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 World Turned Upside Down
Karan Casey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A ragged band they called the Diggers came to show the people's will
They defied the landlords, they defied the law
They were the dispossessed, reclaiming what was theirs
"We come in peace," they said, "to dig and sow
We come to work the land in common and to make the waste ground grow
This earth divided we will make whole
The sin of property we do disdain
No man has any right to buy and sell the earth for private gain
By theft and murder they steal the land
Now everywhere the walls rise up at their command
They make the laws to chain us well
The clergy dazzle us with heaven or they damn us into hell
We will not worship the god they serve
They god of greed who feeds the rich while poor folk starve
We work, we eat together, we need no swords
We will not bow to the masters or pay rent to the lords
Still we are free men though we are poor
You Diggers all, stand up for glory, stand up now"
From the men of property the order came
They sent the hired men and troopers to wipe out the Diggers' claim
Tear down their cottages, destroy their corn
They were dispersed, but still the vision carries on
You poor, take courage, you rich, take care
This earth was made a common treasury for everyone to share
All things in common, all people one
We come in peace, the order came to cut them down
The World Turned Upside Down by Karan Casey is a song that speaks about a real historical movement called the Diggers. The Diggers were a group of poor peasants who in 1649, to Saint George's Hill, England, stood up against the wealthy landlords who illegally and unjustly acquired the land that belonged to the people. They rallied together in defiance of the law and reclaimed their stolen property from the rich landowners. The Diggers named themselves the true "tillers of the earth" and expressed that the land belongs to everybody, not just a select few.
Their principles were based on the idea of communal farming, where everyone who worked the land would all benefit from the crops they grew. They refused to bow down to the wealthy lords or pay rent to them as they believed that they had no right to sell the earth for their private gains. The song's lyrics suggest that the Diggers' vision of communal farming held great value and was something that they worked tirelessly to accomplish. The clergy would try and entice them with the promise of heaven and threaten them with the threat of hell, but they refused to worship a deity created by the wealthy landlords.
Despite facing opposition, the Diggers declared that they would fight for their rights and that they stood united. The landlords, angered by their revolt, hired troops and hired men to tear them down, destroy their cottages, and kill them. They succeeded in destroying the Diggers’ claim, but their vision of communal farming still lives on.
The World Turned Upside Down by Karan Casey is a song with a meaningful message. The lyrics of this song encourage us to fight for what is right, even if we have to stand up against those who are powerful and wealthy. This song reminds us that we all have the right to the Earth, and nobody has the right to steal and sell it for their private gains. The Diggers' movement is a significant piece of history that teaches us that the fight for justice is an ongoing one.
Line by Line Meaning
In sixteen forty-nine to Saint George's Hill
The Diggers arrived in St. George's Hill in 1649
A ragged band they called the Diggers came to show the people's will
The Diggers were a poor group of people who wanted to demonstrate their desire for land reform
They defied the landlords, they defied the law
The Diggers opposed the landlords and the laws that protected their property rights
They were the dispossessed, reclaiming what was theirs
The Diggers were people who had been dispossessed of their lands, and were trying to regain their rightful ownership
"We come in peace," they said, "to dig and sow
The Diggers arrived with peaceful intentions, to cultivate the land
We come to work the land in common and to make the waste ground grow
The Diggers aimed to work the land communally, and to turn unproductive land into an agricultural source
This earth divided we will make whole
The Diggers' ultimate goal was to unite all land and create a common treasury for everyone to benefit from
So it can be a common treasury for all
The Diggers wanted to make the earth a shared resource for everyone
The sin of property we do disdain
The Diggers believed that owning and profiting from property was morally wrong
No man has any right to buy and sell the earth for private gain
The Diggers believed that everyone should have equal access to the earth, and that selling land for profit was unjust
By theft and murder they steal the land
The Diggers believed that property owners often acquired land through immoral means or violence
Now everywhere the walls rise up at their command
The rich and powerful use their wealth to control and manipulate the laws that govern ownership of land
They make the laws to chain us well
The ruling class creates laws to ensure their continued control over land resources
The clergy dazzle us with heaven or they damn us into hell
The Diggers believed that religious leaders often side with the rulers in order to keep poor people oppressed
We will not worship the god they serve
The Diggers reject the values and beliefs of the ruling class, including their religious beliefs
They god of greed who feeds the rich while poor folk starve
The Diggers believed that the ruling class values greed and wealth over helping people in need
We work, we eat together, we need no swords
The Diggers believed that working and sharing communally was a peaceful way of life and that violence was unnecessary
We will not bow to the masters or pay rent to the lords
The Diggers refuse to acknowledge the authority of the landlords or pay rent to use their land
Still we are free men though we are poor
Despite their poverty and oppression, the Diggers believe they are free because they do not serve the masters who control their land
You Diggers all, stand up for glory, stand up now"
The Diggers call on others who share their values to rise up against the ruling class and stand in solidarity
From the men of property the order came
The property owners sent orders to stop the Diggers' actions
They sent the hired men and troopers to wipe out the Diggers' claim
The property owners used force to remove the Diggers from their land
Tear down their cottages, destroy their corn
The property owners violently destroyed the Diggers' homes and crops
They were dispersed, but still the vision carries on
Although the Diggers were forced to disband, their vision of communal land-use and resource-sharing lives on
You poor, take courage, you rich, take care
The Diggers wanted to give hope to the poor, while warning the rich that their status was under threat
This earth was made a common treasury for everyone to share
The Diggers believe that the earth's resources should be equally available to all people
All things in common, all people one
The Diggers envisaged a world where everyone shared their resources, enabling a more equal society
We come in peace, the order came to cut them down
The Diggers were peaceful but their opposition viewed them as a threat and issued violent orders against them
Contributed by Adam Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.