Born on the 14th March 1965, as a teenager she formed the band Monsoon, and created a fusion of Western and Indian pop styles. She married Steve Coe, who became the band's producer, and along with Martin Smith, the band became a trio. They made a single album, Third Eye, in 1982, from which they had a surprise hit single "Ever So Lonely". However, resenting pressure from their record company over musical direction, Monsoon as a band dissolved and Coe and Smith set about promoting Chandra as a solo artist on an independent label.
Chandra went on to release a number of albums in the 1980s, experimenting with her voice as an instrument. In the 1990s she released three albums on Peter Gabriel's Real World label, although Martin Smith ceased to be actively involved.
In 1996 she provided vocals for a cover of Prodigy's hit "Smack My Bitch Up". In 2002 she performed the song "Breath of Life" with Howard Shore for the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers soundtrack.
She is no longer able to record, having developed "burned mouth syndrome" in 2010, which makes speech and singing so painful that she is effectively mute.
Blacksmith
Sheila Chandra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He fairly won my heart wrote me a letter
With his hammer in his hand he looked so clever
And if I were with my love I would live forever
Strange news has come to town
Strange news is carried
Oh I wish them both joy much joy
Thou they don't hear me
And may God reward him well for the slighting of me
Do you remember when you lay beside me?
And you said you'd marry me and never deign me
If I said I'd marry you twas only for to try you
Let you bring your witness love and I'll not deign you
Oh witness have I none save God almighty
And may he reward you well for this slighting of me
Her lips grew pale and warm
It made her poor heart tremble
For to think she loved but one
And he proved deceitful
Oh a blacksmith courted me nine months and better
He fairly won my heart wrote me a letter
With his hammer in his hand he looked so clever
And if I were with my love...
And if I were with my love I would live forever
The song "Blacksmith" by Sheila Chandra tells the story of a young woman who fell in love with a blacksmith who courted her for nine months. She mentions that he won her heart, wrote her a letter and had a hammer in his hand. This suggests that he was not just a blacksmith but a skilled, creative artisan. However, the mood of the song quickly changes as she hears the strange news that her love has married another woman. Even though she wishes them joy, she is heartbroken and hurt by the slighting that she has experienced. She then recalls a time when he told her he loved her, and they even talked about marriage, but it was only a test of her love. She is left feeling deceived and alone, with no witnesses to her love, except God almighty. The song ends with her wishing to be with her love forever.
The lyrics of this song evoke feelings of love, longing, pain, and betrayal. The blacksmith's craft is used as a metaphor for his creativity and his ability to forge a strong union with the woman. Yet, in the end, he proves to be deceitful, leaving the woman feeling hurt and alone. The song's structure, with its repetition of the first stanza, creates a sense of cyclical motion that reinforces the idea of the woman's unfulfilled love.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh a blacksmith courted me nine months and better
A blacksmith has been trying to win me over for over nine months
He fairly won my heart wrote me a letter
He won my heart over and expressed his feelings through a letter
With his hammer in his hand he looked so clever
He looked skilled and confident with the hammer in his hand
And if I were with my love I would live forever
If I were with the blacksmith, I would be happy forever
Strange news has come to town
There is surprising news in town
Strange news is carried
The news is spreading
Strange news flies up and down that my love is married
The news is that the blacksmith is married now
Oh I wish them both joy much joy
Despite the pain, I still wish them joy and happiness
Thou they don't hear me
Even though they can't hear me
And may God reward him well for the slighting of me
I hope God punishes the blacksmith for playing with my feelings
Do you remember when you lay beside me?
Do you recall the moments we spent together?
And you said you'd marry me and never deign me
You promised to marry me and never reject me
If I said I'd marry you twas only for to try you
I only said yes to test your actual intentions
Let you bring your witness love and I'll not deign you
If you can bring a witness, I won't reject you
Oh witness have I none save God almighty
I don't have anyone to testify for me except God
And may he reward you well for this slighting of me
I hope God punishes you for deceiving me
Her lips grew pale and warm
She felt a mix of emotions: shock and sadness
It made her poor heart tremble
It caused her heart to race and her body to shake
For to think she loved but one
The thought that she loved the blacksmith only
And he proved deceitful
And he turned out to be dishonest
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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