The Undertaker's Daughter
Seamus Fogarty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
in a faraway place
There's a tiny town
That no one thought to name
On the outskirts of town,
tucked beneath the willow trees
Silent as death,
The undertaker's daughter was a maiden most fair
With her sweet rosy pink cheeks and long flaxen hair
Day after day, she learned her father's trade
Day after day, she wandered to the graves
Alone in the corner,
where the light did not shine
was an angel made of stone
who looked up to the sky
Her hands folded in prayer
Her feet covered in grime
And Laying upon them
was a plaque as old as time
The undertaker's daughter had wandered there,
with her sweet rosy pink cheeks and long flaxen hair
She looked to the plaque, and she thought it was odd
She looked to the plaque, and the grave's name was gone.
Everyday from then on,
The daughter went there,
to the grave with the angel,
with the plaque that was bare
Sitting there all alone,
the daughter thought that it was sad
No one ever brought flowers
there were no gifts to be had
One day the daughter
Had went to the seaside
Playing in the sand
With the sun shining bright
While hunting around
The daughter had found
A seashell so beautiful
pearly and round
The undertaker's daughter had searched through there,
with her rosy cheeks and long flaxen hair
She wanted more, of those lovely seashells
And She wanted more, and she had a plan, as well...
The undertaker's daughter was a maiden most fair,
with her sweet rosy pink cheeks and long flaxen hair
A gift for the grave, with no name in sight
A gift for the grave, these seashell so bright...
The undertaker's daughter had left them there,
back when she had rosy cheeks and long flaxen hair
Now she was gone, but though t'was so long ago
the seashell still shined,
the grave was not alone...
the grave was not alone...
the grave was not alone...
The Undertaker's Daughter is a song about a mysterious and forgotten graveyard and the young daughter of the undertaker who tends to a grave with an unknown name. The song paints an image of a small town, forgotten even by those who live in it. The town's only cemetery is on the outskirts, hidden beneath willow trees, ominous and silent as death. The daughter of the undertaker is a "maiden most fair" who learned her father's trade day after day. She wanders through the graves, surrounded by death and the memory of those buried there.
One day, the daughter stumbles upon a grave with an angel made of stone and a plaque so old it no longer bears a name. Every day after that, she visits the grave, bringing gifts of flowers in the hope of bringing some beauty to the forgotten site. But one day while at the seaside, she finds a beautiful seashell that she deems the perfect gift for the nameless grave. She returns to the site to leave the seashell behind as a symbol of beauty and hope, bringing light to the darkness of the neglected graveyard.
This haunting song explores themes of death, memory, and beauty amidst the darkness. The undertaker's daughter represents a spirit of hope amidst the forgotten and abandoned graves of the town. In leaving the seashell behind, she brings a small light to the dark reality of death and decay.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time,
In the past, at some undefined point
in a faraway place
In a distant location
There's a tiny town
A small settlement
That no one thought to name
Without an official name
On the outskirts of town,
At the edges of the town
tucked beneath the willow trees
Hiding under willow trees
Silent as death,
As quiet as a grave
was a small cemetery
A burial ground for the dead
The undertaker's daughter was a maiden most fair
The daughter of the person responsible for preparing the dead was beautiful
With her sweet rosy pink cheeks and long flaxen hair
She had a youthful appearance with a pink complexion and long, light-colored hair
Day after day, she learned her father's trade
She watched and helped her father with his job every day
Day after day, she wandered to the graves
She often walked aimlessly among the resting places of the deceased
Alone in the corner,
By herself in a particular spot
where the light did not shine
In an area that lacked light
was an angel made of stone
A statue of an angel constructed from stone
who looked up to the sky
Its gaze was directed toward the heavens
Her hands folded in prayer
The statue's hands were clasped together, as if praying
Her feet covered in grime
The base of the statue was dirty
And Laying upon them
Resting on top of the statue's feet
was a plaque as old as time
An aged and worn piece of metal with an inscription
The undertaker's daughter had wandered there,
She had walked to that part of the cemetery
with her sweet rosy pink cheeks and long flaxen hair
Having the same physical appearance as described earlier
She looked to the plaque, and she thought it was odd
Seeing the old plaque she found it curious
She looked to the plaque, and the grave's name was gone.
There was no longer a name for the person buried there
Everyday from then on,
Subsequent to this experience, on a daily basis
The daughter went there,
She returned to the spot with the statue and plaque
to the grave with the angel,
Specifically, to the burial plot that contained the stone angel
with the plaque that was bare
A plate with no name or inscription
Sitting there all alone,
She would stay by herself in that place
the daughter thought that it was sad
She found it melancholy
No one ever brought flowers
The grave site never received flowers
there were no gifts to be had
No one left any sort of offerings
One day the daughter
At some point, the daughter
Had went to the seaside
Went to the shore area next to the ocean
Playing in the sand
Taking part in a leisure activity involving sand
With the sun shining bright
The weather was sunny and pleasant
While hunting around
During her time on the beach, searching for something
The daughter had found
She discovered something on the shore
A seashell so beautiful
An aesthetically pleasing seashell
pearly and round
It was spherical and had a pearl-like luster
The undertaker's daughter had searched through there,
Curiously, she kept investigating the sand around the seaside
with her rosy cheeks and long flaxen hair
Looking the same as previously described
She wanted more, of those lovely seashells
The daughter desired more of the captivating seashells
And She wanted more, and she had a plan, as well...
She had a strategy in mind to obtain more shells
The undertaker's daughter was a maiden most fair,
Once again, noting this woman's uniform appearance and beauty
A gift for the grave, with no name in sight
The daughter chose a present for the unknown burial site lacking identification
A gift for the grave, these seashell so bright...
She decided on these stunning seashells as a tribute
The undertaker's daughter had left them there,
Returning to the spot with the stone angel and bare plaque, she put the seashells down as an offering
back when she had rosy cheeks and long flaxen hair
Laying down the shells while in her prime
Now she was gone, but though t'was so long ago
While time had passed since she passed away,
the seashell still shined,
The seashells were still there and looked beautiful
the grave was not alone...
The offering glimmered there with the unknown deceased, not apart from it, but with it.
Writer(s): Seamus Patrick Fogarty
Contributed by Kaelyn R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
dancefloor sidekicks
This is beautiful. I heard it on Radio 2 a few weeks ago.
Paul Sayers
dont know if you still use this channel. saw you play in whelans with lisa oneill bout 2-3 years. you made a big impact on a few people that nite. keep doing what you do, your part of something greater and thank you for your music.
Tyronix
i was searching for t u d from steampianist lel