In 1999 he formed the musical group Clann Zú featuring various musicians from Melbourne’s Classical, punk and electronic scenes. Clann Zú became critically acclaimed internationally, releasing two albums on Canadian political label G7 Welcoming Committee, home to writers Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn as well as acclaimed groups Propaghandi and International Noise Conspiracy. The albums “Rua” and “Black Coats and Bandages” made the top ten critics choices in various overseas press for 2002 and 2004.
Following Declan’s return to Ireland in 2002 he quickly became part of the Irish music and film scene. Continuing to perform with Clann Zú on their final tour throughout 2004 in Canada and Australia, Declan also found the time to perform as a solo artist in Ireland. Filmmaking has always been the natural progression of Declan’s musical pieces and songs. Having received numerous accolades for his animations his works have featured in numerous national and international film festivals.
Declan has just finished recording his eagerly awaited debut solo album ‘Song Of a Thousand Birds”. It features some of the cream of Irish contemporary musicians. Rónán O’Snodaigh from Kila, Turlough Gunawardhana from The Chapters on cello, Richie Egan (AKA Jape) from Redneck Manifesto on bass, Cion O’Callaghan from Paddy Casey’s band on drums and renowned fiddle player Adrian Hart. The album was recorded in various flats, basements and abandoned rooms in Dublin by de Barra over the last year and a half while two tracks were recorded in Melbourne Australia.
“It was done with what ever I could beg borrow or steal, I’d work insane hours at an animation studio and plough all me money into buying microphones and the like, food rent and sleep were secondary issues. I was fortunate that so many great musicians liked the songs and helped me out. This album is all I’ve eaten, drank and slept for the past few years.”
De Barra’s vocals are intense and passionate, with lyrical themes running from tales of love lost, to socially based themes of refugees, resistance, cultural reclamation, and survival. It is hard to pin a style on De Barra's music, from the beautiful dark melodies of the almost Sean Nós like “Leaves in the Autumn” to the intimate and sparse “Curfew”, to the huge and dramatic “Blackbird Song” and “Three Days From Now”. Critics have best described it as dark, beautiful and powerful.
Declan has released his new album "A fire to scare the sun".
Apple Tree
Declan De Barra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And from the hole a tree will grow you'll see,
And from its branches leaves will grow
Just to let the people know we're here below...
And i realise by your side,
That i love it here
And by and by,
Blossoms break out in the summertime
Each petal that drops is to remind them all we're here,
And from our hands fruit will grow
To be eaten by kids who will never know our names,my love...
And i realise by your side,
That i love it here
And by and by,
They can't destroy what i feel for you...
Winter time leaves will fall
On our beds covered in a silent shull of snow..
Tá¡ sé náos laidre (he is stronger)
Tá¡ sá nios laidre (she is stronger).
The lyrics of Declan De Barra's song "Apple Tree" speak about death, the inevitable cycle of life and death, and the importance of leaving an impact in the world even after we're gone. The first stanza talks about how our bodies will be cast into a hole after we die and how a tree will grow from that hole. This metaphorical "apple tree" represents the continuation of life after death and how our memory will continue to linger on. The tree will grow branches and leaves to let people know that we're still present in some way.
The second stanza speaks about the love between two people who are together despite the inevitability of going through this cycle of life and death. The line "they can't destroy what I feel for you" shows the power of pure love that transcends everything, even death.
The third stanza talks about how the fruit of the apple tree will be eaten by kids who will never know our names. This line represents the idea that we should strive to leave behind something positive in the world, something that will benefit others even if they never knew us personally. The final line of the song, "Tá sé náos laidre, tá sá nios laidre," is a phrase in Irish Gaelic that translates to "he is stronger, she is stronger," which could potentially represent the idea that even in death, we still have strength and resilience.
Line by Line Meaning
They cast our bodies into a hole
Our lifeless bodies were discarded into a ditch
And from the hole a tree will grow you'll see,
A tree will sprout from this place, signifying our presence
And from its branches leaves will grow
Leaves will emerge from the branches, serving as a reminder of our existence
Just to let the people know we're here below...
The tree and its leaves will convey the message of our being here
And i realise by your side,
Being with you has brought me to the realization that
That i love it here
I am content with my current situation
And by and by,
Over time,
They can't destroy what i feel for you...
My love for you cannot be tarnished or eliminated
Blossoms break out in the summertime
Flowers flourish in the summer season
Each petal that drops is to remind them all we're here,
The petals symbolize our presence and serve to keep our memory alive
And from our hands fruit will grow
Fruit will sprout from the seeds we plant
To be eaten by kids who will never know our names,my love...
Future generations will benefit from our work, ignorant of who we are
Winter time leaves will fall
In the winter, the leaves on the tree will drop
On our beds covered in a silent shull of snow..
Our graves will be blanketed with a peaceful layer of snow
Tá sé náos laidre (he is stronger)
This Irish phrase signifies the strength of one gender
Tá sá nios laidre (she is stronger).
And this phrase signifies the strength of the other gender
Contributed by Julia P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paul burke
on Tá brón orm (i'm sorry)
AAAAAAAAAHHHHH MY PEENIE IS SORE