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".

Three Days From Now
Declan De Barra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'll meet you in three days from now,
Hide yourself well and don't get caught.
When it stops burning it's safe to come home,
I won't leave you down my beautiful one.
I'll be here waiting by these woods,
Together we'll run far from harm,
The cracking of bones, the cracking of guns,
A pause in the air and then it resumes...

This is our last chance to escape here,
Fresh snow will cover our tracks.
The wind in the trees sing a song for all those who wait
Last but not forgotten..

I'll be here waiting by these woods
I will not leave without you...

Leave everything and just get out,
Run for the the trees at the coming of dawn,
Behind these woods outside of this town
As the hand strikes the hour with the gathering clouds
Are you in hiding?it's safe to come out
Have you been caught? have they shot you down?
The cracking of bones,the cracking of guns,
A pause in the air and then it resumes..

Tracer lights reflect on ice through falling midnight snow...
And i'll wait all night to hear your sweet voice through falling midnight snow...

Overall Meaning

In Declan De Barra's song Three Days From Now, the singer is planning to meet someone, likely a lover, in three days from now, asking them to hide themselves well and not get caught before then. The lyrics suggest that there is danger looming, as the singer promises that they won't leave the other person down and that they will be waiting by the woods. It's likely that there is something they are trying to escape from or avoid, as they sing about leaving everything behind and running for the trees at the coming of dawn. The cracking of bones and guns suggest violence, and the singer references the need to wait for a pause in the air before it resumes, like a battle or conflict.

The lyrics also paint a picture of a winter landscape, with fresh snow covering tracks and the wind in the trees singing a song for those who are waiting. The tracer lights reflect on the ice, adding to the sense of tension and danger in the air. The singer promises not to leave without the person they are meeting, suggesting that they may be fleeing together from a common threat. Overall, the song is a haunting and compelling tale of love in the face of danger, and the lengths one would go to be with someone they care about.

Line by Line Meaning

I'll meet you in three days from now,
Let's meet up three days from now.

Hide yourself well and don't get caught.
Be careful not to get caught as it could be dangerous.

When it stops burning it's safe to come home,
It will be safe to return home once everything has settled down.

I won't leave you down my beautiful one.
I won't abandon you, my dear.

I'll be here waiting by these woods,
I'll be waiting for you by the woods.

Together we'll run far from harm,
Let's escape this place and run far away from danger.

The cracking of bones, the cracking of guns, A pause in the air and then it resumes...
There is violence and chaos around us, and it seems to stop at times but then continues again.

This is our last chance to escape here, Fresh snow will cover our tracks.
We won't have another opportunity to leave safely, so we must take it now while the snow can cover our tracks.

The wind in the trees sing a song for all those who wait Last but not forgotten..
The trees sway with the wind and seem to be singing a song of waiting for those who are not yet safe, but they will not be forgotten.

I will not leave without you...
I won't go without you by my side.

Leave everything and just get out,
We need to abandon everything and leave this place behind.

Run for the the trees at the coming of dawn, Behind these woods outside of this town As the hand strikes the hour with the gathering clouds
We should make a run for it towards the woods at dawn, behind them and out of this town as soon as the sky darkens and bad weather rolls in.

Are you in hiding?it's safe to come out Have you been caught? have they shot you down?
Are you in hiding? It's okay to come out now. Have you been caught or maybe even been shot?

Tracer lights reflect on ice through falling midnight snow...
There are lights reflecting on the ice due to the tracer rounds being shot and the snow is still falling in the dark of midnight.

And i'll wait all night to hear your sweet voice through falling midnight snow...
I'll wait here all night for your comforting voice to soothe me through the snowstorm.

Contributed by Asher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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