As well as performing solo, Paul has also toured internationally as a guitarist with the famous '60s legend Donovan, Welsh Breton songstress Katell Keineg, Kieran Halpin and platinum selling Irish singer Sinead Lohan whilst also guesting with the HotHouse Flowers, Mary Black, Christy Moore and Beth Orton.
Following on the success of his first album, he formed a trio with Kevin Murphy on cello and Colm McCaughey on fiddle bringing to the music an unusual sense of melody crossing over the rock-traditional-folk divide.
This distinctive combination has so far resulted in a successful tour of America and Scandinavia in 1994, a stunning performance at the international South by Southwest music seminar in Texas in 1995, tours and festivals in Switzerland and in Germany throughout the last ten years and a string of vibrant performances to wildly enthusiastic crowds all over Ireland.
The debut album was followed by a more "electric" album called "Virgoville" in 1998. Paul released his third album "God knows i love a happy ending" in 2002, an enthralling, swirling mixture of strings and voices and is at the moment working on his fourth album.
Recently Paul appeared on the Irish television series 'Other voices' featuring the best of Irish singer songwriters. One of Paul's songs 'Belle' has been included in the top ten Irish album of the same name.
Paul has also recently joined Irish cult band Interference who have been described as being one of the seminal influences on the likes of well known Irish artists, The Frames and Mundy.
Paul has a song (the title track) covered by one of Ireland's most popular singers, Kieran Goss, on his last album 'Red Letter Day'.
One of Paul’s songs ‘how to say goodbye’ is in an American film ‘Nick and Norah’s Infinite playlist’….recently a top 10 box office hit in the USA and to be released worldwide in 2009.
Paul Tiernan released his fourth CD entitled ‘Belle’ in 2005 which CDbaby (the worlds biggest online distributor of independent cds) wrote: ‘this is, without a doubt, one of the most memorable male folk albums to come through our doors in years.’
‘Earthquakes start with little cracks’ , Paul’s latest CD was released in Ireland on March 2nd, 2009. The opening song ‘Breakfast in bed’ has already been voted on of the best songs of 2008 by ‘Rock n’ Folk’ , one of France’s most popular music magazines.
For tour info, audio samples & CD purchases see Paul's homepage.
Paul Tiernan - discography:
Who's Fooling Who? (1995)
Virgoville (1998)
God Knows I Love a Happy Ending (2000)
Belle (2004)
Earthquakes start with little cracks (2008)
Jack
Paul Tiernan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Haven't you seen enough
Of all
That stuff?
Just a crazy idea, ignore me
All I want
Is peace
How did we ever get this far, jack?
How did we ever get this far, jack?
And will we ever be going back?
Cat's eyes, light up the way we go
A field of flowers, a field of snow
Did deep
For the gold
Life burnt us out
Left us lying on the ground under
A thundercloud
Don't shout
It's all over town
How did we ever get this far, jack?
How did we ever get this far, jack?
And will we ever be going back?
The lyrics of Paul Tiernan's song Jack portray a sense of loss and disillusionment. The singer, Jack, seems to have seen enough of something, and the singer urges him to get back into the car. They decide to head to the sea, hoping to find some peace. The lines "How did we ever get this far, Jack?" suggest that the two protagonists are trying to figure out how they ended up where they are, and whether they will ever be able to go back. The reference to "cat's eyes" and "a field of flowers, a field of snow" further underline the sense of being lost and searching for something--perhaps meaning or direction.
The lyrics' use of imagery is powerful, with the "field of flowers, a field of snow" representing the ups and downs of life. The line "did deep for the gold" shows that the two have been looking for something valuable, but their search has left them burnt out and lying on the ground under a thundercloud. Despite this, the singer urges Jack not to shout. It seems like the singer is trying to keep himself together, not wanting to fall apart completely.
In conclusion, the song Jack portrays a sense of disillusionment and loss, with two protagonists trying to figure out how they ended up where they are and whether they will ever find their way back. The use of imagery is powerful, and the lyrics capture the essence of being lost and searching for something elusive.
Line by Line Meaning
Jack, get back in the car
The singer is asking Jack to come back into the car
Haven't you seen enough
The singer is asking if Jack has had enough of something they've seen
Of all That stuff?
The singer is referring to something specific that Jack has seen and asking if he has seen enough of it
Drive, let's go to the sea
The artist is asking Jack to drive to the sea with them
Just a crazy idea, ignore me
The artist is acknowledging that their suggestion to go to the sea may seem crazy and suggesting that Jack not take them seriously
All I want Is peace
The singer is expressing that their desire is to have peace
How did we ever get this far, jack?
The singer is asking Jack how they got to where they are now
And will we ever be going back?
The artist is questioning if they will ever go back to where they started
Cat's eyes, light up the way we go
Cat's eyes are lighting the way as the artists travel
A field of flowers, a field of snow
The artists are traveling through a field of flowers and snow
Did deep For the gold
The singers dug deep to find something valuable
Life burnt us out
Life has made the artists feel exhausted
Left us lying on the ground under A thundercloud
The singers are feeling defeated and hopeless, as if they are stuck under a dark cloud
Don't shout It's all over town
The singers are telling someone not to shout because what they are discussing is a well-known topic in the town
Contributed by Samuel P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.