In more recent times she has collaborated again with Davey (who is also her husband) and Co. Kerry based musicians (Seamus Begley, Éilís Ní Chinneide, Laurence Courtney, Daithí Ó Sé, Eoin Begley)to produce a unique body of work based on local poet Caoimhin O Cinneide's poetry which they converted into a group of songs and they now perform these as a band called Beal Tuinne. Rita has also been performing with other musicians such as Liam O'Flynn, Arty McGlynn, Neil Martin, Sean Keane, Noel Eccles and Shaun Davey in a new venture called The Funeral Band. She has also been performing in a quartet with her husband Shaun Davey and guitarist Gerry O'Beirne and concertina player Eoin Begley.
Rita has sung for and with many of the great names in Irish music including Shaun Davey, Bill Whelan, Donal Lunny, Andy Irvine, Christy Moore, Luka Bloom and Jimmy McCarthy. She has also sung songs for theatre, television and film including The Deer's Cry for 'Who Bombed Birmingham' and Todavia Cantamos for 'The Tailor of Panama'. She has sung in many great venues including the National Concert Hall, Dublin, The Albert Hall, London and Chicago Symphony Centre, Chicago.
Piccadilly
Rita Connolly Lyrics
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And I thought I heard the sea
Thought I heard the sea
And a thousand voices laughed at me
I saw an aeroplane up in the sky
I shot it down
Yes I shot it down
Please don't leave me in this lonely, lonely city
Please don't leave me all alone in this town
With every word you say you're breathing sweet air
Anew
And I'm bleeding with the scent an with the sound
I saw a boy wave from the bridge
But nobody waved back
Not a soul waved back
But he waved until the day grew black
I know you did oppose it
But you filled my glass again
Filled it to the brim
And you're hoping it might ease the pain
Please don't leave me in this lonely, lonely city
Please don't leave me all alone in this town
With every word you say you're breathing sweet air
Anew
And I'm bleeding with the scent and with the sound
The lyrics of Rita Connolly's song Piccadilly seem to describe a feeling of profound loneliness in the middle of a bustling city. The singer is standing in Piccadilly, one of the busiest intersections in London, and she hears the sound of the sea in her mind's ear - a poignant reminder of the vastness of the world and her own smallness in it. She imagines shooting down an airplane in the sky and watching it fall without a sound - a metaphor for the sense of powerlessness and isolation that she feels. Even when she tries to connect with others, such as the boy who waves from the bridge, she is met with silence and rejection. The only comfort she finds is in the company of someone who may not have her best interests at heart - someone who fills her glass and hopes it might ease her pain.
Line by Line Meaning
I stood in Piccadilly
I stood in the famous intersection in London known as Piccadilly
And I thought I heard the sea
I thought I heard the sound of the ocean while standing in Piccadilly
Thought I heard the sea
I was mistaken and did not actually hear the sound of the sea
And a thousand voices laughed at me
In my confusion, I heard the laughter of many people around me
I saw an aeroplane up in the sky
I observed an airplane flying above me
I shot it down
I had a delusional thought of shooting down the airplane
Yes I shot it down
I repeated the delusional thought of shooting down the airplane
And I watched it fall without a sound
I imagined the plane falling out of the sky without any noise
Please don't leave me in this lonely, lonely city
I am pleading to not be left alone in the desolate city
Please don't leave me all alone in this town
I am begging for company in this lonely town
With every word you say you're breathing sweet air
I feel invigorated by the words spoken to me
Anew
I feel refreshed and revitalized by these words
And I'm bleeding with the scent an with the sound
I feel overcome with emotion and overwhelmed by the sensory experiences around me
I saw a boy wave from the bridge
I observed a young boy waving to someone from a nearby bridge
But nobody waved back
The person the boy was waving to did not wave in return
Not a soul waved back
No one acknowledged the boy's wave
But he waved until the day grew black
The young boy continued to wave until the sun set
I know you did oppose it
I am aware that you did not agree with me
But you filled my glass again
Despite your disagreement, you refilled my drink
Filled it to the brim
You filled my glass completely
And you're hoping it might ease the pain
You are trying to alleviate my emotional pain by serving me another drink
Contributed by Hailey J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.