Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is a British recording artist, actres… Read Full Bio ↴Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is a British recording artist, actress, songwriter and dancer, largely credited for being a pioneer of Classical Crossover. She sings songs in many languages including English, Spanish, French, Latin, German, Italian, Russian, Hindi, and Mandarin.

Brightman has received over 180 Gold and Platinum sales awards in over 40 different countries around the world and is the only artist to hold #1 spots on the Billboard Classical and Dance charts simultaneously, her other achievements feature her ranking by the Recording Industry Association of America as the best-selling female classical artist of the twenty-first century and a Guinness World Record for the success of “Time to Say Goodbye,” the best-selling single in German recording history.

She has established herself as the world's biggest selling soprano of all time, She has sold 78 million albums worldwide, including 40 million copies of the soundtrack of The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical), 26 million albums, over two million DVDs and 10 million copies of the single " Time to Say Goodbye "as a soloist.

She made her debut as a dancer in troupes such as Hot Gossip and later released a string of disco singles. She was a musical theatre performer and partner of theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom she originated roles including Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera.

After her divorce, Brightman became a crossover artist with former Enigma producer Frank Peterson. Her style, a blend of classical vocals and pop-inspired instrumentation and arrangement, earned her further success.

She is often cited as the woman who paved the way for other international success stories such as Il Divo, Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban. She is said to be worth as much as £30m (about US$49m).

O Can Ye Sew Cushions
Sarah Brightman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

O can ye sew cushions and can ye sew sheets,
And can ye sing ballulow when the bairn greets?
And hie and baw, birdie, and hie and baw, lamb,
And hee and baw, birdie, my bonnie wee lamb.

Hie-o, wie-o what will I do wi' ye?
Black's the life that I lead wi' ye,
Many o'you, little for to gi' ye,

Hie-o, wie-o, what will I do wi' ye?

I've placed my cradle on yon hilly top,
And aye as the wind blew my cradle did rock.
O hush-a-by, babie, O baw lily loo,
And hee adn baw, birdie, my bonnie wee doo,

Hie-o, wie-o what will I do wi' ye?
Black's the life that I lead wi' ye,

Many o'you, little for to gi' ye,
Hie-o, wie-o, what will I do wi' ye?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Sarah Brightman's "O Can Ye Sew Cushions" are reflective of the hardships and struggles that come with motherhood. The song begins by posing a question to the listener, asking if they are capable of performing certain domestic duties such as sewing cushions and sheets. The second line then transitions into a lullaby-like melody, in which the singer asks if the listener can sing a soothing song to comfort a crying child. The repetition of "hie and baw, birdie" and "hee and baw, lamb" creates a chanting effect, adding to the lullaby-like atmosphere.

The second stanza of the song describes the difficult reality of raising a child with few resources. The singer describes their life as "black" and admits to having little to give the child. The chorus then repeats, with the singer questioning what they will do with the child in their current situation. The final lines of the chorus ("Hie-o, wie-o, what will I do wi' ye?") create a sense of helplessness and despair.

The final stanza describes the singer's attempts to create a safe and tranquil environment for the child. They have placed their cradle on a hilltop, where the wind rocks the cradle back and forth. The singer then sings a lullaby to the child (using the phrase "hush-a-by, babie, O baw lily loo") and once again repeats the refrain.

Line by Line Meaning

O can ye sew cushions and can ye sew sheets,
Can you sew cushions and sheets?

And can ye sing ballulow when the bairn greets?
Can you sing a lullaby to a crying baby?

And hie and baw, birdie, and hie and baw, lamb,
Hurry up and cry, little birdie and little lamb,

And hee and baw, birdie, my bonnie wee lamb.
Cry, little birdie and my lovely lamb.

Hie-o, wie-o what will I do wi' ye?
Oh dear, what shall I do with you?

Black's the life that I lead wi' ye,
My life is miserable with you.

Many o'you, little for to gi' ye,
Although there are many of you, I have little to give you.

Hie-o, wie-o, what will I do wi' ye?
Oh dear, what shall I do with you?

I've placed my cradle on yon hilly top,
My baby's cradle is on top of the hill.

And aye as the wind blew my cradle did rock.
As the wind blows, the cradle rocks.

O hush-a-by, babie, O baw lily loo,
Oh, baby, hush now and go to sleep.