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.
Brown Eyes
Christy Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sat there nearly lifeless.
An old man in the corner sang,
Where the water lilies grow.
On the jukebox Johnny sang,
About a thing called love.
And it's "how are you kid? What's your name?
And what do you know?"
In blood and death 'neath a screaming sky
I lay down on the ground.
The arms and legs of other men
Were scattered all around.
Some prayed and cursed, then cursed and prayed
And then they prayed some more.
And the only thing that I could see,
Was a pair of brown eyes they were looking at me.
When we got back, labeled parts one to three,
There was no fairer brown eyes waiting for me.
And a rovin' a rovin' a rovin' I'll go,
A rovin' a rovin' a rovin' I'll go,
And a rovin' a rovin' a rovin' I'll go,
For a pair of brown eyes,
For a pair of brown eyes.
I looked at him he looked at me,
All I could do was hate him.
While Ray and Philomena sang,
Of my elusive dream.
I saw the streams and the rolling hills,
Where his brown eyes were waiting.
And I thought about a pair of brown eyes,
That waited once for me,
That waited once for me.
So drunk as hell I left the place,
Sometimes walking, sometimes crawling.
A hungry sound came through the breeze,
So I gave the walls a talking.
And I heard the sounds of long ago,
From the old canal.
And the birds were whistling in the trees,
Where the wind was gently laughing.
And a rovin' a rovin' a rovin' I'll go,
A rovin' a rovin' a rovin' I'll go,
And a rovin' a rovin' a rovin' I'll go,
For a pair of brown eyes,
For a pair of brown eyes.
The song, "A Pair of Brown Eyes" by Christy Moore is about a man who is drunk and lost in thought at a bar. He’s listening to a jukebox and an old man singing in the corner when the song takes a dark turn. Suddenly, he is taken back to a time during a war where he saw other men praying and cursing while dead bodies lay all around. All he could see were a pair of brown eyes that were looking at him. When he returned home, he realized that the pair of brown eyes that were waiting for him were no longer there. He then goes on to roam around aimlessly, remembering the past and the pair of brown eyes that used to wait for him.
The lyrics are filled with imagery depicting the tragedy of war and the lasting impact it has on those who experience it. The song is a powerful representation of the pain of loss and the longing for that which is lost.
Overall, the song has been interpreted in many ways over the years, from a war song to a love song, as it speaks to the universality of longing and loss that everyone has experienced at some point in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
One summer evening drunk as hell
On a summer evening, extremely intoxicated.
I sat there nearly lifeless.
Sitting there with almost no energy or will to move.
An old man in the corner sang,
A man who was elderly situated in the corner, was singing.
Where the water lilies grow.
He sung a melody mentioning a location where water lilies grow.
On the jukebox Johnny sang,
The jukebox music was playing a melody sung by Johnny.
About a thing called love.
The song from the jukebox was about love.
And it's "how are you kid? What's your name?
The singer spoke directly towards the listener, asking their name and how they were doing.
And what do you know?"
The singer was curious about what the listener knew.
In blood and death 'neath a screaming sky
A hellish, chaotic environment of death and bloodshed.
I lay down on the ground.
The singer laid on the ground amidst the chaos.
The arms and legs of other men
Body parts belonging to other men.
Were scattered all around.
The body parts were scattered in the vicinity.
Some prayed and cursed, then cursed and prayed
Some were lamenting, some were angry, and then alternating between both emotions, they were pleading and praying.
And then they prayed some more.
They persisted with their prayers.
And the only thing that I could see,
The only thing the singer could focus on in the moment was.
Was a pair of brown eyes they were looking at me.
He saw a pair of eyes looking at him from the chaos.
When we got back, labeled parts one to three,
After the chaos had ended, the body parts were collected and arranged.
There was no fairer brown eyes waiting for me.
Although the singer saw brown eyes during the chaos, there was no one with fair brown eyes waiting for him when he returned.
And a rovin' a rovin' a rovin' I'll go,
The singer will travel anywhere.
For a pair of brown eyes,
In search of the brown eyes he saw amidst the chaos.
For a pair of brown eyes.
Emphasizing the goal of his travels.
I looked at him he looked at me,
The singer is describing a situation of a stare down against someone.
All I could do was hate him.
He was feeling anger and hate towards the person he was looking at.
While Ray and Philomena sang,
A song was playing sung by Ray and Philomena.
Of my elusive dream.
The lyrics of the song were regarding the singer's dream that seems out of reach.
I saw the streams and the rolling hills,
The singer recalls picturesque countryside scenery.
Where his brown eyes were waiting.
Recalling the brown eyes from the chaotic event before.
And I thought about a pair of brown eyes,
The recurring thought of the brown eyes from before.
That waited once for me,
The brown eyes may have held some significance for the artist.
That waited once for me.
Reiterating the previous line, the brown eyes were waiting for him at some point.
So drunk as hell I left the place,
Leaving the location very drunk.
Sometimes walking, sometimes crawling.
His mode of transportation while leaving fluctuated between walking and crawling.
A hungry sound came through the breeze,
A howling sound was audible in the area.
So I gave the walls a talking.
The singer attempted to engage with the environment by speaking to the walls.
And I heard the sounds of long ago,
The notes around the singer triggered memories from the past.
From the old canal.
Highlighting where the sounds were coming from.
And the birds were whistling in the trees,
Birds were audible, tweeting while perched on trees nearby.
Where the wind was gently laughing.
The wind caused a rustling sound, almost as if laughing.
And a rovin' a rovin' a rovin' I'll go,
The singer restates his intention of travelling anywhere.
For a pair of brown eyes,
The search for the brown eyes is still the primary motivation for his travels.
For a pair of brown eyes.
Re-emphasizing the reason he is travelling.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Shane Patrick Lysaght Macgowan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Oisin feehilly
on By Barna
Hellow Lady, Can I borrow your teddy
Samuel Joseph Donnelly
on Whacker Humphries
Ask "whacker" about the Provo they marched on and set up for votes in council elections- set up by a brasser from the Barn named Lilly Healy- 18 fucking years in blocks/cages/ torture centres and back stabbed by wannabes from Dublin! Between Active service ( killing etc whacker in case you didn't know!!
Chloe Mcl
on Hey Paddy
Is that the words Brendan O'Carroll sing