts an end to their pleasures
No tunes left to play and no songs left to sing
Fare ye well all you fiddlers and dancers
Would you rosin your bows and fill up your pipes
And play me a march as I walk in the morning
My only regret is to leave you behind
|
||||
Tyler Alderson Massachusetts
You can find me on your closest street corner with a banjo in my hand.
If you like Tyler Alderson, you may also like:
Dakota Blue Moon
by Jackson Harden
Gorgeous acoustic Americana from North Carolina, stripped-back and sublime.
go to album
featured on Bandcamp Radio Jul 27, 2021
go to album
From Cork, Ireland, Lewis Barfoot writes mystic, majestic songs derived from regional folk, with an ambient music aura.
go to album
Singer-songwriter Henry Parker puts his own spin on the classic sounds of '60s and '70s British folk on this wilderness-inspired new LP.
go to album
Collaborating remotely with 12 songwriters from all over the world, Kim Edgar emerged with a work of striking art pop.
go to album
THAT PASSED
by Patrick Regan Band
This collection of '90s work from folkie Patrick Regan and friends will appeal to fans of Fairport Convention and Pentangle.
go to album
Caught Up On A Feeling
by Veronica Stanton
Stunningly beautiful orchestral folk songs with just a hint of country, delivered with heart-on-sleeve immediacy.
go to album
