Mary Black (born 23 May 1955 in Dublin) is an Irish singer. She is well kno… Read Full Bio ↴Mary Black (born 23 May 1955 in Dublin) is an Irish singer. She is well known as an interpreter of both folk and contemporary material which has made her a major recording artist in her native Ireland and in many other parts of the world. She was named "Best Female Artist" in the IRMA poll in 1987, 1988, 1992, 1994 and 1996.

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

Holy Ground
Mary Black Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Farewell my lovely Johnny, a thousand times adieu
You are going away from the holy ground and the ones that love you true
You will sail the salt seas over and then return for sure
To see again the ones you love and the holy ground once more

You're on the salt sea sailing, and I am safe behind
Fond letters I will write to you, the secrets of my mind
And the secrets of my mind, my love, you're the one that I adore

Still I live in hopes you'll see the holy ground once more

I see the storm a-rising, and it's coming quick and soon
And the night's so dark and cloudy you can scarcely see the moon
And the secrets of my mind, my love, you're the one that I adore
And still I live in hopes you'll see the holy ground once more

But now the storms are over, and you are safe and well
We will go into a public house and we'll sit and drink our fill
We will drink strong ale and porter and we'll make the rafters roar
And when our money, it is all spent, you'll go to sea once more

You're the one that I adore
And still I live in hopes that you'll see the holy ground once more

Overall Meaning

"The Holy Ground" is a beautiful folk song about a couple separated by the sea. The lyrics depict a young woman, bidding her lover Johnny farewell, as he sets sail on the salt sea, knowing that he will return to her someday. However, the sea is unpredictable and brings him an unexpected storm that threatens his life. The singer of the song, who is left behind, confesses her love for Johnny and hopes that he'll return safely to the holy ground and into her embrace once again.

The song is about separation, longing, and hope. The holy ground mentioned in the song represents a place of safety and security for the singer, a place she wants Johnny to return to. While the song is sad, it's also hopeful, depicting a love that endures even in the face of adversity. The use of strong visual imagery and Sailor's language conjures up the vivid image of sailing and the sea in our mind.

Line by Line Meaning

Farewell my lovely Johnny, a thousand times adieu
Goodbye, my dear Johnny, I say goodbye a thousand times

You are going away from the holy ground and the ones that love you true
You're leaving the place where you're loved the most and the people who truly love you

You will sail the salt seas over and then return for sure
You'll travel far across the ocean and then come back for sure

To see again the ones you love and the holy ground once more
To come back and see the people you love and the place you call home

You're on the salt sea sailing, and I am safe behind
You're sailing across the ocean, and I'm safe at home

Fond letters I will write to you, the secrets of my mind
I will write letters to you, sharing my deepest thoughts and feelings

And the secrets of my mind, my love, you're the one that I adore
You're the one I love, and I share my innermost thoughts with you

Still I live in hopes you'll see the holy ground once more
I hope you'll come back home again someday

I see the storm a-rising, and it's coming quick and soon
I see a storm coming, and it's approaching rapidly

And the night's so dark and cloudy you can scarcely see the moon
The night is so dark and cloudy that you can barely see the moon

But now the storms are over, and you are safe and well
The storms have passed, and you're safe and sound

We will drink strong ale and porter and we'll make the rafters roar
We'll drink beer and make merry, and our laughter will fill the room

And when our money, it is all spent, you'll go to sea once more
When we run out of money, you'll have to go back to sea again

You're the one that I adore
I love you very much

And still I live in hopes that you'll see the holy ground once more
And I still hope that you'll come back home someday

Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Christopher Beatty

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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