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
Leaving the Land
Mary Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No need to close the door
What if the dust gets in the house
It doesn't matter any more
You and the dust have been at war for far too many years
Now the war is over jenny dear.
Chorus
Leaving the land
Leaving the land
Leaving all I've ever been and everything I am
Leaving the land.
Remember when I brought you here
Those long bright years ago
For all that time you've been my heart
And this land has been my soul
The long bright days are over now but still the heart beats on
But jenny dear the soul is gone.
Chorus
I't time to go, jenny
Drive quickly down the track
We'll never see what lies ahead if we keep on looking back
Behind is just an empty house
Old memories and ghosts
And our small dream gathering dust.
Chorus
Mary Black's song Leaving the Land talks about a couple's departure from the land they used to live in. The song highlights their emotional attachment to the land where they had spent long years together. The first stanza talks about Jenny, who represents the couple's sentimental attachment to the land. The line "You and the dust have been at war for far too many years" symbolizes their struggle to keep and maintain the land. The war, however, is over, and it's time for them to leave the land.
The chorus echoes the couple's heavy heart at leaving the only home they have ever known. The line "Leaving all I've ever been and everything I am" signifies the deep emotional bond the couple has with the land. It is not only a place they called home but also a part of their identity.
The song's second stanza reminisces about the past when the couple once started their life on this land. The land had become this couple's soul, while Jenny suggested the couple's emotional attachment to the land. The line "long bright days are over now but still the heart beats on," portrays their sense of loss and the realization that time has moved on.
In the final stanza, the need to move on becomes imminent. The line "we'll never see what lies ahead if we keep on looking back" highlights the importance of letting go and moving forward. Behind them is an empty and ghostly house, a metaphor for the unfulfilled dreams they leave behind. Therefore, they need to continue the journey and open themselves up to new possibilities.
Line by Line Meaning
It's time to go, jenny
We need to leave this place, Jenny.
No need to close the door
Don't bother closing the door behind us.
What if the dust gets in the house
We don't need to worry about the dust getting inside anymore.
It doesn't matter any more
It's not important now.
You and the dust have been at war for far too many years
You've been fighting the dust for too long.
Now the war is over jenny dear.
We've won the battle against the dust, Jenny.
Leaving the land
We're saying goodbye to this place.
Leaving all I've ever been and everything I am
We're leaving behind everything we've known and everything we are.
Remember when I brought you here
Do you remember when I brought you to this place?
Those long bright years ago
It's been many years since we first arrived, and things were good then.
For all that time you've been my heart
You've been close to me throughout all those years.
And this land has been my soul
This place has been a part of my very being.
The long bright days are over now but still the heart beats on
Things aren't as good as they used to be, but we're still alive and moving forward.
But jenny dear the soul is gone.
This place doesn't feel like it used to anymore. It's lost its essence.
Drive quickly down the track
Let's hurry and leave this place behind.
We'll never see what lies ahead if we keep on looking back
If we keep dwelling on the past, we'll miss out on what's yet to come.
Behind is just an empty house
There's nothing left for us here. It's just an empty home.
Old memories and ghosts
All that's left are memories and echoes of the past.
And our small dream gathering dust.
Our dreams for this place have faded away into nothing.
Leaving the land.
We're leaving this place and all it represents.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ERIC BOGLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maureen Smith
on Bruach na Carraige Baine
So beautiful!