Redpath was born in Edinburgh, to musical parents. Her mother knew many Scots songs and passed them on to all four of her daughters; her father played the hammer dulcimer. She was raised in Fife, Scotland, and later returned to Edinburgh, taking medieval studies at the university. Hamish Henderson was working in the School of Scottish Studies and Redpath took a keen interest in the archive of tapes and discs of music and songs. To help pay her way through her studies, she worked as a driving instructor and undertaker's assistant. She learned about 400 songs, together with the oral folklore that went with them.
In March 1961, at the age of 24, she went to the United States. Her first performance was in San Francisco. Later she met up with Rambling Jack Elliott and Bob Dylan in Greenwich Village. The natural warmth and power of her voice brought her to perform at Gerde's Folk City. In 1963, following a concert performance, she signed up with Elektra Records. In 1975 she switched to the Philo label. From 1972 to 1976 Jean was artist-in-residence at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. She lectured in folklore and gave talks in schools.
In 1976 Redpath was embarked on a project to record all the songs of Robert Burns. Some being folk songs, some Burns' own compositions, and most a mixture of the two. Twenty-two volumes were planned, but when her collaborator, the composer Serge Hovey died after seven volumes, it came to a premature end. Hovey did the instrumental arrangements for 323 songs, and Redpath felt that no other musician could replace him. The albums won critical praise from around the world. In 1986 she recorded "Lady Nairne," a collection of songs written by Scottish women. She has sensitively reconstructed many songs that might otherwise have been lost.
Between 1974 and 1987, Redpath appeared regularly on Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion" radio show from NPR. She has also appeared on Robert J. Lurtsema's "Morning Pro Musica" from WGBH in Boston.
She has toured throughout the U.S. and to Canada, and played venues in South America, Hong Kong, and Australia, including the Sydney Opera House, and has performed often at the Edinburgh Folk Festival. In 1977, Redpath appeared at a royal banquet at Edinburgh Castle for Queen Elizabeth II, during Royal Jubilee Year. In spite of all her musical success, she has never had formal musical training.
From 1979 Redpath was a lecturer at the University of Stirling, Scotland, occasionally making a sojourn to Wesleyan University. For ten years she gave courses in Scottish Song at the "Heritage of Scotland" Summer School at Stirling University.
She was awarded the MBE, as well as being named a "Kentucky Colonel" by the Governor of Kentucky. A portrait of Redpath by Alexander Fraser hangs in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.
In 1996 she launched the Burns International Festival.
In 2009, Redpath made an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, singing "Some Kind of Love" by the late John Stewart of the Kingston Trio.
Dark Eyed Molly
Jean Redpath Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blacker still is the winter's turning
As the sadness of parting proves
And brighter now is the lantern burning
That lightens my path to love
No fiddle tune will take the air
But I see her swift feet a - dancing
Her smiling face and her dark eyes glancing
As we stepped out Blinkbonny Fair
And if my waiting prove in vain
Then I will pack and track ever take me
And the long road will ease my pain
No gem of woman kind will make me
E'er whisper love's words again
For in drink I'll seek good company
My ears will ring with the tavern's laughter
And I'll hear not her last sweet sighs
Then who's to know in the morning after
The song "Dark Eyed Molly" by Jean Redpath is a beautifully written and hauntingly romantic ballad. It tells the story of a man deeply in love with a woman whose eyes are as deep and dark as the winter's night. The winter's turning, like their parting, is a somber reminder that their love may not last forever. Despite this, the lantern burning brightly reminds him that his love for Molly lights the way for him.
The man reminisces about their time together, remembering the beauty of her dancing feet, swirling long black hair, smiling face and dark eyes, as they stepped out at Blinkbonny Fair. He hopes his love for her is not in vain, but if it is, he will move on and seek comfort in the company of others. He finds solace in the thought of the long road ahead, which may ease his pain.
Overall, the lyrics of the song "Dark Eyed Molly" paints a picture of a man deeply in love with the complexities of life and love. He is willing to face the ups and downs of relationships and seeks to find comfort in the beauty of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Deep and dark are my true love's eyes
The eyes of my true love are very mysterious and sad
Blacker still is the winter's turning
Winter is getting darker every day, signifying the sadness of our separation
As the sadness of parting proves
Our separation is making me very sad and proving the depth of our love
And brighter now is the lantern burning
The lantern shows me the path to my love, making me confident and optimistic
That lightens my path to love
The lantern is guiding me to my beloved, giving me hope and comfort
No fiddle tune will take the air
No music can distract me from thinking about my beloved
But I see her swift feet a - dancing
I can visualize my beloved dancing in my mind
And the swirl of her long black hair
I can imagine her beautiful long hair swirling as she dances
Her smiling face and her dark eyes glancing
I can see her smiling face and her mysterious dark eyes glancing at me
As we stepped out Blinkbonny Fair
We enjoyed each other's company at the Blinkbonny Fair
And if my waiting prove in vain
If waiting for my beloved proves to be a waste of time
Then I will pack and track ever take me
I will leave and travel as far as I need to forget my love
And the long road will ease my pain
Traveling will help me ease my pain and forget my beloved
No gem of woman kind will make me
No other woman can replace my beloved
E'er whisper love's words again
I will never again speak words of love
For in drink I'll seek good company
I will turn to alcohol and seek the company of strangers
My ears will ring with the tavern's laughter
I will surround myself with laughter and forget my sorrows for a while
And I'll hear not her last sweet sighs
I will forget the memories of my beloved's last sweet sighs
Then who's to know in the morning after
No one knows what will happen to me tomorrow
Contributed by Zoe P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
laripu
I had only heard the Stan Rogers version. I've heard many more, since, but now I don't know whether this one or Stan's is my favorite. I'm going to have to listen to it twice every time.
Stan Rogers voice is huge, but this one has something special, perhaps because he wrote the song.
Richard Perkins
Eva Cassidy is always magical.
lovesings2us
So very lovely...
Janine Resch
Beautiful
Prof. Luigi
Was the cigarette photoshopped in to this photo or photoshopped out of the album cover on the blue cover?
DOUGLAS HADDEN
This was the original - it was cropped for CD release.