Her international performances include membership as a principal soloist with the world renowned Irish chamber choir Anúna from 1994 to 1998, touring the United States as a soloist with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, touring South Africa with Lord of the Dance, and concerts in Japan and Korea.
The Wicked Sister
Méav Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Daughters were the babes she bore
One grew radiant as the sun
Darkly grew the elder one
A knight came riding to their door
He travelled far to be their wooer
He courted both with gold and rings
"Sister, won't you walk with me
To watch the ships sail o'er the sea?"
As they walked the rocky shore
The dark one pushed her sister o'er
"Sister, sister, let me live
All that's mine I'll surely give"
"Thy bridegroom I will take and more
But thou shalt never come ashore"
Off she floated like a swan
The salt sea bore her body on
You could not see her lily feet
Her golden fringes were so deep
A minstrel walking by the strand
Saw her body float to land
When he looked that lady on
He sighed and made a heavy moan
He made a harp of her breastbone
Whose sound would melt a heart of stone
Took the strands of her bright hair
And with them strung his harp so rare
He brought the harp to the wedding hall
There to play before them all
When they set it on a stone
The harp began to play alone
The strings sang out a dreadful sound
"The bride her younger sister drowned
Now her secret you all know
Her guilty tears will surely flow"
1
The Wicked Sister by Méav is a haunting tale of jealousy and betrayal that unfolds on the rugged shores of the North Sea. The song tells the story of two sisters, one fair and one dark, and a knight who comes to court them both. Although he brings them gold and rings, he loves the younger sister above all. The elder sister, consumed by jealousy, lures her younger sister to the shore and pushes her into the sea. As the younger sister floats away, she pleads with her sister to spare her life and promises to give her everything she owns. But the elder sister is deaf to her cries and takes her bridegroom instead. The younger sister drowns, and her body is later found by a minstrel who makes a harp out of her breastbone and hair. The harp carries a dark secret, and when played in the wedding hall, it reveals the truth about the younger sister's death.
The lyrics of The Wicked Sister are full of symbolism and vivid imagery that paint a dark and powerful picture of jealousy, love, and loss. The contrast between the fair and dark sisters, the pristine beauty of the younger sister, and the dark motives of the elder, the salt sea that bears her body away, and the harp made from her remains, all contribute to the sense of foreboding that runs through the song. The lyrics are poetic, yet accessible, and Méav's ethereal vocals lend a haunting quality to the story.
Line by Line Meaning
A mother lived by the North Sea shore
There lived a mother near the North Sea coast
Daughters were the babes she bore
The mother had two daughters, whom she gave birth to
One grew radiant as the sun
One daughter grew beautiful like the sun
Darkly grew the elder one
However, the elder one grew darker in her nature
A knight came riding to their door
One day, a knight came to their door
He travelled far to be their wooer
He had come from far away to court both the daughters
He courted both with gold and rings
He showered both the sisters with gifts of gold and rings
But loved the younger o'er all things
However, he was in love with the younger sister the most
Sister, won't you walk with me
To watch the ships sail o'er the sea?
He asked the younger sister to take a walk with him by the sea to watch the ships
As they walked the rocky shore
The dark one pushed her sister o'er
When they were walking on the rocky shore, the elder sister pushed her younger sibling overboard into the sea
Sister, sister, let me live
All that's mine I'll surely give
As the younger sister was drowning, she begged for her life and offered to give away everything she owned
Thy bridegroom I will take and more
But thou shalt never come ashore
The elder sister promised to take the younger sister's husband-to-be and keep her away from safe land
Off she floated like a swan
The salt sea bore her body on
You could not see her lily feet
Her golden fringes were so deep
The younger sister floated away on the sea like a swan, and her body was carried by the salty water. Her feet were invisible, and her golden hair was so deep underwater that it could not be seen
A minstrel walking by the strand
Saw her body float to land
A minstrel who was walking by the seashore saw the younger sister's body wash up on the land
When he looked that lady on
He sighed and made a heavy moan
Upon seeing the young lady's body, he sighed and expressed his sorrow
He made a harp of her breastbone
Whose sound would melt a heart of stone
The minstrel made a harp out of the younger sister's breastbone, which was able to produce such a beautiful sound that it could melt even the hardest of hearts
Took the strands of her bright hair
And with them strung his harp so rare
He took strands of the younger sister's bright hair and used them to string his rare harp
He brought the harp to the wedding hall
There to play before them all
Later, he brought the harp to the wedding hall, where he played it for everyone in attendance
When they set it on a stone
The harp began to play alone
But when they placed it on a stone, the harp played by itself, as if it had a will of its own
The strings sang out a dreadful sound
'The bride her younger sister drowned
Now her secret you all know
Her guilty tears will surely flow'
The harp produced a terrible sound, and the strings sang about the elder sister's terrible deed of drowning her younger sibling and keeping it a secret. The song hinted at the fact that she would soon have to face the consequences of her actions and cry tears of guilt
Contributed by Makayla A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Isabela Fouts
"Dark" may not be referring to her physical appearance. When I first heard this, I imagined "dark" describing her personality, meaning she was sadistic and cruel.
RiverLaughter
In the age when this song came about, words like "dark", "fair" and "radiant" were used for hair colour, rather than skin. These lyrics imply that the younger daughter was golden-haired, and the elder was dark-haired.
Gyula Horváth
This song and her voice gave me goosebumps... I love Méav, she is great.
Achilles Chen
@Gyula Horváth I love her tone, so pure and sweet, like the spring in winter, breeze in autumn, I love it.
Steve Rush
If you've just discovered Meav, be sure to look up some of her concert video with Celtic Woman. That CD cover only hints at how gorgeous she is.
Gabby Rice
I love this story. It's in a ghost book I have. It's beautiful and tragic.
Rideca74
I love it. The wicked, no matter how deceptive, will pay for their sins in the end. Similarities to "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Eiyan Riddermark
+Celtic Musings thank you soooo much for putting this up!!!! This is the only version of the Cruel Sister that I care for and I couldn't find it, having forgotten the name of the woman who sung it and I was looking under 'the Cruel Sister' and all of these other titles it's known by. I FINALLY FOUND IT thanks to you!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
Allyson
Méav, I just love your music!! it's so soothing.. every time i'm unhappy I will listen to these songs and i will be happy again!
violeteyez17
luuuv this song. so beautiful...and sinister ^-^ i couldnt find this song anywhere else, props to u!