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
Leaboy's Lassie
Mary Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They called me young and bonny
Now they've changed my name
Called me the leaboy's honey.
I'll dye my petticoats red
And I'll face them with a yellow
I'll tell the dyester lads
It's over hills and dales
And over dykes and ditches
Say will I like the lad
Who wears the moleskin breeches
The black horse draws the cart
And he's as proud as any
Say will I like the lad
That drives them on so canny
Feather beds are fine
And painted rooms are bonny
But I would leave them all
To jog away with johnny
Oh, for saturday night
It's I that'll see my dearie
He'll come whistlin' in
When I am tired and weary.
First when I came to the town
They called me proud and saucy
Now they've changed my name
Called me the leaboy's lassie.
The lyrics of Mary Black's song, "Leaboy's Lassie," speak of a young woman who has come to town and initially receives compliments for her youth and beauty. However, her reputation becomes marred as the townspeople refer to her as the "leaboy's honey" or the lover of a poor tenant farmer. Despite this, the woman remains undeterred, even proclaiming that she will dye her petticoats red and adorn them with yellow to show her devotion to the leaboys she follows. She also ponders whether she will like the man in the moleskin breeches and the one who drives the black horse-drawn cart. The woman admits that although feather beds and painted rooms are nice, she would rather leave them all behind to be with her love, whom she is excited to see on Saturday night. The lyrics then come full circle, as the townspeople have now changed their tune and refer to her as the "leaboy's lassie."
The lyrics of "Leaboy's Lassie" are a reflection of the social and economic hierarchies present in rural Ireland during the 19th century. The "leaboy," or tenant farmer, was at the bottom of the social ladder and often faced discrimination and poverty. However, the song's protagonist chooses to disregard these societal norms and openly declares her love for a leaboy. Her defiance serves as a symbol of resistance against the dominant culture that seeks to marginalize and ostracize those who do not fit into their rigid class structure.
Line by Line Meaning
First when I came to the town
When I first arrived in town
They called me young and bonny
They called me young and beautiful
Now they've changed my name
Now they call me a different name
Called me the leaboy's honey
They call me the love interest of the Leaboy
I'll dye my petticoats red
I will color my petticoats red
And I'll face them with a yellow
And I will place yellow cloth over them
I'll tell the dyester lads
I will tell the dyers
That the leaboys I've to follow
That I am following the Leaboys
It's over hills and dales
We will travel over hills and valleys
And over dykes and ditches
And over walls and trenches
Say will I like the lad
I wonder if I will like the boy
Who wears the moleskin breeches
Who wears the pants made of moleskin
The black horse draws the cart
The black horse pulls the cart
And he's as proud as any
And he is as proud as anyone
Say will I like the lad
I wonder if I will like the boy
That drives them on so canny
Who drives them so skillfully
Feather beds are fine
Soft beds are nice
And painted rooms are bonny
And nicely decorated rooms are beautiful
But I would leave them all
But I would leave them all behind
To jog away with johnny
To run away with Johnny
Oh, for saturday night
Oh, on Saturday night
It's I that'll see my dearie
I will see my sweetheart
He'll come whistlin' in
He will come whistling to me
When I am tired and weary.
When I am exhausted and tired.
First when I came to the town
When I first arrived in town
They called me proud and saucy
They called me arrogant and cheeky
Now they've changed my name
Now they call me a different name
Called me the leaboy's lassie.
They call me the Leaboy's girl.
Contributed by Dylan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sara M
What a lovely strand of sweetness this Irish lady has brought into our lives over so many years. We are changed forever by her amazing, heart filling songs.
Joseph Stalin
I have loved Mary Black for more than 30 years and this is one of her early songs that I loved the most and it's great to see a live version . . . thank you for posting :)
Tony Monterz
Mary Black is a great singer her voice is full of soul and celtic stars . big hug from Brasil
Culpepper McCuller
She touches my Scots-Irish heart every time she sings this.
Alfred Lee
Beautiful
matt dansville
:)