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

The Fog In Monterey
Mary Black Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Some days the fog in monterey comes
Blowing from the grove above, and then tears away
The drifting patches lift and fold
Then sunlight cuts them white and cold
In monterey -- fog comes, oh, then
It tears away

A heart sick lover comes to stay;

She leaves the one she loves behind,
And then tears away.
She walks the hill in sudden wonder;
Is she dead or just undone?
She's lost her way -- love comes, oh, then
It tears away

Some nights this girl in monterey
Lies dreaming in her room above, then tears away:
Her eyes are on her lover's face;
He smiles, and she can hardly wait --
Is it night or day? -- dream comes, oh, then
It tears away

But now that morning's on it's way
Too soon the dreamer's drowned in fog that tears away
The clouds that cover monterey
Crowd by as if they're here to say
"we never stay -- she comes, oh, then
She tears away"

Some days the fog in monterey comes
Blowing from the grove above, then tears away;

It comes--oh, then
It tears away.

Overall Meaning

Mary Black's song, "The Fog in Monterey," is a contemplative and introspective song about the transience of love and the ephemeral nature of life. The imagery of the fog that rolls into Monterey Bay becomes a metaphor for the fleeting moments of connection we have in life.

The song opens with the lyric "some days the fog in Monterey comes," which is a metaphor for how moments of clarity and connection come and go in our lives. The fog is a symbol for the confusion and uncertainty that love can bring, as well as the fleeting nature of these moments.

The song continues with the story of a heartbroken lover who comes to Monterey, only to feel lost and undone. The fog serves as a reminder that even though we may feel lost and alone, the fog will eventually lift, and we will find our way again.

The song also touches on the power of dreams and memories to transport us to different times and places, and how these moments can be just as transitory and elusive as the fog that surrounds Monterey Bay.

Overall, "The Fog in Monterey" is a haunting and beautiful meditation on the fleeting nature of love, memory, and life itself.

Line by Line Meaning

Some days the fog in monterey comes
Some days sadness takes over

Blowing from the grove above, and then tears away
It comes from thoughts and memories known and unknown, and then it leaves everything hollow and empty

The drifting patches lift and fold
The fog has movement like waves in the ocean

Then sunlight cuts them white and cold
And the only thing that can make it disappear is the one thing that causes it - the sun, but it leaves you feeling cold and isolated

In monterey -- fog comes, oh, then
In monterey, sadness arrives, and then

It tears away
it disappears

A heart sick lover comes to stay;
A lover whose heart is hurt came to stay

She leaves the one she loves behind,
She left behind someone she loves

And then tears away.
And then she leaves again.

She walks the hill in sudden wonder;
She walks the hill, wondering if things will be alright

Is she dead or just undone?
Is she just broken, or lifeless?

She's lost her way -- love comes, oh, then
She's feeling lost, but love finds her, then

It tears away
And then it's gone again.

Some nights this girl in monterey
Some nights this girl in monterey

Lies dreaming in her room above, then tears away:
She dreams in her room, but when she wakes up, everything disappears.

Her eyes are on her lover's face;
She's thinking about her lover