Danny Thompson is an Engli… Read Full Bio ↴Born Teignmouth, England, 4th April 1939.
Danny Thompson is an English double bass player perhaps best known for his work with the English folk rock group Pentangle and his longstanding partnership with John Martyn, Primarily a jazz player, his earliest recordings were made with bluesman Alexis Korner. As well as Pentangle and Martyn, Thompson worked with other eclectic folkies such as Davy Graham, Nick Drake abd The Incredible String Band as well as the South African jazz pianist Chris McGregor, while his numerous session credits included Cliff Richard's Congratulations'. More recently he has collaborated extensively with Richard Thompson as well as recording wth Talk Talk, Kate Bush, David Sylvian and Everything But The Girl, to name just a few. Thompson also led his own band, Whatever which fused jazz with English, European and Celtic folk influences. He took part in the reformed original line-up of Pentangle n 2008, subsequent to the band receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards the previous year.
Celia
Danny Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And few seldom do,
Should you follow the song of the gull
To enchanted western isles,
Coax a fisherman to take you out
Where the silky seals are seen,
Hear the stories that they tell about
The maiden who is their queen,
Celia of the seals,
She knows just how they feel,
Celia of the seals.
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
Seal hunters are not brave and bold,
They murder her poor wee seals
And cut off their skins to be sold,
Cursed be he who deals.
There's no reason for this slaughtering,
They're left on the rocks to bleed
He's not a man who does this thing,
It's a cruel and a heartless deed,
A cruel and a-heartless deed.
Celia of the seals,
She knows just how they feel,
Celia of the seals.
Celia of the seals,
Celia of the seals,
She knows just how they feel,
Celia of the seals,
Celia of the seals,
Celia of the seals,
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay
Danny Thompson's song "Celia" tells the story of a mythical maiden who is the queen of the seals in the enchanted western isles. The song starts by inviting the listener to explore the northern land and follow the song of the gull to discover this place. Once there, the listener is encouraged to talk to fishermen who can take them to where "silky seals" can be seen and hear the stories they tell about Celia. Celia is portrayed as someone who understands the seals on a deep level and knows just how they feel. However, hunters who slaughter and sell the seals' skins are cursed, and Celia is depicted as standing up for the creatures she rules over.
The song has a clear environmental message about the cruelty of killing seals and profiting from their skin. The repetition of the phrase "Celia of the seals" reinforces her importance and highlights the injustice of the hunters' actions. The use of the phrase "voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay" throughout the song is interesting because it is not a known phrase in the English language. It's likely that the phrase is a reference to a Celtic or Gaelic chant or song, adding to the mystique and otherworldliness of the lyrics.
Overall, "Celia" is a beautiful and haunting song that tells a powerful story with a message that is still relevant today.
Line by Line Meaning
Should you wander this land to the North,
If you ever wander to the North,
And few seldom do,
but not many people do,
Should you follow the song of the gull
If you follow the sound of seagulls,
To enchanted western isles,
to the magical western isles,
Coax a fisherman to take you out
Persuade a fisherman to take you on a boat,
Where the silky seals are seen,
where you can spot the smooth seals,
Hear the stories that they tell about
Listen to the tales they narrate about,
The maiden who is their queen,
the queen maiden of the seals,
The maiden who is their queen.
the queen maiden of the seals.
Celia of the seals,
The name of the queen of the seals is Celia,
She knows just how they feel,
She knows how the seals feel,
Celia of the seals.
The name of the queen of the seals is Celia.
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
"Battle, battle, battle, battle battle, go away"
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
"Battle, battle, battle, battle battle, go away"
Seal hunters are not brave and bold,
Seal hunters are not brave nor courageous,
They murder her poor wee seals
They kill her small and weak seals,
And cut off their skins to be sold,
And sell their skins after peeling them off their bodies,
Cursed be he who deals.
May the one who does this be cursed.
There's no reason for this slaughtering,
There's no justifiable reason for killing them,
They're left on the rocks to bleed
They are left on the rocks to die
He's not a man who does this thing,
The one who does this is not a man,
It's a cruel and a heartless deed,
It is a cruel and heartless act.
A cruel and a-heartless deed.
A cruel and heartless act.
Celia of the seals,
The name of the queen of the seals is Celia,
She knows just how they feel,
She knows how the seals feel,
Celia of the seals.
The name of the queen of the seals is Celia.
Celia of the seals,
The name of the queen of the seals is Celia,
Celia of the seals,
The name of the queen of the seals is Celia,
She knows just how they feel,
She knows how the seals feel,
Celia of the seals,
The name of the queen of the seals is Celia,
Celia of the seals,
The name of the queen of the seals is Celia,
Celia of the seals,
The name of the queen of the seals is Celia,
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
"Battle, battle, battle, battle battle, go away"
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
"Battle, battle, battle, battle battle, go away"
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DONOVAN LEITCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind