Black was born into a musical family. Her father had been a fiddler, her mother a singer, and her brothers have their own group. She sang in her family's group in her youth.
In 1975 Black joined a small folk band called General Humbert, with whom she toured Europe and released two albums, in 1975 and 1978. In 1982 she developed a professional relationship with musician/producer Declan Sinnott and recorded her first solo album, Mary Black.
She went on to play in other groups including the traditional Irish band De Dannan from 1984-1986. After 1986 she had a successful solo career where she went on to try contemporary styles ranging from jazz to country. She was named "Best Female Artist" in the IRMA poll in 1987, 1988, 1992, 1994 and 1996.
She is married to Joe O'Reilly of Dara Records and they have three children. Her son Danny is a member of the Irish rock band The Coronas, while her daughter RĆ³isĆn is performing under the name RĆ³isĆn O.
For a number of years, "What Hi-Fi?" magazine considered Black's voice to be so pure that it was used as an audiophile benchmark for comparing the sound quality of different high fidelity systems.
Discography
* 1983 Mary Black
* 1984 Collected
* 1985 Without the Fanfare
* 1987 By the Time it Gets Dark
* 1989 No Frontiers
* 1991 Babes in the Wood
* 1992 The Collection
* 1993 The Holy Ground
* 1995 Circus
* 1997 Shine
* 1999 Speaking with the Angel
* 2001 The Best of Mary Black 1991-2001 & Hidden Harvest
* 2003 Mary Black Live
* 2005 Full Tide
* 2008 Twenty-Five Years Twenty-Five Songs
* 2011 Stories from the Steeples
Don
Mary Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gotta trust ourselves it's the last line of defence
Spinning into space running out of time
Gathering together all the useful things we find
Chorus
So don't say okay and be half-hearted
Sacrifice the world face a killing sun
You gotta get it all together it'll bring us all undone
We're running up hills that we already climbed
Over the top and falling down the other side
Chorus
The ghosts are at the window they're again tonight
Looking in on us so we have got to get it right
We've walking on their bones everywhere we go
Spirits in the wind and the memories in the stones
Chorus
How we gonna get the healing done?
In this song, Mary Black sings about the need to trust ourselves and rely on our own judgment as society becomes increasingly confusing and complicated. She suggests that we must gather together all the useful things we find and use them to create a defense against the uncertainties of the world. The lyrics implore us to not be half-hearted in our approach to life, and to commit fully to our beliefs and actions.
Black also suggests that the solution to our problems may require a sacrifice of the world as we know it, and facing the reality of a dangerous and unpredictable future. We must gather our resources and knowledge to avoid being undone in the face of daunting challenges. The repetition of the chorus throughout the song emphasizes the urgent and persistent nature of this message.
The final lines of the song, "How we gonna get the healing done?" suggest that despite the difficulties we face, there is still hope for a better future. Black asks us to consider how we might heal the divisions and problems of the world, and offers this song as a call to action.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm giving up on tv it's not making sense
I am done with watching television because it no longer seems logical.
Gotta trust ourselves it's the last line of defence
We must depend on ourselves as it's our only way to protect ourselves.
Spinning into space running out of time
We are losing control, and time is running out quickly.
Gathering together all the useful things we find
We need to collect all the resources that we find helpful to survive.
So don't say okay and be half-hearted
Do not agree to something if you don't wholeheartedly believe it will work out.
I'm afraid that this feeling goes on
I am fearful that this situation will continue.
Sacrifice the world face a killing sun
We might have to sacrifice everything we have to survive.
You gotta get it all together, it'll bring us all undone
We need to gather everything we have and act together, or we might all perish.
We're running up hills that we already climbed
We are facing problems that we already dealt with in the past.
Over the top and falling down the other side
It seems that once we reach our goals, we are only doomed to fall again.
The ghosts are at the window they're again tonight
The memories of our past are haunting us again tonight.
Looking in on us so we have got to get it right
We must make the right choices as our past is always watching us.
We've walking on their bones everywhere we go
We are living on the ruins of our ancestors.
Spirits in the wind and the memories in the stones
Our past and their experiences are still surrounding us.
How we gonna get the healing done?
How can we find a cure for our problems?
Lyrics Ā© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: SHANE MICHAEL HOWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paul Brown
Remember when we walked on hills of heather
Singing weaving mystical rings
Now in a while my precious child
You will unfurl your wings
And I'll have lost what I believed
Had promised everything
But before you go my friend, my kind companion
Listen to this song I sing
Then go in peace and grow in grace and goodness
Know that you have nothing to fear
And dry your eyes my little one
And let there be no tears
Send me a dream from way beyond
I promise I shall hear
Oh beautiful beloved soul companion
Thank you for those beautiful years
And heaven hold and watch your way forever
May your every dream come true
Forgive all wrong, always be strong
And do what you must do
You stand before this open door
And you must now go through
My precious friend, my own my sweet companion
Bless the road that carries you
My precious friend, my own my sweet companion
Bless the road that carries you
Linda Woods
This exactly evokes what I felt when my little girl grew up and began her own independent life.
She is now a happy wife and motherš
Aidan Hegarty
Just one of the most beautiful songs of all time and superbly sung by Mary Black.
Valerie Fullerton
Beautiful song Mary, its what you do best āŗ
squishable1000
:-) reminds me of my school days. love this song soo much, one of her finest !!!
Ritz stone
Great singingļ¼
Modfather 147 Mod father
Beautiful
Ron Holiday Broomell
Wonderful voice ^& song, Aloha ~
Alan Mc Loughlin
Sheer class , from singer and writer