The Chieftains are a Grammy winning Irish musical group founded in 1962 (Du… Read Full Bio ↴The Chieftains are a Grammy winning Irish musical group founded in 1962 (Dublin, Ireland), known for performing and popularizing Irish traditional music.

The band has recorded many albums of instrumental Irish folk music, as well as multiple collaborations with popular musicians of many genres, including Country music, Galician traditional music, Cape Breton and Newfoundland music, and rock and roll. They have performed with Van Morrison, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Roger Daltrey, Elvis Costello, Tom Jones, Sinéad O'Connor, James Galway, Jackson Browne, Nancy Griffith and numerous Country-western artists. In 1975, the group won praise for their playing of "Women of Ireland" for Stanley Kubrick's movie Barry Lyndon.

They have won six Grammy Awards and have been nominated eighteen times. In 2002 they were given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the UK's BBC Radio 2. The front covers of the first four albums were designed by Edward Delaney.

Paddy Moloney is the band's leader, and composes or arranges most of the band's music. While the band's members changed numerous times in the band's early history, the membership solidified in 1979 when Matt Molloy replaced Michael Tubridy.

From then until 2002, members included:
Paddy Moloney (uilleann pipes, tin whistle, button accordion, bodhrán)
Matt Molloy (flute, tin whistle)
Kevin Conneff (bodhrán, vocals)
Seán Keane (fiddle, tin whistle)
Martin Fay (fiddle, bones) (born 1938; died 14 November 2012)
Derek Bell (Irish harp, keyboard instruments, oboe) (born 21 October 1935; died 17 October 2002)

In 2002, Fay retired from active membership. In the same year, Bell died due to complications following a minor operation. Fay died on 14 November 2012.

Ding Dong Merrily On High
The Chieftains Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ding dong merrily on high,
In heaven the bells are ringing:
Ding dong! verily the sky
Is riv'n with angel singing.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

E'en so here below, below,
Let steeple bells be swungen,

And "Io, io, io!"
By priest and people sungen.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

Pray you, dutifully prime
Your matin chime, ye ringers;
May you beautifully rime

Your evetime song, ye singers.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

Overall Meaning

The Chieftains’ classic Christmas carol, “Ding Dong Merrily On High”, begins with the description of the Christmas bells ringing in heaven, accompanied by the joyful singing of the angels. The phrase “Ding dong” implies the sound of the bells ringing, as well as a sense of happiness and celebration. The term “verily” is used in the next line to emphasize the fact that the sky and heaven are filled with the sound of music and singing angels. The chorus line “Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!” means “Glory to God in the highest!”

The second verse shifts focus to the earthly realm and the call for bells and people to join in the celebration. The term “steeple bells” indicates the bells located in church towers or steeples. “Io, io, io!” is a call to rejoice, which is chanted by the priest and people. Ultimately, the message of the verse is clear: if the heavens are offering praise and celebration, the people should do so as well.

In the final verse, the lyricist urges the bell-ringers and singers to perform their tasks dutifully, whether it be for matin (morning) or evetime (evening). The use of the word “prime” in the first line implies that the ringing of the bells should be the first task of the day, as a way to offer thanks to God. “Rime” in the next line means to rhyme, as though the sound coming from the bells and voices are so harmonious that it creates a rhyme. The final chorus line repeats the message of the first, emphasizing the phrase “Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!”, which is a common phrase in Christian liturgy and translates to “Glory to God in the highest!”

Line by Line Meaning

Ding dong merrily on high,
Happy, festive bells ringing high in the air.

In heaven the bells are ringing:
Bells ringing in heaven above.

Ding dong! verily the sky
Bells ringing and echoing through the sky.

Is riv'n with angel singing.
Angels singing their praises and harmonizing with the bells.

Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!
Praising and worshiping God with all their strength.

E'en so here below, below,
On earth, down here, below heaven.

Let steeple bells be swungen,
Ringing the church bells in the steeples high above.

And "Io, io, io!"
Singing and shouting in jubilation.

By priest and people sungen.
Both the priests and the people join in song.

Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!
Praising and worshiping God with all their strength.

Pray you, dutifully prime
Asking the ringers to ring their bells dutifully and on time.