Matthews learnt to play guitar at the age of nine, sang Welsh folk songs and taught herself traditional songs from all over the globe including blues and Irish folk songs. She was a member of the West Glamorgan Youth Orchestra. The band Catatonia formed in 1992 after Matthews and guitarist Mark Roberts began dating, as well as writing songs together, at the end of 1991. Catatonia split in mid-2001, and Matthews released her first solo album , Cockahoop, in May 2003. Her second album Never Said Goodbye was released in August 2006. In November 2007 she released a mini-album of Welsh language songs Awyren=Aeroplane.
At the 2013 Sony Radio Academy Awards, Matthews won Gold for her popular BBC 6 music Sunday morning show, which she programmes and hosts. She is the One Show’s cultural reporter and writes and presents radio and television documentaries on subjects as diverse as Cuba, early classical composers, shark fishing and early female blues players. A collector of songs for over thirty years, Matthews is a columnist for the world music magazine ‘Songlines’, and her sing-along book, ‘Hook, Line and Singer’, published by Penguin was a Sunday Times bestseller. She is the author of children’s stories ‘Tales from the Deep’ and ‘Gelert: A Man’s Best Friend’.
Matthews has curated for theatres and the Tate Modern and was artistic director for the opening ceremony of the World Music Expo 2013. She was awarded an inaugural St David Award for her services to culture this year from the First Minister of Wales.
Also in 2013, Matthews wrote and presented a six-part television series looking into the history of centuries old folk songs in her native Wales. In October 2014 Matthews releases an album of music and poetry by Dylan Thomas as well as an Archive Hour programme for BBC Radio 4 looking into her uncle Colin Edward’s role in amassing a huge archive on this great lyrical poet. Matthews has created a cultural festival, 'The Good Life Experience'. She is a judge for the Dylan Thomas Prize for young writers, and for the Forward Prizes for poetry.
Her 2010 self-produced album of traditional Welsh songs, ‘Tir’, is the biggest selling Welsh language album of the decade; the second volume, ‘Hullabaloo’ followed in 2013.
Matthews dueted with Sir Tom Jones on the perennial winter favourite, ‘Baby it’s Cold Outside’. She is Vice President for the homeless charity, Shelter, Vice President of the Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts, is patron of the Dylan Thomas Society and Ballet Cymru, and is Arts Ambassador for the Linden Lodge School - a specialist school for sensory impairment.
Matthews lives in West London with her husband and children.
Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn
Cerys Matthews Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yn byw yn Ã'l fy ffansi
Myfi'n bugeilio'r gwenith gwyn
Ac arall yn ei fedi
Pam na ddeui di ar Ã'l
Ryw ddydd ar Ã'l ei gilydd?
Gwaith 'rwy'n dy weld, y feinir fach
Yn lanach, lanach beunydd!
(middle verse not transcribed yet)
Tra fo dwr y mÃ'r yn hallt,
A thra fo 'ngwallt yn tyfu
A thra fo calon yn fy mron
Mi fydda'n ffryddlon i ti?
Dywed i mi'r gwir dan gel
A rho dan sel d'atebion
P'un ai myfi neu arall, Ann
Sydd orau gan dy galon
In Cerys Matthews's "Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn," the singer is a young boy who describes his idyllic life of frolicking in the fields and tending to the white wheat. The lyrics speak to the simplicity and beauty of rural life, and the singer seems content and at peace. One can sense the joy and wonder in his voice as he muses on why the other person is not by his side, enjoying the sights and sounds of the countryside with him.
The middle verse of the song is not transcribed, and it is unclear what it contains. The final verse speaks of the natural world around the singer – the water is salty (seawater), the grass is growing, and his heart is full of love. The singer implores Ann to tell him the truth and to give him her answer. He wonders who is best suited for her heart: him or someone else.
Overall, the song is a tender and sweet depiction of a child's view of life in rural Wales. The theme of connection to nature, longing for companionship, and the purity of young love runs throughout the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Mi sydd fachgen ieuanc ffÃ'l
I am a young boy full of energy
Yn byw yn Ã'l fy ffansi
Living life to the fullest with joy
Myfi'n bugeilio'r gwenith gwyn
I am watching the white wheat
Ac arall yn ei fedi
And another in its surrounding
Pam na ddeui di ar Ã'l
Why don't you come along to the field
Ryw ddydd ar Ã'l ei gilydd?
One day when the time permits?
Gwaith 'rwy'n dy weld, y feinir fach
I see the pretty maiden at work
Yn lanach, lanach beunydd!
Getting cleaner day by day
Tra fo dwr y Môr yn hallt,
While the sea's water is salt
A thra fo 'ngwallt yn tyfu
And as my hair grows
A thra fo calon yn fy mron
And as my heart beats
Mi fydda'n ffryddlon i ti?
Will I be faithful to you?
Dywed i mi'r gwir dan gel
Tell me the truth in secret
A rho dan sel d'atebion
And give me the key to the answers
P'un ai myfi neu arall, Ann
Whether it is me or someone else, Ann
Sydd orau gan dy galon
Who is best for your heart
Contributed by Chase T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.