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
Harvest Moon
Donnie Munro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Strangers of time and place
For a while your limbs entwine
Holy marriage of the flesh
But I know your ways
Your ways are not mortal thought
Till the day breaks and shadows run
Run away
So shine on harvest moon
Cast your might on the ripening corn
And I look at your life
Hold you in my arms
With all the power in the days of youth
In the fullness of love
Fields run deep in golden swards
Hot summer winds blow through the corn
Cast off your sorrows now you stand
In the presence of the Lord
And your radiance shines
Like the moon of all innocent grace
To know that we dared breathe belief
To love again
The lyrics to Donnie Munro's song Harvest Moon are incredibly poetic and have a deep meaning. The first verse talks about how we are all sons and daughters of the dust, strangers to each other in time and place, but in the moment of physical intimacy, our bodies entwine and we experience a holy marriage of flesh. However, the singer knows that our ways are not just mortal thoughts, we are much more than just physical beings. When the day breaks and the shadows disappear, we are more than just what we see in the physical world.
The chorus talks about the beauty and power of a harvest moon shining on the corn fields, giving them strength to ripen. It is also a symbol of the fullness of love and the power of youth. The singer looks at the life of the person they are holding in their arms and feels the strength and power of youth and love.
In the second verse, the lyrics talk about the beauty of the golden swards in the fields and the hot summer winds that blow through the corn. The singer tells us to cast off our sorrows and stand in the presence of the Lord. The radiance of our innocence and grace, shines like the moon. We should dare to breathe belief and love again.
Line by Line Meaning
Sons and daughters of the dust
The people are born from nature and are made of the same dust as everything else
Strangers of time and place
The people are wanderers, unsure of where they came from and where they are going
For a while your limbs entwine
For a time, people come together emotionally and physically
Holy marriage of the flesh
The joining of bodies is a sacred act
But I know your ways
Despite coming together, people can be unpredictable
Your ways are not mortal thought
Even though people are human, their emotions can be overwhelming and impossible to interpret
Till the day breaks and shadows run
It is not until sunrise and night has passed that people's true feelings are revealed
Run away
But sometimes, people may feel the need to escape from love
So shine on harvest moon
The harvest moon represents a time of fertility and abundance
Cast your might on the ripening corn
The moon has the power to enhance the growth of crops
And I look at your life
The singer observes and considers the person's existence
Hold you in my arms
The artist embraces the person lovingly
With all the power in the days of youth
Having the full force of energy and passion that comes with being a young person
In the fullness of love
Being fully consumed by the sensations of love
Fields run deep in golden swards
There are vast, glorious fields of gold that stretch far and wide
Hot summer winds blow through the corn
In the heat of summer, the corn rustles in the breeze
Cast off your sorrows now you stand
Leave behind any pain and stand in the warmth of the sun, enjoying life
In the presence of the Lord
Being in the grandeur of God's glory, feeling his great power
And your radiance shines
The person's light and beauty stand out
Like the moon of all innocent grace
Like the pure and uncorrupted moon
To know that we dared breathe belief
It is thrilling to believe and let oneself be swept away by love
To love again
To give oneself over to love anew
Contributed by Blake B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.