Black was born into a musical family. Her father had been a fiddler, her mother a singer, and her brothers have their own group. She sang in her family's group in her youth.
In 1975 Black joined a small folk band called General Humbert, with whom she toured Europe and released two albums, in 1975 and 1978. In 1982 she developed a professional relationship with musician/producer Declan Sinnott and recorded her first solo album, Mary Black.
She went on to play in other groups including the traditional Irish band De Dannan from 1984-1986. After 1986 she had a successful solo career where she went on to try contemporary styles ranging from jazz to country. She was named "Best Female Artist" in the IRMA poll in 1987, 1988, 1992, 1994 and 1996.
She is married to Joe O'Reilly of Dara Records and they have three children. Her son Danny is a member of the Irish rock band The Coronas, while her daughter Róisín is performing under the name Róisín O.
For a number of years, "What Hi-Fi?" magazine considered Black's voice to be so pure that it was used as an audiophile benchmark for comparing the sound quality of different high fidelity systems.
Discography
* 1983 Mary Black
* 1984 Collected
* 1985 Without the Fanfare
* 1987 By the Time it Gets Dark
* 1989 No Frontiers
* 1991 Babes in the Wood
* 1992 The Collection
* 1993 The Holy Ground
* 1995 Circus
* 1997 Shine
* 1999 Speaking with the Angel
* 2001 The Best of Mary Black 1991-2001 & Hidden Harvest
* 2003 Mary Black Live
* 2005 Full Tide
* 2008 Twenty-Five Years Twenty-Five Songs
* 2011 Stories from the Steeples
Katie
Mary Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And a yellow colored lampshade used to keep us up all night
And the smile upon your face, a tear upon your cheek
And the night sky on the window your heart calling out to me
Come running home again Katie, come running home again
Cross my heart and hope to die, shall I cause another tear from your eye?
The mirror that won't talk and your nightgown on the door
The old pedal singer just won't sing no more
You can roll the reel for hours from the movie from this book
Its a question mark upon this heart of mine sends an elder back to look
Come running home again Katie, come running home again
Cross my heart and hope to die, shall I 'cause another tear from your eye?
Now I'm looking through a tunnel back into this room
with the genius of the Druid when the sunlight floods the tomb
And I'm never going back there, I wouldn't any way
'Cause though I made the great escape, I never got away
Come running home again Katie, come running home again
Cross my heart and hope to die, shall I 'cause another tear from your eye?
The song "Katie" by Mary Black paints a picture of nostalgia, longing, and regret. The first verse describes a scene where the singer is surrounded by greenery and stained glass streaming light. The presence of a yellow colored lampshade indicates that it is the wee hours of the morning and they have been up all night chatting. The smile on Katie's face is contradicted by the tear on her cheek and the night sky on the window implies that she is yearning for something. The chorus "Come running home again Katie, come running home again, Cross my heart and hope to die, shall I cause another tear from your eye?" suggests that she's away from home, probably escaped from a difficult situation, and could be thinking of returning.
The second verse is a mix of images that might be associated with Katie's room. A mirror that won't talk symbolizes her lack of companionship and a nightgown on the door hints at her loneliness. The "old pedal singer" represents her inability to reach out and connect with people emotionally. She can roll the reel for hours from the movie, but can't seem to find a way to get out of it. The final lines reveal that the singer is looking back on this scene from a distance and acknowledges that, although they escaped, they never truly got away. The chorus then repeats, indicating that Katie's yearning for home is universal.
Line by Line Meaning
Tumbling curls of green by stained glass streaming light
Describing the environment with green plants in the sunshine streaming through stained glass
And a yellow colored lampshade used to keep us up all night
Yellow lampshade providing light to spend sleepless nights
And the smile upon your face, a tear upon your cheek
Mixed emotions with smile and tears on your face
And the night sky on the window your heart calling out to me
The night sky shining on the window symbolizes a heart calling out for help
Come running home again Katie, come running home again
Asking Katie to come back home
Cross my heart and hope to die, shall I cause another tear from your eye?
Promising not to cause any more tears and swearing by it
The mirror that won't talk and your nightgown on the door
Description of objects in the room, but the mirror won't talk or show a reflection
The old pedal singer just won't sing no more
The old pedal singer stopped working, won't play anymore music
You can roll the reel for hours from the movie from this book
You can read the book or watch the movie for hours, but we can't escape our thoughts
Its a question mark upon this heart of mine sends an elder back to look
A big question mark in my heart makes me look back on my past with regret
Now I'm looking through a tunnel back into this room
Reflecting on the past and longing for it
with the genius of the Druid when the sunlight floods the tomb
Feeling the power of the universe when sunlight shines through a tomb
And I'm never going back there, I wouldn't any way
Even though I want to go back, I know I can't return to the past
'Cause though I made the great escape, I never got away
Even though I left to escape my past, I could never truly leave, it always stays with me
Come running home again Katie, come running home again
Asking Katie to come back home one last time
Cross my heart and hope to die, shall I 'cause another tear from your eye?
Swearing to not cause any more pain and hurt.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JIMMY MACCARTHY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maureen Smith
on Bruach na Carraige Baine
So beautiful!