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).
The English Ladye and the Knight
Loreena McKennitt Lyrics
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Lyric: Sir Walter Scott (1771 â?? 1832)
It was an English ladye bright,
(The sun shines fair on Carlisle wall,)
And she would marry a Scottish knight,
For Love will still be lord of all.
When he shone fair on Carlisle wall;
But they were sad ere day was done,
Though Love was still the lord of all.
Her sire gave brooch and jewel fine,
Where the sun shines fair on Carlisle wall;
Her brother gave but a flask of wine,
For ire that Love was lord of all.
For she had lands both meadow and lea,
Where the sun shines fair on Carlisle wall,
For he swore her death, ere he would see
A Scottish knight the lord of all.
That wine she had not tasted well
(The sun shines fair on Carlisle wall)
When dead, in her true love's arms, she fell,
For Love was still the lord of all!
He pierced her brother to the heart,
Where the sun shines fair on Carlisle wall â??
So perish all would true love part
That Love may still be lord of all!
And then he took the cross divine,
Where the sun shines fair on Carlisle wall,
And died for her sake in Palestine;
So Love was still the lord of all.
Now all ye lovers, that faithful prove,
(The sun shines fair on Carlisle wall)
Pray for their souls who died for love,
Loreena McKennitt's song The English Ladye and the Knight is an interpretation of Sir Walter Scott's poem. The song is about an English lady who falls in love with a Scottish knight, defying her father's wishes. The overwhelming power of love between the English lady and the Scottish knight is overshadowed by the feud between their families. Although both families initially opposed the relationship, they eventually agreed to the marriage. However, the lady's brother gave the knight a flask of wine out of spite, which led to the lady's death. Consumed by rage and sorrow, the Scottish knight killed the lady's brother and took the cross to Jerusalem, where he died in her honor.
The song highlights the themes of love, honor, and sacrifice. The love between the English lady and the Scottish knight is powerful and unwavering that they are willing to face even death to be together. The lady's brother and father, on the other hand, feel the need to protect their family pride, leading to tragic consequences. The song's depiction of the power of love and the severity of honor and pride is masterfully highlighted by McKennitt's voice and the melancholic instrumental accompaniment.
Line by Line Meaning
It was an English ladye bright,
There was a bright English lady
(The sun shines fair on Carlisle wall,)
The sun was shining beautifully on the wall of Carlisle
And she would marry a Scottish knight,
She wanted to marry a knight from Scotland
For Love will still be lord of all.
Love is the most powerful force
Blithely they saw the rising sun
They happily saw the sun rise
When he shone fair on Carlisle wall;
When it looked beautiful shining on Carlisle wall
But they were sad ere day was done,
They became sad even before the end of the day
Though Love was still the lord of all.
Despite the sadness, Love was still the most powerful force
Her sire gave brooch and jewel fine,
Her father gave her fine jewelry
Where the sun shines fair on Carlisle wall;
Where the sun looked beautiful on Carlisle wall
Her brother gave but a flask of wine,
Her brother only gave her a flask of wine
For ire that Love was lord of all.
He was angry that Love was the most powerful force
For she had lands both meadow and lea,
She had lands consisting of meadows and fields
Where the sun shines fair on Carlisle wall;
Where the sun looked beautiful on Carlisle wall
For he swore her death, ere he would see
He swore that she would die before he would let a Scottish knight become the lord of all
A Scottish knight the lord of all.
A Scottish knight becoming the most powerful force
That wine she had not tasted well
She had not enjoyed the wine
(The sun shines fair on Carlisle wall)
The sun looked beautiful on Carlisle wall
When dead, in her true love's arms, she fell,
When she died, she fell into the arms of her true love
For Love was still the lord of all!
Love was still the most powerful force
He pierced her brother to the heart,
He stabbed her brother in the heart
Where the sun shines fair on Carlisle wall â??
Where the sun looked beautiful on Carlisle wall
So perish all would true love part
So may all those who separate true love perish
That Love may still be lord of all!
So that Love remains the most powerful force
And then he took the cross divine,
And then he took the divine cross
Where the sun shines fair on Carlisle wall,
Where the sun looked beautiful on Carlisle wall
And died for her sake in Palestine;
He died because of her in Palestine
So Love was still the lord of all.
Love was still the most powerful force
Now all ye lovers, that faithful prove,
Now all faithful lovers
(The sun shines fair on Carlisle wall)
The sun looks beautiful on Carlisle wall
Pray for their souls who died for love,
Pray for those who died because of love
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: LOREENA MCKENNITT, WALTER SCOTT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind