Declan de Barra was born in Waterford, Ireland and has been working as an i… Read Full Bio ↴Declan de Barra was born in Waterford, Ireland and has been working as an independent musician since the age of 18. Forced to emigrate to Australia during the bleak 80’s, Declan quickly entered the Australian Music and Arts scene, touring the country for a number of years with his group Non-Intentional Lifeform on Dutch label Roadrunner Records.

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".

Blackbird Song
Declan De Barra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's a lonely old world
Sometimes it takes all your strength
To raise up your hand
And wipe all the tears away..
That fall on your chest
And you realise you're on your own
There's only your blood,
Blood won't let you down,

Blood won't let you down,
Blood won't let you down,
Blood won't let you down...

From up here on a branch
Catch all our summer rays
Fall on winter days
Lay us to rest,
From up here on a branch
Catch all our summer rays
Fall on winter days
Lay us to rest,
Lay us to rest,
Lay us to rest,
Lay us to rest...

And if you're out there now
I'm singing this blackbird song
Hoping that you'll come home
Where i said i would be...
We might be alone
Alone in this dark old world
Blood would be as one,
Our blood wont let us down,
Blood won't let us down,
Blood won't let us down,
Blood won't let us down...

And we catch our breath,
Catch all our summer rays
Fall on winter days
Lay us to rest
And i am singing
I'm singing this blackbird song
Hoping that youll come home

Come home to me,
I'm singing for you...

Overall Meaning

The song Blackbird Song by Declan De Barra tells a story of loneliness and the strength it takes to find hope. The singer expresses the feeling of being on their own and how it sometimes takes all their energy to wipe away the tears that fall on their chest. They find solace in their own blood, acknowledging that it will never let them down. As they perch on a branch, they catch the summer rays which will fall on them like a blanket during winter, laying them to rest.

The singer sends out an invitation to whoever is out there, hoping that they'll come home, where they said they would be. They understand that they may be alone in this dark old world, but still have faith in the unbreakable bond of blood that will keep them together. As they catch their breath and the summer rays, they sing the blackbird song with the hope that the other person will come home to them. The song as a whole reflects the feeling of being lost in the world but still holding onto hope and the power of blood to keep loved ones together.

Line by Line Meaning

It's a lonely old world
The world can be a solitary and isolated place

Sometimes it takes all your strength
Dealing with circumstances can require all of one's energy and determination

To raise up your hand
To make a gesture or take an action

And wipe all the tears away..
To dry or remove tears from one's face

That fall on your chest
The tears that flow from one's eyes and then drip onto their chest

And you realise you're on your own
The realization that one is alone in facing their problems

There's only your blood,
Family is the only thing that one can truly count on

Blood won't let you down,
Family will always be there for you

From up here on a branch
Viewing things from a higher perspective

Catch all our summer rays
Enjoying the warmth and brightness of summer

Fall on winter days
Memories of summer bring comfort during difficult times