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
The Snows They Melt the Soonest
Karan Casey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the corn it ripens fastest as the frosts are settling in
And when a young man tells me that my face he'll soon forget
Before we part I'll wage a bet he'll be fain to follow it yet
The snows they melt the soonest when the winds begin to sing
And the swallow flies without a thought as long as it is spring
When springtime goes and winter blows, my lad, and you'll be fain
The snows they melt the soonest when the winds begin to sing
And the bee that flew in summertime in winter it will not sting
I've seen a woman's anger melt between the night and morn
It's surely not a harder thing to melt a woman's scorn
So never bid me farewell for no farewell I'll receive
You will lie with me, my love, and kiss and take your leave
And I'll wait here till the woodcock calls and the marten takes it's wing
For the snows they melt the soonest when the winds begin to sing
Karan Casey's "The Snows They Melt the Soonest" is a traditional English folk song with a melancholic theme. The song highlights the transience of life and fleetingness of human relationships by comparing them to the ephemeral nature of natural phenomena like melting snow, blossoming flowers, and migrating swallows. The first two stanzas of the song talk about the short-lived nature of love as represented by the melting snow and ripening corn. The singer challenges a young man who promises to forget her soon and bets that he will regret his decision in the end.
The song's next two stanzas discuss the cyclical changes of seasons and the inevitability of change. The swallow that flies in spring without thought is highlighted, but when winter comes, the same swallow will be eager to follow the singer to escape the harsh conditions. Similarly, the singer urges her lover that when he realizes his mistake and prideful behavior, he will come back to her even if it means crossing the stormy sea.
The last stanza of the song talks about the power of forgiveness and the possibility of redemption. The singer notes that just as a bee cannot sting in winter and a woman's anger can melt overnight, her lover's pride and scorn will also eventually melt away. She promises never to bid him farewell, even if he leaves, and will wait for him to return until the woodcock calls and the marten takes its wing.
Overall, "The Snows They Melt the Soonest" is a deeply poignant song that speaks to the fragility and impermanence of love, but also to the possibility of forgiveness and redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
The snows they melt the soonest when the winds begin to sing
When the winds start howling, it's a sign that the snow around us is about to melt away.
And the corn it ripens fastest as the frosts are settling in
As winter approaches, the crops in the fields hasten to reach maturity to avoid getting ruined by the frost.
And when a young man tells me that my face he'll soon forget
When a guy tells me he will forget me, I doubt his sincerity.
Before we part I'll wage a bet he'll be fain to follow it yet
I'll make a bet that he will eventually find himself regretting his words and trying to win me back.
And the swallow flies without a thought as long as it is spring
During spring, swallows are carefree as they fly about without any worries on their minds.
When springtime goes and winter blows, my lad, and you'll be fain
Once the upcoming winter takes hold and spring has passed, you'll be eager to be with me again.
With all your pride to follow me across the stormy main
Even though you may be proud, you will still want to go with me wherever I go, even if it's to cross a stormy sea.
And the bee that flew in summertime in winter it will not sting
During summer, bees are active and can sting, but once winter arrives, they become dormant and are no longer capable of stinging.
I've seen a woman's anger melt between the night and morn
I've witnessed instances where a woman's anger fades away quickly, usually by the time morning arrives.
It's surely not a harder thing to melt a woman's scorn
It can't be that difficult to make up with a woman and make her forget any negative feelings she has towards you.
So never bid me farewell for no farewell I'll receive
Don't say goodbye to me because I will not accept it.
You will lie with me, my love, and kiss and take your leave
Instead of saying goodbye, you should just stay with me for a little while longer, show me affection, and then depart.
And I'll wait here till the woodcock calls and the marten takes it's wing
I'll wait for you patiently until a specific time, which I'll know by the sound of the woodcock and the departure of the marten.
For the snows they melt the soonest when the winds begin to sing
The snow will start melting away as soon as the winds begin to howl.
Contributed by Aiden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.