Mary Jane Lamond is a sharer of songs, stories and spirit. This sharing has garnered Mary Jane numerous JUNO and East Coast Music award nominations, critical acclaim, and a worldwide audience.
"Seinn" reflects the Nova Scotia tradition, and showcases traditional and original compositions. Some of the material was learned from the recordings of older Cape Breton singers and fiddlers, some songs were chosen from existing repertoires, and some were written specifically for this project. The record fuses Roots arrangements with a traditional presentation.
On the North Shore of Cape Breton Island, the rich heritage of the region’s Scottish settlers was kept alive through song. It was in Nova Scotia, visiting her grandparents throughout her youth, that Lamond fell in love with Scottish Gaelic traditions and song. While enrolled in Saint Francis Xavier University’s Celtic Studies programme, Lamond released her first album, Bho Thir Nan Craobh, a collection of traditional material that introduced her unique singing voice and a then-unknown fiddler named Ashley MacIsaac. The two talented Maritimers then collaborated on the award-winning radio smash “Sleepy Maggie” as Mary Jane Lamond & Wendy MacIsaac.
Lamond took time-honoured Gaelic songs to the next level on Suas e!, which combined classic texts with contemporary pop sounds. The Globe & Mail praised it for its “refreshing balance between modern and ancient,” and the album earned several Juno and East Coast Music award nominations, as well as a MuchMusic Global Groove Award for the video “Bog a’Lochain.”
The success of Suas e! contributed to an explosion of interest in Celtic culture and Lamond took the songs on the road with a live band. Her experiences on the stage directly influenced the sound of Làn Dùil.
On Làn Dùil Lamond’s renditions of Gaelic songs are fused with original arrangements using a variety of instruments, from the familiar fiddle and bagpipes to Indian tabla.
Brain Ghaidhlig (Gaelic Songs of Cape Breton), focuses on the songs and poetry which are the cornerstone of this tradition. This recording remains true to the simple sharing of music that is the foundation of Gaelic culture – from the engaging milling songs performed by a group of Cape Breton’s finest traditional Gaelic singers to the lively old style fiddling of Joe Peter MacLean, a musician never before captured on recording. Recorded at the beautiful North River Church in Cape Breton, this enhanced cd also features visuals taken during the recording sessions.
Lamond’s solo recording, Stòras (Gaelic meaning “a treasure”), is an interpretation of some of the Scottish Gaelic songs that have become part of Nova Scotia’s Gaelic tradition. Her use of modern instrumentation and arrangements provides a framework.
BA BA MO LEANABH
Mary Jane Lamond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ba mo leanabh, ba
O ba ba mo leanabh
Nì mo leanabhs' an ba ba
Ged tha mi gun chaoraich agam
'S caoraich uil' aig càch
Ged tha mi gun chaoraich agam
O ba ba mo leanabh
Ba mo leanabh, ba
O ba ba mo leanabh
Nì mo leanabhs' an ba ba
Eudail mhòir a shluaigh an dòmhain
Dhòirt iad d'fhuil an dé
'S chuir iad do cheann air stob daraich
Tacan beag bho do chré
O ba ba mo leanabh
Ba mo leanabh, ba
O ba ba mo leanabh
Nì mo leanabhs' an ba ba
Dhìrich mi bheinn mhòr gun anal
Dhìrich agus thearn
Chuirinn falt mo chinn fo d' chasan
Agus craicionn mo dhà làimh
O ba ba mo leanabh
Ba mo leanabh, ba
O ba ba mo leanabh
Nì mo leanabhs' an ba ba
These Gaelic lyrics are from the traditional Scottish song, "Ba Ba Mo Leanabh" by Mary Jane Lamond. The song's name means "Hush My Baby" or "Sleep My Baby" and portrays a mother's love for her child. The song begins with the mother saying that she wishes to sing a lullaby to her child, which will make him/her sleep peacefully. She mentions that although she doesn't have any sheep, which are usually used to sing lullabies to bring calm to the child, she wants to make her baby feel calm and loved.
The mother then goes on to describe the state of the world and how people are thirsty for blood and violence. She talks about how people have put the heads of their enemies on a stake and how a small piece of land is soaked with the blood of their enemies. However, despite all of this, the mother wants to create a safe and warm environment for her child to sleep and to provide love and care for her baby. In the final stanza of the song, the mother describes her own longing for her child and how she would leave everything behind to stay with her child, including her head, hair, and hands.
Overall, the song is a beautiful and touching portrayal of a mother's love and her desire to provide security and love for her child, despite the harsh and violent world in which she lives.
Line by Line Meaning
O ba ba mo leanabh
Oh, little baby of mine
Ba mo leanabh, ba
You are my baby, my dear
Nì mo leanabhs' an ba ba
My baby will make ba-ba
Ged tha mi gun chaoraich agam
Although I have no sheep of my own
'S caoraich uil' aig càch
And everyone else has sheep
Ged tha mi gun chaoraich agam
Although I have no sheep of my own
Dèan a leanabh an ba ba
Let your baby make ba-ba
Eudail mhòir a shluaigh an dòmhain
The great heroes of the world
Dhòirt iad d'fhuil an dé
Spilled blood on the day
'S chuir iad do cheann air stob daraich
And they put your head on a stake
Tacan beag bho do chré
Just a little bit away from your body
Dhìrich mi bheinn mhòr gun anal
I climbed a big hill without breath
Dhìrich agus thearn
I climbed and I climbed
Chuirinn falt mo chinn fo d' chasan
I would put my hair under your feet
Agus craicionn mo dhà làimh
And the skin of my two hands
Contributed by Isabelle B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.