Christy Moore started in the music business in the mid-sixties, when his life as a bank clerk was interrupted by a bank strike, and he moved to England. There he became involved in the folk music scene at the time, and spent a few years playing pubs and clubs around the country.
His return to Ireland was marked by the album 'Prosperous', which proved to be a milestone in the rapprochement of Irish music to the popular mainstream. This album benefited from a collaboration of the leading talents of contemporary folk music, musicians such as Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny and Liam O'Flynn, and this one-off was to lead to the formation of Planxty, a band who were soon to be at the leading edge of the revival of Irish traditional music.
Over the following years the musical status of Planxty became legendary both in Ireland, Britain and throughout Europe. However in 1974 the band split up to pursue solo projects. It was during this period that Christy continued to explore new ground as a solo artist recording a number of solo albums including 'The Iron Behind the Velvet' (TARACD2002) which featured Andy Irvine and 'Live in Dublin' (TARACD2005) with Donal Lunny.
The original Planxty lineup of Christy, Andy, Liam and Donal then reformed in 1979. They recorded two further albums with Tara Records 'After the Break' (TARACD3001) and 'The Woman I Loved So Well' (TARACD3005). There were several additions and changes to their lineup most notably the addition of Matt Molloy, flautist from The Bothy Band, who later joined The Chieftains, and Bill Whelan.
In 1981 Planxty performed a Bill Whelan arrangement called 'Timedance' as the intermission piece for the Eurovision song contest, held that year in Ireland. Later it was released as a single and is now included on Bill's CD of 'The Seville Suite' (TARACD3030) released by Tara in 1992.
In the eighties Christy again teamed up with Donal Lunny to form Moving Hearts, another ambitious and innovative Irish band which sought to mix jazz into the folk-rock fusion. Ever the wanderer, Christy was soon breaking out on his own again, and it was in the eighties that he began to establish himself as one of Ireland's leading solo artists with a string of acclaimed albums and high profile tours.
In the mid-nineties Christy decided to take a break from the music for a few years. In the year 2000 Christy return to live performances with a series of Dublin concerts. Over the last few years he has released a number of solo projects including a television series, a live album and a 6 CD boxset.
Before The Deluge
Christy Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who were making plans and thinking of the future
With the energy of the innocent, they were gathering the tools
That they would need to make their journey back to nature.
When the sand slipped through the opening
And their hands reached for the golden ring
And their hearts turned to each others hearts for refuge
In the troubled years that came before the deluge
Some of them knew pleasure, some of them knew pain
And for some of them it was only the moment that mattered
On the wild and crazy wings of youth they went flying around in the rain,
Until their feathers once so fine were torn and tattered
In the end they traded their tired wings
For the resignation that living brings
They traded love's bright and fragile glow for the glitter and the rouge
In a moment they were swept before the deluge
So let the music keep your spirits high
Let the buildings keep your children dry
Let creation reveal its secrets by and by, by and by
When the light that's lost within us reaches the sky
Some of them were angry at the way that the earth was abused
By those men who learned to forge beauty into power
And in trying to protect us from them only became confused
By the magnitude of the fury in the final hour
When the sand was gone and the time arrived
In the naked dawn only a few survived
In attempts to understand this thing so simple and so huge
Believed they were meant to live after the deluge
So let the music keep your spirits high
Let the buildings keep your children dry
Let creation reveal its secrets by and by, by and by
When the light that's lost within us reaches the sky
The song Before The Deluge by Christy Moore is a reflective and philosophical look at the cyclical nature of life and the inevitable rise and fall of societies. The opening lines refer to a group of people who were either dreamers or fools, but all had a common goal in mind – to return to nature. They gathered the tools they would need to fulfill this desire, but ultimately succumbed to the troubled years leading up to the deluge. The deluge refers to a biblical flood, which is a metaphor for a major catastrophe that wipes out society as it was known. In this case, it could be interpreted as a societal collapse resulting from environmental destruction, war, or any other major event.
The second verse contrasts some people who only lived in the moment, while others experienced both pleasure and pain. Many lost their innocence “on the wild and crazy wings of youth” and became disillusioned with the world. They traded their youthful ideals for the superficial glitter of society, until they too were swept up in the deluge. The final verse is a call to keep one's spirits high and take care of the next generation. The only way to move forward is to have hope for the future and to keep striving for a better world.
Line by Line Meaning
Some of them were dreamers, some of them were fools
Some people were idealists, while others were foolish.
Who were making plans and thinking of the future
They were busy making plans and envisioning the future.
With the energy of the innocent, they were gathering the tools
They were gathering resources with the enthusiasm of the younger generation.
That they would need to make their journey back to nature.
To make a journey towards nature, they collected all the necessary tools.
When the sand slipped through the opening
When time started slipping away.
And their hands reached for the golden ring
They strived for wealth and prosperity.
And their hearts turned to each other's hearts for refuge
They found solace in each other's company when they faced tough times.
In the troubled years that came before the deluge
Before the great flood, there were difficult times.
Some of them knew pleasure, some of them knew pain
Some experienced happiness and others faced pain.
And for some of them it was only the moment that mattered
Some lived for the moment and cared only about instant gratification.
On the wild and crazy wings of youth they went flying around in the rain,
During youthful days, they were adventurous.
Until their feathers once so fine were torn and tattered
Eventually, they ended up being damaged and worn out.
In the end, they traded their tired wings
Finally, they gave up their exhausted spirits.
For the resignation that living brings
They had to adjust to the realities of life.
They traded love's bright and fragile glow for the glitter and the rouge
They had to make a transaction between pure love and superficial things.
In a moment, they were swept before the deluge
They were overwhelmed by the disaster when the flood came.
So let the music keep your spirits high
The music should keep your spirit elevated.
Let the buildings keep your children dry
Buildings should protect our children from harsh conditions.
Let creation reveal its secrets by and by, by and by
Gradually, the mysteries of the universe should be revealed to us.
When the light that's lost within us reaches the sky
When our innermost light reaches the heavens above.
Some of them were angry at the way that the earth was abused
Some individuals were outraged at how humanity exploited the natural resources of the earth.
By those men who learned to forge beauty into power
Through applying aesthetic appeal, some people accumulate immense power.
And in trying to protect us from them only became confused
People lost sight of what's important while trying to protect themselves from these powerful individuals.
By the magnitude of the fury in the final hour
In the last moments, the great flood caused unprecedented destruction.
When the sand was gone and the time arrived
When the hour approached and time ran out.
In the naked dawn, only a few survived
After everything was gone, only a few were left.
In attempts to understand this thing so simple and so huge
While trying to make sense of the great flood, a seemingly straightforward and colossal event.
Believed they were meant to live after the deluge
They looked forward to the possibility of starting anew after the flood.
Contributed by Josiah J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@bonito613
CHRISTY MOORE - BEFORE THE DELUGE
Some of them they were dreamers, some of them were fools
They were making plans and thinking of the future
With the energy of the innocent, they were gathering the tools
They would need to make their journey back to nature.
When the sand slipped through the opening
And their hands reached for the golden ring
And their hearts turned to each others hearts for refuge
In the troubled years that came before the deluge
Some of them knew pleasure, some of them knew pain
And for some of them it was only the moment that mattered
On the wild and crazy wings of youth they went flying around in the rain,
Until their feathers once so fine were torn and tattered
In the end they traded their tired wings
For the resignation that living brings
They traded love's bright and fragile glow for the glitter and the rouge
In a moment they were swept before the deluge
So let the music keep your spirits high
Let the buildings keep your children dry
Let creation reveal its secrets by and by, by and by
When the light that's lost within us reaches the sky
Some of them were angry at the way that the earth was abused
By those men who learned to forge beauty into power
And in trying to protect us from them only became confused
By the magnitude of the fury in the final hour
When the sand was gone and the time arrived
In the naked dawn only a few survived
In attempts to understand this thing so simple and so huge
they believed they were meant to live after the deluge
let the music keep your spirits high
Let the buildings keep your children dry
Let creation reveal its secrets by and by, by and by
When the light that's lost within us reaches the sky
@vasiliosvhta3054
Vasilios Vhta
The people are born not made, and as you live there will be this "spark" can the IRA be crossed by many rivers, for too many years, many inocents peoples to have lost their lives in this fight, and for many to have blamed, but the truth is in the mind and hearts, everyone now knows the truth and the lies.
There will always be some with the "thirst" for freedom and democracy.
Hello and joy from Greece, the Republic of Ireland
With love
vasiliosvita.
Ο άνθρωπος γεννιέται δεν φτιάχνεται, και για όσο θα ζει θα υπάρχει αυτή η "σπίθα", μπορεί ο ΙΡΑ να πέρασε από πολλά ποτάμια, για παρά πολλά χρόνια, πολλοί αθώοι άνθρωποι να έχασαν τη ζωή τους σε αυτό τον αγώνα, και για πολλά να έχει κατηγορηθεί, άλλα η αλήθεια υπάρχει στο νου και στις καρδιές, όλοι γνωρίζουν πια την αλήθεια και τα ψέματα.
πάντα θα υπάρχουν κάποιοι με την "δίψα" για ελευθερία και για Δημοκρατία.
Γεια και χαρά από την Ελλάδα, στην Δημοκρατία της Ιρλανδίας
Με αγάπη
Βασίλειοςβήτα.
@PC-wh3xf
Let the music keep your spirits high ✨️
@gerardmclean6284
When I listen to Christy I hear the heartbeat of my proud much abused nation he sings of the meaning of been Irish. Bless you Christy
@paul1x1
I lived in Dublin for a year before the Garda caught me they were real nice but they said you can't just stay here so I hadda go
but what a blast that year was
@arsenaltel
oh my Christy and Declan, what a team
@OKcolor
Love You Christy ♥
@pauljones5066
what a beautiful choice of song and delivery
@rosewalsh5444
Love this soooo much
@jerrycrow66
An excellent performance! Another standard when we played it in various versions of our band back in the late eighties and early nineties! ;-)
@wilhoekstra4462
❤
@drunkjock
As a long time Jackson Browne Fan, and a believer that the original is the best, I think this version proves me wrong...brilliant