McKennitt blends world-music with folk, Celtic and exotic Mediterranean sounds using instruments such as the hurdy gurdy, kanoun, uilleann pipes, Turkish clarinet, bouzouki and nyckelharpa alongside traditional instruments like guitar, drums and bass and the harp, piano and accordion, the three instruments she plays.
Born in Morden, Manitoba, Canada in February 17, 1957, Loreena moved to Stratford, Ontario, Canada in 1981, where she still resides. She has acted and sung in, and composed music for, Stratford Festival of Canada productions ranging from The Tempest (1982) to The Merchant Of Venice (2001).
Her recording career began in 1985 with the album Elemental. In the fledgling years of her label Quinlan Road, Loreena ran its operations from her kitchen table, selling recordings by mail order and producing her own concert tours across the country. Quinlan Road's catalogue is currently distributed around the world by Warner Music (US), Universal Music (Canada and other territories including Italy and Spain) and a number of independents including Keltia Music (France) and SPV (Germany).
She Moved Through The Fair
Loreena McKennitt Lyrics
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My Mother won't mind
And me Father won't slight you
For your lack of kind
Then she stepped away from me
And this she did say
It will not be long love
'Til our wedding day.
She stepped away from me
And she moved through the Fair
And fondly I watched her
Move here and move there
And she went her way homeward
With one star awake
As the swans in the evening
Move over the lake
The people were saying
No two e'er were wed
But one has a sorrow
That never was said
And she smiled as she passed me
With her goods and her gear
And that was the last
That I saw of my dear.
I dreamed it last night
That my true love came in
So softly she entered
Her feet made no din
She came close beside me
And this she did say
It will not be long love
Till our wedding day.
The song "She Moved Through the Fair" by Loreena McKennitt is a traditional Irish folk song, which tells the haunting story of a young woman who promises to marry her lover. The song begins with the man's love telling him that her father and mother would not object to their marriage, despite his lack of wealth or social standing. As they part, the woman promises that they will be reunited on their wedding day, and she steps away, gradually disappearing from view as she moves through the fair.
In the second verse, the man watches as his beloved moves gracefully through the fair, disappearing into the night as smoothly as the swans gliding over the lake. The people around them comment that the couple will never be married because of an unspoken sorrow between them. The final verse finds the man dreaming of his love again, who appears to him silently, telling him they will be reunited soon.
The lyrics to "She Moved Through the Fair" are ambiguous in their meaning, leaving the listeners to decide whether the woman leaves her lover and moves on with her life or whether she dies before their wedding. The song's gentle melody tugs at the heartstrings, making it a much-loved favorite of those who enjoy traditional Irish music.
Line by Line Meaning
My love said to me
I was in love and my lover spoke to me
My Mother won't mind
My lover reassured me that their mother will not be upset
And me Father won't slight you
My lover reassured me that their father will not criticize me
For your lack of kind
My lover reassured me that their parents won't judge my social class
Then she stepped away from me
My lover left me standing alone
And this she did say
Before leaving, she said something to me
It will not be long love
She promised that the time until our wedding day won't feel like forever
'Til our wedding day.
The day on which we would marry each other
And she moved through the Fair
She went through the market
And fondly I watched her
I watched her lovingly
Move here and move there
How she was moving from place to place
And she went her way homeward
She went home
With one star awake
It was night time and only one star could be seen in the sky
As the swans in the evening
She moved gracefully like the swans seen during an evening sunset
Move over the lake
The movement was as smooth as the swans on a lake
No two e'er were wed
People believed our love was unique
But one has a sorrow
However, one of us had an untold sadness
That never was said
Which was never spoken aloud
And she smiled as she passed me
Despite the sadness, she continued to smile as she walked past me
With her goods and her gear
With her belongings
And that was the last
That was the final time
That I saw of my dear.
I never saw her again
I dreamed it last night
I dreamt about her last night
That my true love came in
In the dream, the lover who truly loved me came
So softly she entered
She came into the dream very gently
Her feet made no din
She was walking silently with no noise at all
She came close beside me
She came near to me in the dream
And this she did say
Then, she spoke these words to me
It will not be long love
She repeated her earlier promise that the wait until our wedding day wouldn't feel too long
Till our wedding day.
The day we will get married
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CTM Publishing
Written by: DP, LOREENA MCKENNITT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind