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
Prayer for Love
Mary Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The wound grows, and you believe in love
Walk around feeling cut in two
Wide open with your heart on view
All you bereaved, all you bedazzled boys in need
When love won't heal you, why, why believe she will?
O Lyubvi molyu, otchayanno
Oh so sharp and way too cool
Love's bright and biggest fool
Has to work on speaking slow
To think hard and to lie low
All you bereaved, all you besotted boys in need
V krayu dalyokom, chuzhie ne nuzhny
Chorus:
O Lyubvi molyu, otchayanno
Say it on your knees
Crying like a baby, "Plese, please, please"
Crying, hoping maybe
O Lyubvi molyu, otchayanno
Say it on your knees
Candle is a splendid thing
The room glows, and the candle sings
Fly up to the only light
Every, every tiny wing
The moth inside you bolts off to join the beautiful
He flies and dies, so quickly, quickly wise
(Chorus)
Say it on your knees
Say it on your knees
Mary Black's song "Prayer for Love" is a heartfelt plea for love that acknowledges its pain and uncertainty. The opening lines reflect a sense of disillusionment with love, suggesting that faith alone is not enough to heal emotional wounds. The singer addresses those who have been bereaved or lost in love and asks why they continue to believe love will save them. The lyrics suggest that despite the pain of love, it is still worth pursuing and praying for, even if it means falling to one's knees to beg for it.
The song's verses are sung in both English and Russian, adding to its poignancy and universality. The use of Russian is particularly effective in conveying the depth of the singer's emotions, as the language has the capacity to express complex feelings and emotions with a single word or phrase. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "O Lyubvi molyu, otchayanno," which translates to "I pray for love desperately" in English, emphasizing the singer's vulnerability and need for love.
Overall, "Prayer for Love" is a powerful and moving exploration of the pain and beauty of love. It acknowledges the difficulty of love but also suggests that it is worth pursuing and praying for, even when it seems impossible. The song's use of multiple languages and its heartfelt chorus make it a profound meditation on the human desire for connection and intimacy.
Line by Line Meaning
Faith won't heal up everything
Despite believing in love, it cannot heal every emotional wound we face in life.
The wound grows, and you believe in love
Even when our emotional wounds get worse, we depend on love to heal them.
Walk around feeling cut in two
Feeling deeply hurt and vulnerable after losing someone you love.
Wide open with your heart on view
Despite the hurt, we still show our true emotions and wear our hearts on our sleeves.
All you bereaved, all you bedazzled boys in need
The song is addressing those who have experienced heartache and are searching for love in various forms.
When love won't heal you, why, why believe she will?
Even after multiple heartbreaks, we continue to believe that love will heal us.
Oh so sharp and way too cool
Trying to appear tough and unaffected by our emotions is a defense mechanism to hide our pain.
Love's bright and biggest fool
Love is capable of turning even the wisest minds foolish and irrational.
Has to work on speaking slow
Taking the time to process our emotions and communicate them in a clear and concise manner to our partner.
To think hard and to lie low
Reflect on our actions and avoid letting our emotions get the best of us blind us to the truth.
V krayu dalyokom, chuzhie ne nuzhny
In faraway places, we desire to be with someone who cares for us.
Candle is a splendid thing
A candle represents the hope and light of a better future that we envision with someone we love.
The room glows, and the candle sings
The presence of love brings warmth and joy to our lives that is radiant and contagious.
Fly up to the only light
The moth represents our attraction to the light of love that we are drawn to despite the danger of getting hurt.
Every, every tiny wing
The moth is beautiful, yet fragile, and can be easily harmed by the intensity of love it seeks.
The moth inside you bolts off to join the beautiful
We feel a strong desire to pursue love, despite the risks and pain that may come with it.
He flies and dies, so quickly, quickly wise
Love can either make us wise in its intensity and fleetingness or destroy us both emotionally and mentally.
Crying like a baby, 'Please, please, please'
When desperate for love's healing power, we are humbled and seek it with childlike innocence.
Crying, hoping maybe
Seeking and holding onto hope that despite the pain, someone or something can heal our hearts.
Say it on your knees
Pray to a higher power or the universe for love to heal and bless us with happiness and fulfillment.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maureen Smith
on Bruach na Carraige Baine
So beautiful!