Her family encouraged her to sing in the house, in a church choir and at school. At Waterford Regional Technical College she studied piano then took music at University College Dublin in 1987. Having learned to copy Ella Fitzgerald's scat singing, she performed in a Dublin bistro several nights per week while still a student. At the Royal Irish Academy of Music she studied classical music and sang in a jazz band, then a folk-ballad band, then another jazz band. She also fell under the influence of Dublin folk singer Frank Harte. During this time she also formed her own band, called Dorothy.
In 1993 Karan moved to New York City. There she studied jazz at Long Island University. When she encountered Irish traditional music sessions in New York she started singing Irish traditional music again. During this time she mostly sang in bars and locals. For most of 1994 she sang with a group called Atlantic Bridge. At the end of the year she joined Seamus Egan and others in Solas. She sang five songs on their first album in 1996. In the same year she sang in Tramps club in Manhattan, accompanied only by a percussionist. They mixed jazz and folk. In 1997 she recorded a solo album, Songlines, inspired by the novel of the same name by Bruce Chatwin. It was produced by Seamus Egan and included several members of Solas. There were a few traditional songs and some contemporary folk songs.
In 2000 Karan collaborated with several other singers on "Seal Maiden - A Celtic Musical". It was a musical version of the film "The Secret of Roan Inish", designed for children. It concerns the mythical creature called the selkie - a seal-woman. Since then Karan has recorded three further solo albums released in 2001, 2003 and 2005. In a salute to her Celtic roots, several tracks were recorded in her native Irish tongue. She also features on the DVD "Solas Live".
Her 2005 album Chasing the Sun includes a number of songs Casey wrote herself. Her records are released by Shanachie Records in the United States and Vertical Records in Europe.
Karan is now living in County Cork, and is married to Niall Vallely, a composer and player of traditional Irish music.
Solo albums
* Songlines (1997)
* Seal Maiden (2000)
* The Winds Begin To Sing (2001)
* Distant Shore (2003)
* Chasing The Sun (2005)
Recordings with Solas
* Solas (1996)
* Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers (1997)
* The Words That Remain (1998)
* Reunion: A Decade of Solas (2006, CD and DVD)
As session musician
* Dancing at Lughnasa (film) (1998)
* Waking Ned Devine (film) (1999)
* "Celtic Solstice" by Paul Winter
Mother Earth's Revenge
Karan Casey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A crashing wave on a winter's tide
The breeze that blows on a tall ship's sail
I am the kick of a salmon's tail
I'm up above and I am below
I'm black and white, I'm sand and I'm snow
I'm all around and I live within
I'm winter white oh I'm autumn gold
I'm summer's bloom I'm springs new soul
I'm every season with the birds that sing
I'm mother earth the spirit in all living things
But you cut down the trees
Your fumes they choke the breeze
You burn the world for oil
And you poison the soil
So I'll flood the plains
I'll drown you in your acid rain
I'll pour fourth a curse and
Return you back to dust
When lightning strikes you'll know I'm near
You knew the beauty now feel the fear
As your storm rolls in you better hide
I'll make you wish that you weren't alive
(repeat first verse)
The lyrics to Karan Casey's song Mother Earth's Revenge describe the powerful and all-encompassing nature of the earth's spirit, which is present in everything that lives. The song paints an image of the earth as a fierce and ever-present force, embodied in a hawk on a mountain, a crashing wave, a breeze on a ship's sail, and the kick of a salmon's tail. The earth is described as being both above and below, black and white, sand and snow, embodying every season and the spirit of all living things.
However, the song then takes a darker turn as it speaks of the damage that humans have caused to the earth, cutting down trees, choking the breeze with fumes, burning the world for oil, and poisoning the soil. The earth responds with a powerful and vengeful force, flooding the plains, drowning humans in their own acid rain, and returning them to dust. The lyrics emphasize the destructive power of the earth's retribution, as lightning strikes and storms roll in, causing fear and devastation.
Overall, the message of the song is a warning of the consequences of human folly in mistreating the earth, and a call for respect and reverence for the powerful forces of nature.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a hawk on a mountain side
I embody the spirit of a hawk, soaring high above on the mountain side
A crashing wave on a winter's tide
I am the power and force behind the crashing waves in winter's tide
The breeze that blows on a tall ship's sail
I am the gentle yet persistent breeze that propels tall ships forward
I am the kick of a salmon's tail
I am the energy and motion behind the kick of a salmon's tail
I'm up above and I am below
I exist in the heights of the sky and the depths of the earth
I'm black and white, I'm sand and I'm snow
I take on different forms, from the darkness of black to the purity of white, from the softness of sand to the hardness of snow
I'm all around and I live within
I am omnipresent and I exist within all living things
I'm mother earth the spirit in all living things
I am Mother Earth, the spirit that brings life to all living things
I'm winter white oh I'm autumn gold
I embody the purity of winter white and the richness of autumn gold
I'm summer's bloom I'm springs new soul
I am the beauty and newness of spring's bloom and the richness of summer's soul
I'm every season with the birds that sing
I exist in every season and in the sweet songs of birds
But you cut down the trees
You destroy my natural habitats by cutting down trees
Your fumes they choke the breeze
Your pollution harms and suffocates the very air I breathe
You burn the world for oil
You destroy me for your selfish fuel needs
And you poison the soil
You pollute the earth with toxic chemicals, killing my soil and my creatures
So I'll flood the plains
I will take drastic measures, causing floods and drowning your cities
I'll drown you in your acid rain
I will make you suffer the same fate as my dying plants and creatures, by unleashing acid rain upon you
I'll pour fourth a curse and
I will make you suffer the consequences of your actions, by cursing you and sending my wrath upon you
Return you back to dust
I will make sure that you are reduced to nothing but dust, as a reminder of the damage you have caused
When lightning strikes you'll know I'm near
I will make my presence known through the mighty force of thunder and lightning
You knew the beauty now feel the fear
You had the chance to appreciate my beauty, but now you will only feel the fear and pain of my retribution
As your storm rolls in you better hide
As the storm approaches, you should seek shelter and brace yourself for the destruction I will bring
I'll make you wish that you weren't alive
I will show you the error of your ways and make you regret the harm you have caused, to the point where you will wish you were not alive
(repeat first verse)
Reemphasizing that I am the embodiment of nature's spirit and power
Contributed by Natalie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.