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 Water Is Wide
Mary Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ad neither have I wings to fly
Give me a boat that can carry two
And we shall row, my love and I
II
For love is gentle, and love is kind
The sweetest flower when first it's new
And fades away like morning dew
continued below...
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III
There is a ship and she sails the sea
She's loaded deep as deep can be
But not as deep as the love I'm in
I know now how I sink or swim
In Mary Black's "The Water is Wide," the songwriter uses a metaphorical representation of a relationship, with someone stating that the water is too wide for them to cross without any help. The metaphor becomes even more apparent when they mention that they do not have wings to fly. Therefore, they need a boat that can carry two people, indicating that they cannot make it alone in life or in their relationship. They request that their love should come with them, and they will paddle together until they reach the other side, symbolizing the idea that relationships require both partners to work together to overcome any difficulties.
The second verse talks about how love is something that starts out beautiful and sweet, like a flower in full bloom. However, as time goes on, the passion and excitement fade away like the morning dew, and the relationship can become challenging or even cold. Finally, the third verse switches back to the metaphorical representation of the relationship, mentioning that there is a ship that sails the sea, and it is loaded deep in the water, but not as deep as the love that the songwriter is in. The final line shows that they do not know whether they will sink or swim because the future of the relationship is uncertain.
Line by Line Meaning
The water is wide, I can't cross o'er
The river ahead is too wide for me to cross
Ad neither have I wings to fly
I do not have the ability to fly over the river
Give me a boat that can carry two
I require a boat that is capable of carrying two people
And we shall row, my love and I
Together, my love and I will row across the river
For love is gentle, and love is kind
Love is a tender and compassionate emotion
The sweetest flower when first it's new
Love is like a precious and delicate flower when it's first experienced
But love grows old and waxes cold
Love matures and can become indifferent to feelings
And fades away like morning dew
Love often disappears as quickly as the morning dew
There is a ship and she sails the sea
A ship is sailing on the sea
She's loaded deep as deep can be
It's as heavily loaded as it can be
But not as deep as the love I'm in
The love I'm experiencing is deeper than the ship's cargo
I know now how I sink or swim
I am now aware of my vulnerability and that I must either succeed or fail
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: TRADITIONAL, JEAN-PAUL CABRIERES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
hyooieyooie
I remember this from a cassette of 30+years ago. The tapes long gone and I just came across this the very same version tonight by accident. The wonders of youtube. Long wait but well worth it, great song, tempo and singer.
Mary Moynihan
great song
TristanandIsolt
This is a very changed version of the classic song Carrickfergus. I would like to hear Mary do the original.
marysueeasteregg
The Water is Wide is almost certainly the older song, actually. A Scottish folk song, The Water is Wide has been traced (its lyrics in part, anyway) back to the 1600's. The lyrics of Carrickfegus (or their precursor) are attributed to an Irish poet who died in the mid-1700's. But both being folk songs in origin, it's likely they have influenced each other. (Info from Wikipedia, so you're welcome to take it with a grain of salt.) I don't know which version of Carrickfergus you're referring to. The authentic Irish lyrics are reportedly bawdy and humorous, about a man being cuckolded, not nostalgic like the The Water is Wide, or the cleaned up romantic version of Carrickfergus I am familiar with from Charlotte Church.
TristanandIsolt
Thank you. Great information. The songs to me are almost identical.
Electricchris1
https://youtu.be/gzZ-ozg3fuo
TristanandIsolt
@Electricchris1 I love Van Morrison, but I'd rather hear it by Mary.
wadefite
You are right I had not noticed this before
かぴばら
私の中でこの曲はメアリーブラックのもの。