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.
The Dark Eyed Sailor
Christy Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It bein' the summertime to take the air
I spied a sailor and a lady gay
And I stood to listen
And I stood to listen to hear what they would say.
He said "Fair lady, why do you roam
For the day is spent and the night is on"
"For my dark-eyed sailor
For my dark-eyed sailor, so young and stout and bold."
"'Tis seven long years since he left this land
A ring he took from off his lily-white hand
One half of the ring is still here with me
But the other's rollin'
But the other's rollin' at the bottom of the sea."
He said "You may drive him out of your mind
Some other young man you will surely find
Love turns aside and soon cold has grown
Like the winter's morning
Like the winter's morning, the hills are white with snow."
She said "I'll never forsake my dear
Although we're parted this many a year
Genteel he was and a rake like you
To induce a maiden
To induce a maiden to slight the jacket blue."
One half of the ring did young William show
She ran distracted in grief and woe
Sayin' "William, William, I have gold in store
For my dark-eyed sailor
For my dark-eyed sailor has proved his honour long"
And there is a cottage by yonder lea
This couple's married and does agree
So maids be loyal when your love's at sea
For a cloudy morning
For a cloudy morning brings in a sunny day.
The Dark Eyed Sailor is a traditional Irish ballad that has been covered by several artists, including Christy Moore, who recorded it for his album, The Iron Behind the Velvet. The song tells the story of a sailor and a lady who longs for him. It starts with the singer roving out one summer evening when he comes across the sailor and the lady. The sailor asks why she is roaming, and she replies that she is looking for her dark-eyed sailor who left seven years ago, taking a ring with him. She has kept one half of the ring, and the other is at the bottom of the sea. The sailor suggests that she forget him, but she replies that she could never give up on him. She gets emotional when the sailor shows her the other half of the ring, and they end up getting married and living in a cottage.
The song is a poignant tale of love and persistence, and it highlights the struggles of couples who are separated by distance and time. The lady in the story experiences a range of emotions, from sadness to hope, and her determination to find her love is admirable. The sailor's advice to forget him is a reflection of the harsh reality of life, where sometimes, things don't work out the way we want them to. However, the couple's eventual reunion shows that sometimes, love conquers all.
Line by Line Meaning
As I roved out one evening fair
On a fair summer evening, I went for a walk
It bein' the summertime to take the air
It was summertime and I wanted to get some fresh air
I spied a sailor and a lady gay
I saw a sailor and a happy woman together
And I stood to listen
I stayed to hear what they were saying
And I stood to listen to hear what they would say.
I stayed to listen because I was curious about their conversation
He said "Fair lady, why do you roam
The sailor asked the woman why she was wandering
For the day is spent and the night is on"
The sailor noted that it was nighttime
She heaved a sigh while the tears did roll
The woman sighed and cried
"For my dark-eyed sailor
The woman explained that she was sad because of her sailor
For my dark-eyed sailor, so young and stout and bold."
She described her sailor as a young, strong, and bold man
"'Tis seven long years since he left this land
The woman said that her sailor left seven years ago
A ring he took from off his lily-white hand
She mentioned that he took a ring with him
One half of the ring is still here with me
She still has one half of the ring
But the other's rollin'
The other half of the ring is lost
But the other's rollin' at the bottom of the sea."
She imagines that the other half is at the bottom of the sea
He said "You may drive him out of your mind
The sailor suggested that she could forget about her sailor
Some other young man you will surely find
He suggested that she could find someone else
Love turns aside and soon cold has grown
The sailor notes that love can fade away quickly
Like the winter's morning
Love can disappear as quickly as the snow melts in the morning
Like the winter's morning, the hills are white with snow."
He emphasizes that love can be as fleeting as snow on the hills
She said "I'll never forsake my dear
The woman declared that she would never leave her sailor
Although we're parted this many a year
Even though they were separated for a long time
Genteel he was and a rake like you
She accused the sailor of trying to get her to be unfaithful
To induce a maiden
To make a young woman
To induce a maiden to slight the jacket blue."
She resented the sailor trying to persuade her to cheat on her man in uniform
One half of the ring did young William show
The sailor, William, showed her the other half of the ring
She ran distracted in grief and woe
The woman was so emotional she ran away crying
Sayin' "William, William, I have gold in store
She calls to William, offering him money
For my dark-eyed sailor
She explains that it's for her sailor
For my dark-eyed sailor has proved his honour long"
She praises her sailor for his honor and loyalty over the years
And there is a cottage by yonder lea
Then, the singer tells us they now live happily in a cottage
This couple's married and does agree
The sailor and the woman got married
So maids be loyal when your love's at sea
The singer advises young women to remain loyal when their men are at sea
For a cloudy morning
A morning when it is cloudy
For a cloudy morning brings in a sunny day.
Reminding us that there is always hope after tough times
Contributed by Muhammad H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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