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
My Donald
Mary Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the waves that blow wild and free
He splices the ropes and he sets the sails
While southward he rolls to the home of the whale
And he ne'er thinks o' me far behind
Nor the torments that rage in my mind
He's mine for only part of the year
And I'm left all alone with only my tears
Ye ladies that smell of wild rose
Think ye for your perfume to where a man goes
Think ye o' the wives and the babies that yearn
For a man ne'er returning from hunting the sperm
My Donald he works on the sea
On the waves that blow wild and free
He splices the ropes and sets the sails
While southward he rolls to the home of the whale
In Mary Black's song "My Donald," the lyrics describe a woman's longing for her lover who works on the sea as a sailor. Donald is a man who sets sail on the wild and free waves to hunt for whales, leaving his lover behind to deal with her own feelings of loneliness and abandonment. The singer openly admits that Donald never thinks of her while he's away, and she's left to cope with her own "torments" and tears.
The lyrics also address the wives and families of sailors. The singer asks other women who may wear perfume and feel attractive to think about the wives and children left behind to wait for their husbands who are out hunting for whales. The song is an acknowledgement of the hardships and isolation that come with being a sailor or being involved with someone who works on the sea.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh my Donald he works on the sea
My beloved Donald works on the vast, unpredictable sea
On the waves that blow wild and free
He navigates through rough and untamed waters
He splices the ropes and he sets the sails
Donald works hard to make sure the ship is functioning properly
While southward he rolls to the home of the whale
He sails southward towards the whale's breeding areas
And he ne'er thinks o' me far behind
Donald doesn't think of me, the one he loves, who's far away from him
Nor the torments that rage in my mind
He's unaware of the agony that my mind goes through from being apart
He's mine for only part of the year
Donald is only mine for a certain time period in a year
And I'm left all alone with only my tears
After he leaves, I'm all alone and the only thing I have is my tears
Ye ladies that smell of wild rose
All you women who smell of wild rose
Think ye for your perfume to where a man goes
Have you ever considered how your perfume may affect a man's journey?
Think ye o' the wives and the babies that yearn
Think of the wives and children who miss and long for their husbands and fathers
For a man ne'er returning from hunting the sperm
They worry about the possibility of their loved ones not returning from their dangerous hunts for whales
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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Maureen Smith
on Bruach na Carraige Baine
So beautiful!