Donnie Munro/Donaidh Rothach (born August 2, 1953, in Uig, Isle of Skye) is… Read Full Bio ↴Donnie Munro/Donaidh Rothach (born August 2, 1953, in Uig, Isle of Skye) is a Scottish musician, and former lead singer of the band Runrig.

A native speaker of Scottish Gaelic, much of his work is in that language.

He attended Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen and did a postgraduate in teaching at Moray House in Edinburgh. He first saw Runrig play in 1973 and was approached one year later to become a member of the band. He later disagreed with his bandmates over several issues, including politics; Pete Wishart later became a Scottish National Party Member of Parliament.

Munro was elected as Rector of the University of Edinburgh in 1991, a position he held until 1994. He contested the Scottish Parliament seat of Ross, Skye and Inverness West at the 1999 election for Labour, but was defeated by Liberal Democrat John Farquhar Munro. This necessitated leaving the band, which he did in 1997, by which time it was well known that he intended to stand for election. In 2001, it was mischievously pointed out in the media that he had lost the race for the title of 'first member of Runrig to be elected to parliament', after Peter Wishart became an SNP MP at Westminster.

In 1996 he gave the prestigious Sabhal Mòr Lecture.

In 1998 Munro was elected as the first rector of the UHI Millennium Institute, a post that lasted 3 years.

Munro now enjoys a successful solo career, as well as working as the director of development at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, a college on Skye. Munro was sacked by the Scottish Football Association from his role of singing the National Anthem following complaints from fans that due to his Unionist political leanings he refused to sing a verse of Flower of Scotland about rising up and being a nation again.

Official website www.donniemunro.co.uk

Dark Eyes
Donnie Munro Lyrics

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Dark Eyes lyrics by Donnie Munro

Captured by your dark eyes
And the way you dance
A rose that's grown in empty years
Awaits it's slipping chance
Your love is searching, cold as stone
For fourteen summers long

And fourteen winters cold as steel
Have sung your lonely song.

Captured by your dark eyes
And the way you dance
Deep passion forged of melting iron
Awaits it's slipping chance
Slow turns the tune that plays our part
And ends on empty floor
Cold winter winds await us both
Outside this dance-hall floor.

Dance with me
Dance with me
Turn the bitter wind

Leave at last the barren ground
That we now both live in.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Donnie Munro's song "Dark Eyes" depict a love story of longing and desire that is brought to life through his use of vivid imagery and metaphors. The singer of the song is captivated by the subject's dark eyes and the way they move as they dance. The metaphor of a rose grown in empty years waiting for its chance to slip away represents the subject's search for love in what feels like a desolate and hopeless place. The description of their love as "searching, cold as stone" portrays a love that is perhaps difficult and complex, yet enduring.

The next verse elaborates on this idea, as the singer highlights the intense passion between the two lovers that has been forged of "melting iron." The slow tune that plays their story is juxtaposed against the idea of an empty floor, ending in a sense of loneliness and emptiness. The final verse calls for the subject to dance together, to turn the bitter wind, and leave behind the barren ground on which they reside. The lyrics suggest a yearning for hope and a desire to find a way to escape their current situation.

Overall, "Dark Eyes" is a beautifully written song that captures the complex emotions of love and desire. Munro's use of metaphor and vivid imagery paint a picture of a love that is both enduring and difficult, yet worth fighting for.

Line by Line Meaning

Captured by your dark eyes
Enchanted by your alluring gaze

And the way you dance
Mesmerized by your graceful movements

A rose that's grown in empty years
Love that has flourished in lonely times

Awaits its slipping chance
Hopeful for an opportunity to bloom

Your love is searching, cold as stone
Searching for love with a heart of stone

For fourteen summers long
For fourteen years of warmth and light

And fourteen winters cold as steel
And fourteen years of chilling and hard times

Have sung your lonely song
That have been the soundtrack of your loneliness

Deep passion forged of melting iron
Intense love that was born from fire and struggle

Slow turns the tune that plays our part
The music playing as we dance together is slow and solemn

And ends on empty floor
And comes to an end on a dance floor devoid of life