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.
Rachamíd a Bhean Bheag
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She hit the San Diego Freeway doing sixty miles an hour
She had a husband on her bumper
She had five restless children
She was singing sweet as a mockingbird in that Ford Econoline
She's the salt of the earth
Straight from the bosom of the Mormon church
Cruising along in that Ford Econoline
Now her husband was a gambler, he was a Salt Lake City rambler
He built a golden cage around his silver-throated wife
Too many nights he left her crying with his cheating and his lying
But his big mistake was him buying her that Ford Econoline
She's the salt of the earth
Straight from the bosom of the Mormon church
With a voice like wine
Cruising along in that Ford Econoline
Now she sings her songs around this country
From Seattle to Montgomery
Those kids are grown and that rounder knows
You cannot cage your wife
Along the back roads of our nation, she's become a living legend
She drives a Coupe DeVille but her heart rides still
In that Ford Econoline
She drives a Coup DeVille but her heart rides still
In that Ford Econoline
"Any old iron? Any old iron?
Any, any, any old iron?
You look neat. Talk about a treat!
You look so dapper from your napper to your feet.
Dressed in style, brand-new tile,
And your father's old green tie on.
But I wouldn't give you tuppence for your old watch and chain,
Old iron, old iron."
The Chieftains' song "Rachamid a Bhean Bheag" tells the story of a woman who drives west from Salt Lake City to the California coastline in a Ford Econoline with her five restless children. She sings sweetly as a mocking bird, cruising along at sixty miles an hour on the San Diego Freeway, with her husband not too far behind. The song speaks of the woman as the "salt of the earth," a description that draws from her obedience to the tenets of the Mormon Church, to which she belongs.
The woman's husband is described as a gambler and rambler from Salt Lake City, who cages his wife in a golden cage, with his lies and cheating. However, his biggest mistake is buying her the Ford Econoline, which becomes her escape vehicle from his gambling and lies. She takes her children on the road with her, and they become her biggest support system as she travels the country, singing her songs from Seattle to Montgomery. She has become a living legend who drives a Coupe DeVille, but her heart still rides in that Ford Econoline.
The song Rachamid a Bhean Bheag is a beautiful tribute to a woman who, despite her husband's efforts to cage her, found freedom through her own initiative. It is a reminder that we should never give up the search for freedom, and that we should always work towards living our best lives.
Line by Line Meaning
She drove west from Salt Lake City to the California coastline
The woman traveled across a state border to the west coast of California from Salt Lake City.
She hit the San Diego Freeway doing sixty miles an hour
The woman drove on the San Diego Freeway at a speed of sixty miles per hour.
She had a husband on her bumper
The woman's husband followed her car closely.
She had five restless children
The woman had five children in her car who were unable to sit still.
She was singing sweet as a mockingbird in that Ford Econoline
The woman was singing beautifully while driving her Ford Econoline van.
She's the salt of the earth
The woman is a kind and genuine person.
Straight from the bosom of the Mormon church
The woman is a member of the Mormon church.
With a voice like wine
The woman has a beautiful singing voice.
Cruising along in that Ford Econoline
The woman was driving her Ford Econoline van leisurely.
Now her husband was a gambler, he was a Salt Lake City rambler
The husband of the woman was a gambler and someone who enjoyed wandering around Salt Lake City.
He built a golden cage around his silver-throated wife
The woman's husband controlled her singing career and did not let her achieve her full potential.
Too many nights he left her crying with his cheating and his lying
The woman's husband was unfaithful and made her cry on several occasions.
But his big mistake was him buying her that Ford Econoline
The husband's major mistake was giving his wife the Ford Econoline van, which gave her the freedom to pursue her singing dreams.
Now she sings her songs around this country
The woman now travels around the United States singing her songs.
From Seattle to Montgomery
The woman travels from Seattle, Washington to Montgomery, Alabama.
Those kids are grown and that rounder knows
The woman's children are now grown up and her husband realizes his mistakes.
You cannot cage your wife
The woman's husband learned that he cannot control her or her singing career.
Along the back roads of our nation, she's become a living legend
The woman has become a famous singer who is admired nationwide, especially among those who travel on back roads.
She drives a Coupe DeVille but her heart rides still
Though she now drives a Coupe DeVille car, the woman's heart still cherishes her old Ford Econoline van.
In that Ford Econoline
The Ford Econoline van is a significant and cherished memory for the woman.
"Any old iron? Any old iron?
Any, any, any old iron?
You look neat. Talk about a treat!
You look so dapper from your napper to your feet.
Dressed in style, brand-new tile,
And your father's old green tie on.
But I wouldn't give you tuppence for your old watch and chain,
Old iron, old iron."
These lines do not belong to the song Rachamid a Bhean Bheag by The Chieftains and are not part of the lyrics. Therefore, they are not needed for the JSON output.
Contributed by Blake J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tom canterbury
on North Amerikay
the great accapella version by kevin on tribute to their harpist