As a child she was always singing. Edale, in Derbyshire, was the ideal place to nurture this natural ability, with an abundance of communal song. Having played the fiddle a small amount at school, Bella attended a Folkworks Youth Summer School in Durham age 13. Motivated by the number of young people playing folk music, she was inspired to begin working on folk fiddle. She also met many of her great friends and musical companions.
Some of these new friends arranged to meet up again, and on New Year's Day a year later The Pack was formed. Initially The Pack was a way for this group of people to get free tickets to festivals. The spirited performances and complex arrangements of the 12 piece band proved a resounding success, and they went on to play many of the scene's greatest stages, including Cambridge Folk Festival main stage in 2003. In 2002, the only Pack album 12 Little Devils was released, with fRoots calling it "... a genuine feel good album. Get yours now!".
Hardy released her debut solo album Night Visiting in 2007, to critical acclaim. Mojo gave her a 4* 'Brilliant' rating, fRoots wrote "Bella Hardy is more than a new generation folk revivalist... Her potential is massive", and Taplas Magazine noted "...her debut CD solo album is a piece of wondrous beauty and inventive incisiveness". In 2008 she was nominated for the Horizon Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. She was also nominated for Best Original Song the same year with Three Black Feathers, which Jim Moray went on to record on his 2008 album Low Culture.
Hardy released her second solo album In The Shadow of Mountains in 2009 at the Cambridge Folk Festival. Again it gained critical acclaim. English Dance and Song Magazine wrote "It's astounding and somewhat daunting to realise this is only Bella's second album... Surely no-one has any right to be writing songs with the sophistication of 'Sylvie Sovay', so early in their career..."
I Would Bring You the Moon
Bella Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the lights I've seen
Lighting gold sparkling in the green
I would bring you the cold upon my skin
I would bring you cathedral quietness
Sideways half and attuned to love
I would bring you the shining silver moon
I would move mountains
Outright the oceans
I would shift heavens
If i could, for you
But, I′ll just sing you
Merry christmas and
I hope you understand
That the greatest gift would be
Christmas with you
Take your time and
I'll take your troubles
Let's sit and talk these
Dark nights through
And I′ll sing you
Merry christmas and
I hope you understand
That the greatest gift is Christmas
The greatest gift is Christmas
Oh the greatest gift would be Christmas
With you
Bella Hardy's "I Would Bring You the Moon" is a love song that expresses the desire to give one's beloved everything that they have experienced and seen. The first stanza of the song presents the idea that if they could, the singer would bring all the lights they have seen, including the gold and sparkling lights in nature, to their loved one. Moreover, they'd bring the cold upon their skin and give it to them as well. The second stanza expands on the idea and presents an even grander notion. The singer would bring cathedral-like silence and the shining silver moon. The last stanza of the song is a realization that, while they may not be able to bring everything they wish, the simple joy of having Christmas with their beloved is the greatest gift of all. The lyrics are set to a soft lullaby tune, conveying the warmth and care that the singer feels for their loved one.
There is a sense of longing and intimacy in the lyrics of "I Would Bring You the Moon." The singer's willingness to move mountains, shift oceans, and even alter the heavens for their love shows the determination and effort they are willing to put forth to make their loved one happy. However, the simplicity of wanting to spend Christmas together captures the essence of what truly matters in a relationship. Despite the singer's stated desire to give extravagant gifts, it is the comfort of being with their love that brings them the most happiness. This song is a reminder that sometimes the greatest gift is simply being together.
Line by Line Meaning
If i could I′d bring you
If I had the power and ability, I would bring you everything.
All the lights I've seen
All the beautiful lights that I have experienced and witnessed.
Lighting gold sparkling in the green
The lights that sparkle and shine, like gold, against the green backdrop.
I would bring you the cold upon my skin
I would bring you the sensation of coldness that I feel on my skin.
I would bring you cathedral quietness
I would bring you the peaceful and sacred atmosphere of a cathedral.
Sideways half and attuned to love
Feeling emotionally connected and in tune with the idea of love.
I would bring you the shining silver moon
I would bring you the bright and glowing silver moon.
I would move mountains
I would do whatever it takes, even the seemingly impossible, to make things happen for you.
Outright the oceans
I would directly and completely control the vast and endless oceans.
I would shift heavens
I would cause the heavens, or the sky and universe, to change or move.
If i could, for you
All of these things would be done with the sole purpose of making you happy.
But, I′ll just sing you
Since I cannot do all of these things, I will simply sing to you.
Merry christmas and
I wish you a happy and merry Christmas.
I hope you understand
I hope you comprehend and appreciate my sentiments and intentions.
That the greatest gift would be
The best present I could possibly give you is...
Christmas with you
...to spend Christmas with you.
Take your time and
You can take your time and go at your own pace, but...
I'll take your troubles
I will listen to and help you with any problems or worries you may have.
Let's sit and talk these
Let us sit and have a conversation where we discuss...
Dark nights through
...our thoughts and feelings during these dark and difficult times.
And I′ll sing you
So I will sing to you again.
Oh the greatest gift would be Christmas
Overall, spending Christmas with you is the most valuable and meaningful thing to me.
The greatest gift is Christmas
With you
Writer(s): Bella Hardy
Contributed by Elena T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jeff W
Beautiful, unique, haunting, crystalline vocals from the Heart of the Peaks....