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 Róisín is performing under the name Róisín 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't Say OK
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
So don't say okay and be half-hearted
i'm afraid that this feeling goes on
Sacrifice the world face a killing sun
you gotta get it all together it'll bring us all undone
over the top and falling down the other side
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
How we gonna get the healing done?
The lyrics of Don't Say OK by Mary Black speak about the overwhelming chaos and confusion prevalent in our world today. The first line, "I'm giving up on tv it's not making sense" highlights the meaningless, monotonous content that is commonly broadcasted. The next line, "gotta trust ourselves it's the last line of defense" emphasizes the importance of relying on ourselves to make informed decisions instead of relying on external influences.
As the song progresses, Mary Black talks about how time is running out and how we need to gather all the useful things we find to prepare for what's coming. She warns that simply agreeing to things half-heartedly won't cut it, and that we need to be more committed to making positive change.
The lyrics take an ominous turn when the chorus begins, "Sacrifice the world face a killing sun, you gotta get it all together it'll bring us all undone." This line speaks about how we need to sacrifice our current ways and come together to prevent a catastrophic ending.
The final lines "the ghosts are at the window they're again tonight, looking in on us so we have got to get it right" stress the importance of getting things right for the sake of future generations. The song ends with the question, "How we gonna get the healing done?" It's a provocative question that urges the listener to take a deeper look at themselves and the world we live in.
Overall, Don't Say OK by Mary Black is a call for people to be more aware of their actions and the effects they have on the world around them. It's a reminder to look beyond our own interests and to work towards a better future for everyone.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm giving up on tv it's not making sense
Mary Black is expressing her frustration with the lack of logic and coherence on television, prompting her to withdraw from it and seek other sources of truth and knowledge.
gotta trust ourselves it's the last line of defence
Mary Black believes that the most reliable and trustworthy guide we have is our own intuition and judgment, and that we must rely on ourselves as a final protection against the confusion and chaos of the world.
spinning into space running out of time
Mary Black feels like she's lost in an endless void, with time running out and no clear direction to follow.
gathering together all the useful things we find
Mary Black believes that, in the absence of clear guidance, we must collect and piece together whatever pieces of knowledge and wisdom we can find on our own, using them to build our own understanding of the world.
So don't say okay and be half-hearted
Mary Black is urging us to resist the temptation to settle for less than we deserve, and to take a stand for what we believe in with confidence and conviction, rather than passively accepting things that don't feel right.
i'm afraid that this feeling goes on
Mary Black is worried that this existential sense of confusion and uncertainty is not something that can be easily resolved or overcome, and that it may be something she has to live with indefinitely.
Sacrifice the world face a killing sun
Mary Black sees the world as a harsh and unforgiving place, and believes that it takes courage and determination to confront its dangers head-on, even if doing so requires significant sacrifice and risk.
you gotta get it all together it'll bring us all undone
Mary Black believes that achieving a coherent and unified understanding of the world is critical to our success and survival as individuals and as a society, and that failing to do so will lead to our downfall.
we're running up hills that we already climbed
Mary Black feels like she's stuck in a never-ending cycle of struggle and progress, with each new success leading to another uphill battle, rather than a sense of lasting accomplishment.
over the top and falling down the other side
Mary Black feels like she's constantly teetering on the edge of success and failure, with each victory bringing her closer to a precipice, beyond which lies uncertainty and risk.
The ghosts are at the window they're again tonight
Mary Black senses a pervasive sense of danger and uncertainty around her, with the past and its uncertainties haunting her present and limiting her ability to feel safe and secure.
looking in on us so we have got to get it right
Mary Black feels like she's being watched and judged by unseen forces, and that in order to succeed and thrive in the world, she must rise to meet its challenges and demands.
we've walking on their bones everywhere we go
Mary Black feels like she's constantly surrounded by the traces and remnants of past generations, whose choices and actions have shaped the world and limited its possibilities for future generations.
spirits in the wind and the memories in the stones
Mary Black believes that the natural world is infused with a sense of mystery and connection to the past, with the wind and the stones containing memories and secrets that are waiting to be uncovered and interpreted.
How we gonna get the healing done?
Mary Black is wrestling with the question of how to transcend the confusion and pain of the world, and achieve a sense of wholeness and healing that reflects our deepest hopes and desires as human beings.
Writer(s): Shane Michael Howard
Contributed by Adam N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Maureen Smith
on Bruach na Carraige Baine
So beautiful!