Brennan grew up as the eldest in a very musical family in a remote parish in the northwest of Ireland, a place where the Irish language and tradition was and still is very much alive. She sang along with her siblings in the family pub, Leo's Tavern. She also took part in many pantomimes in Amharclann Ghaoth Dobhair, the local theatre, usually dancing and singing.
It was during 1970 that she joined her two brothers Pól and Ciarán and their mother's two twin brothers Noel and Pádraig Ó Dúgáin and eventually formed Clannad. After enjoying a decade of being the world's foremost traditional Irish act, they graduated to chart success in 1982 with the album Magical Ring. Moya Brennan was at the forefront of the group's success and her voice suddenly became synonymous with celtic music and Irish music at the time. She has recorded 17 albums with Clannad and has won a Grammy, a BAFTA and an Ivor Novello award with the quintet.
Moya Brennan released her first solo album in 1992, Máire, on Atlantic Records. Misty Eyed Adventures on BGM followed three years later. In 1998, Brennan signed with Word Records and released Perfect Time, and Whisper To The Wild Water a year later. The album was nominated in the Grammy Awards of 2001 for Best New Age Album. Her music is usually classified as New Age or Celtic. She accepts the Celtic label, but has at times indicated a slight discomfort with being seen as "New Age" as much of her music is strongly Christian, with several of her songs centering on maintaining a relationship with Jesus Christ. Some of her songs show influences from her Catholic upbringing or seem relational due to her own views concerning the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In total Brennan has recorded 25 albums, and has sold over 20 million records. Since 2002, she has promoted herself as Moya Brennan — a spelling closely resembling the phonetic pronunciation of her name for those not familiar with the Irish variant of the spelling.
Brennan, along with Clannad, are considered as the inventors of contemporary celtic music and are held in high esteem for their vast contribution to modernizing old Irish songs. It is Brennan's haunting voice that has left the most lasting legacy, it has become synonymic with Clannad's work and with Irish music in general. Her ethereal vocalization is considered the archetypal sound of Ireland and strains of her style have been acquired in the soundtracks to Titanic and Riverdance. Brennan is also famous for her harp playing, she has featured it on many Clannad records and her album Two Horizons is based on the discovery of the harp.
Moya is also a member of Irish traditional group, T with the Ms.
Don't Give Up
Moya Brennan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were wanted all along
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I never thought I could fail
No fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I've changed my face, I've changed my name
Don't give up
'Cause you have friends
Don't give up
You're not beaten yet
Don't give up
I know you can make it good
Though I saw it all around
Never thought I could be affected
Thought that we'd be the last to go
It is so strange the way things turn
Drove the night toward my home
The place that I was born, on the lakeside
As daylight broke, I saw the earth
The trees had burned down to the ground
Don't give up
You still have us
Don't give up
We don't need much of anything
Don't give up
'Cause somewhere there's a place
Where we belong
Rest your head
You worry too much
It's going to be alright
When times get rough
You can fall back on us
Don't give up
Please don't give up
Got to walk out of here
I can't take anymore
Gonna stand on that bridge
Keep my eyes down below
Whatever may come
And whatever may go
That river's flowing
That river's flowing
Moved on to another town
Tried hard to settle down
For every job, so many men
So many men no-one needs
Don't give up
'cause you have friends
Don't give up
You're not the only one
Don't give up
No reason to be ashamed
Don't give up
You still have us
Don't give up now
We're proud of who you are
Don't give up
You know it's never been easy
Don't give up
'Cause I believe there's the a place
There's a place where we belong
Moya Brennan's song "Don't Give Up" is a touching ballad about hope, perseverance, and the power of friendship. The song opens with a strong sense of pride in one's identity, set against a backdrop of struggle and adversity. In this proud land, the singer grew up strong, knowing that they were wanted all along. The sense of determination was ingrained in them from an early age, as they were taught to fight and to win, never once considering the possibility of failure. However, as the song progresses, we see that even the strongest of us can falter and fall, and our dreams may not always come true. The singer speaks of changing their face and their name, but no one wants you when you lose. It is during these moments of despair that the power of friendship comes through. The chorus repeats the refrain "Don't give up," offering support and hope to the person who is struggling. The song speaks of the way things turn and the unexpected turns of events that can come our way, leaving us feeling lost and alone. But even in these moments, we have the comfort of knowing that we have friends who will stand by us, no matter what.
The second verse speaks of seeing the world around us and being taken aback by the changes we witness. The singer speaks of driving toward their home, seeing the place where they were born, and being struck by the devastation around them. The trees had burned down to the ground, and it seemed that everything had changed. In moments like these, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and hopeless. But once again, the chorus reassures us that we are not alone, that there is a place where we belong, and that we have people who care about us.
The final verse speaks of moving from place to place, trying to settle down and find one's place in the world. It is a reminder that life is not always easy, and that sometimes we are met with challenges that seem insurmountable. Once again, the chorus comes back to remind us that we are not alone, and that we should not give up hope.
Overall, "Don't Give Up" is a powerful and moving song that speaks to the struggles that we all face in life. It is a reminder that even when things seem difficult, we have the support of friends who care about us and will stand by us no matter what happens.
Line by Line Meaning
In this proud land we grew up strong
Growing up in this land made us strong and proud
We were wanted all along
We were always welcomed and needed here
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I was taught to be a winner and a fighter
I never thought I could fail
I believed I was invincible and would never fail
No fight left or so it seems
I feel like I have no energy or strength left to fight anymore
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I have lost all hope and my dreams have vanished
I've changed my face, I've changed my name
I have tried to change everything about myself but nothing seems to work
But no one wants you when you lose
People are not interested in you when you are down or have lost everything
Don't give up
Do not lose hope
'Cause you have friends
Because you have allies and people who care about you
You're not beaten yet
You still have a chance to overcome your struggles
I know you can make it good
I believe in your capacity to succeed and make things right
Though I saw it all around
Although I saw the signs of trouble and change around me
Never thought I could be affected
I never imagined that I could be impacted by these changes
Thought that we'd be the last to go
I assumed that our community would be the last to experience problems and hardships
It is so strange the way things turn
It is surprising and sometimes ironic how things unfold
Drove the night toward my home
I was driving back home at night
The place that I was born, on the lakeside
My birthplace was by the side of a lake
As daylight broke, I saw the earth
In the morning, I could see the landscape clearly
The trees had burned down to the ground
The trees were destroyed by fire and had fallen completely
You still have us
You are not alone and have our support
We don't need much of anything
We do not require anything in return for our support
'Cause somewhere there's a place
There is a place where we can feel safe and welcomed
Where we belong
Where we feel at home and accepted for who we are
Rest your head
Take a break and calm down
You worry too much
You are overthinking and stressing yourself out
It's going to be alright
Everything will eventually become okay
When times get rough
During difficult moments
You can fall back on us
You can rely on us for support
Got to walk out of here
I need to leave this place
I can't take anymore
I have reached my limit and cannot take it anymore
Gonna stand on that bridge
I will go to that bridge and stand there
Keep my eyes down below
I will avoid looking at the water below the bridge
Whatever may come
Regardless of what happens next
And whatever may go
And no matter what goes away
That river's flowing
The river is still flowing
Moved on to another town
I have relocated to a new place
Tried hard to settle down
I have made efforts to establish myself in this new town
For every job, so many men
There are too many people competing for the same job opportunities
So many men no-one needs
There is an excess of labor that is not required in this place
No reason to be ashamed
You should not feel embarrassed or guilty about your situation
Don't give up now
Do not lose hope and determination at this stage
We're proud of who you are
We admire and respect you for who you are
You know it's never been easy
You are well aware that life has always been challenging
'Cause I believe there's a place
I am convinced that there is a place out there for you
There's a place where we belong
There is a place where we can feel accepted and happy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore
Written by: PETER GABRIEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@loryguzmancarrasco
this is my way to love
esto es una informacion de labor social y a quien pueda interesa gracias
por dejarme ponerlo
hola soy cliente de dentix y como tal mi queja y experiencia que no voy a
relatar por que todos tendreis algo parecido mi intencion es dar una
informacion para que defiendas tus derechos como paciente consumidor y
usuario y sobre todo como persona que paga por un servicio deficiente
abusos acosos intimidacion trato vejatorrio denigrante degradante
victima y desprecio absoluto por el paciente en cualquier plano de
dentix y todo esto pagando pagando y pagando y donde la figura de
atecion al paciente brilla por su ausenica y estan obligados a tenerla
por su constitucion como empresa como clinica dental y por ley, tienes
tus derechos y que nadie los vulnere seas de donde seas español o
inmigrante la leyes y las instituciones publicas y gratuitas te ayudan
defienden y amparan la ley de consumidores y usuarios los sindicatos
asociaciones de consumidores creeme es real, ves a las oficinas de
atencion al ciudadano hay varias en madrid o en tu localidad donde vivas
busca en internet, o en las juntas de tus distritos tambien con un
simple impreso con tu queja o reclamacion presentada en registro ellos
ya proceden y no te preocupes tus datos estan a salvo la ley de
proteccion de datos te protege, no lo dudes comunicalo y hazlo saber y
llegar a tus vecinos amigos familiares compañeros de trabajo y conocidos
en las redes sociales que se visualice no tengas ningun miedo es tu
salud y tu dinero y no pagues si el tratamiento no es satisfactorio ni
terminado paraliza el pago en tu banco, si tu no pagas ellos se hunden y
sobre todo no sigas siendo la victima. esto es acoso abuso
intimidacion no lo dudes defiendete siempre sea lo que sea un saludo
desde España a los hermanos de latino america no eres vulnerable tu
sabes defenderte seguro siempre siempre y siempre y por cierto falta de
proteccion a la maternidad y la infancia si estas embarazada no te
atienden como cliente discriminaciony a las personas mayores y niños
tampoco mas discriminacion y los ampara la Constitucion Española y si
eres trabajador asociate a un sindicato teneis que tener comite de
empresa repesentacion sindical delegados por centro por ley y convenio
colectivo regulado NO A LOS MALOS TRATOS VENGAN DE DONDE VENGAN
@elizabethhickey12
This is a truly amazing version of this song.
DON'T GIVE UP!!! Even in your darkest hours of despair, there is hope.
@DaveM-FFB
I have ended many a rough week by listening to this song which has a permanent spot on my playlist. The rest of the "Streams" CD is every bit as good, with a variety of excellent artists.
@happyal1000
A sprinkle of gold on this song...Maire Brennan. The voice from the land, from Clannad...the Irish land
@Selbarm
I first heard this song when I was a very young teenager in maybe year 2001 I was in dark part in my life. My teachers wanted me to go to a mental hospital. My mom had to pull me out of public school so they wouldn’t do that to me. And no being homeschooled did not entirely help. I was alone with my friends who left me. I literally starting over my life that I was so used to was gone. This song helped me not to give up and hurt myself 😢😿
@lizzybelle6576
I Love You Holy Spirit…Never Dies!
@c.l.9344
Beautifully done. I so needed this. This popped up in my algorithm at the perfect time.
@seanogorman1820
Two great singers great back round clips of the west of Ireland lovely to see Ireland looking so well
@talithahills68
Now more than ever this song is very relevant for the coming storm.
@arcossarco4625
This comment is so relevant
@theshyguitarist
Which storm were you referring to...