In 2006 Isobel released a collaborative LP (Ballad of the Broken Seas) with former Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age singer Mark Lanegan, a mixture of folk and more rock-orientated music. October 2006 also saw the release of her latest album, Milkwhite Sheets, a more acoustic folk album, consisting of a mixture of traditional songs alonside Isobel's own compositions.
Isobel's band The Gentle Waves released its first album on Jeepster Records, titled The Green Fields of Foreverland, in 1999. The second Gentle Waves record, Swansong For You came out one year later. In 2002, she collaborated with Scottish jazz musician Bill Wells on a collection of Billie Holliday songs, released by Creeping Bent.
In 2003 Campbell released Amorino, the first solo album under her own name, to very good reviews. Bill Wells was featured here again, along with other jazz musicians.
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan form a unique combination of gruff vocals and dulcet voices. They have released three albums so far: Ballad of the Broken Seas, which received a nomination in the 2006 Mercury Awards, Sunday at Devil Dirt, which was released in May 2008. The album received US release in Fall 2008. And finally their third album Hawk was released in August 2010.
Deus Ibi Est
Isobel Campbell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An unknown force has drawn me
Bound unto a future shaped by ancestors before me
Day on day I march the beat to someone else's drum
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
Impending storm rise up rise up
Oh demons, I shall shame you
Day on day my brothers leave go marching off to war
Yet we never understand for what we're fighting for
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
Worldly desires and worldly gains
Designed for worldly men
I'm a master of the heart with ears and hands to lend
Soldiers come and soldiers go some changed by love for thee
A circle in the chain of life all fighting to be free
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
So come my lord and we shall dance
To God's own private drum
Sweet Jesus and the holy vine
The afterlife to come
Day on day I march the the beat to someone else's drum
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
The lyrics of "Deus Ibi Est" by Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan are contemplative and introspective, and draw heavily from religious and spiritual imagery. The song is largely about feeling trapped in one's circumstances, and the struggle to find meaning and purpose in life. The opening lines "Against my will to these sad shores / An unknown force has drawn me" reflect a sense of being powerless and stuck in a situation that one did not choose. The lines "Bound unto a future shaped by ancestors before me / Day on day I march the beat to someone else's drum" suggest that one's life is predetermined by the actions and choices of those who came before, and that it can be difficult to break free from that cycle.
The next stanza shifts to a more confrontational tone, with the singer addressing demons and soldiers. The lines "Impending storm rise up rise up / Oh demons, I shall shame you / Look down the barrel of my gun and one by one I'll name you" speak to a sense of righteous anger and the desire to fight against oppressors. The lines "Soldiers come and soldiers go some changed by love for thee / A circle in the chain of life all fighting to be free" continue with the theme of fighting for freedom, but also suggest that love and faith can be transformative.
The chorus of the song, "ubi caritas et amor / Ubi caritas / Deus ibi est," is in Latin and translates to "Where charity and love are, God is there." This phrase is often associated with the Christian church and is used in liturgical prayers.
Line by Line Meaning
Against my will to these sad shores
I've been unwillingly brought to these sorrowful shores
An unknown force has drawn me
I don't know what brought me here, but I couldn't resist it
Bound unto a future shaped by ancestors before me
I am destined to follow the path of my forefathers
Day on day I march the beat to someone else's drum
I am living according to someone else's will
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
I have traveled to faraway places, but there's no escape
Impending storm rise up rise up
The approaching storm is becoming stronger and closer
Oh demons, I shall shame you
I will defeat the demons and leave them embarrassed
Look down the barrel of my gun and one by one I'll name you
I'll confront and call out each one of them with my weapon
Day on day my brothers leave go marching off to war
Every day my comrades go off to fight in war
Yet we never understand for what we're fighting for
But we don't even know the reason why we are going to war
ubi caritas et amor
where charity and love
Ubi caritas
where charity
Deus ibi est
God is there
Worldly desires and worldly gains
Desires and gains that are only important in this world
Designed for worldly men
Those who live for worldly things are attracted to them
I'm a master of the heart with ears and hands to lend
I'm capable of understanding and helping those who need me
Soldiers come and soldiers go some changed by love for thee
Some soldiers may experience love during their time at war and be transformed by it
A circle in the chain of life all fighting to be free
We are all just a part of the cycle of life, fighting for our freedom
So come my lord and we shall dance
Join me, Lord, and let us celebrate and dance
To God's own private drum
Let us dance to the beat of God's own music
Sweet Jesus and the holy vine
With the help of Jesus and the sacred plant
The afterlife to come
We can look forward to a better life after this one
Day on day I march the the beat to someone else's drum
I am still living by the will of others, rather than my own
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
I have run out of options and can go no further
ubi caritas et amor
where charity and love
Ubi caritas
where charity
Deus ibi est
God is there
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CAMPBELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mara680
Against my will to these sad shores
An unknown force has drawn me
Bound unto a future shaped by ancestors before me
Day on day I march the beat to someone else's drum
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
Impending storm rise up rise up
Oh demons, I shall shame you
Look down the barrel of my gun and one by one I'll name you
Day on day my brothers leave go marching off to war
Yet we never understand for what we're fighting for
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
Worldly desires and worldly gains
Designed for worldly men
I'm a master of the heart with ears and hands to lend
Soldiers come and soldiers go some changed by love for thee
A circle in the chain of life all fighting to be free
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
So come my lord and we shall dance
To God's own private drum
Sweet Jesus and the holy vine
The afterlife to come
Day on day I march the the beat to someone else's drum
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
@MrMarkalynch
RIP Mark Lanegan. You were loved far more than you knew.
@shaunryanbuxton1281
Indeed. R.i.p.
@sgt.bastard101
Today is a sad day brother...
@blackwingvalleylover
My favourite male vocalist and writer đ€đ€đđ
@mara680
Against my will to these sad shores
An unknown force has drawn me
Bound unto a future shaped by ancestors before me
Day on day I march the beat to someone else's drum
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
Impending storm rise up rise up
Oh demons, I shall shame you
Look down the barrel of my gun and one by one I'll name you
Day on day my brothers leave go marching off to war
Yet we never understand for what we're fighting for
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
Worldly desires and worldly gains
Designed for worldly men
I'm a master of the heart with ears and hands to lend
Soldiers come and soldiers go some changed by love for thee
A circle in the chain of life all fighting to be free
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
So come my lord and we shall dance
To God's own private drum
Sweet Jesus and the holy vine
The afterlife to come
Day on day I march the the beat to someone else's drum
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
@martincargas
"... pourtant, nous ne comprenons jamais ce pourquoi nous nous battons / Ubi caritas et Amor (lĂ oĂč se mĂȘlent soins et amour), Ubi caritas, Deus ibi Est (Dieu est prĂ©sent)"
@faustbanana
Amazing song.
@riberadelplata3159
love it
@willowwoodcraft3629
He will be missed can't believe I didn't get to see him liveđ€đrip markđ
@AlphaVIVI0408
What a Superb song! Mr Whiskey and Lady Melancholy:)