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.
St. Stephen's Day Murders
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And one was named Dawn of course, the other one was named Eve.
I wonder if they grew up hating the season,
The good will that lasts til the Feast of St. Stephen
For that is the time to eat, drink, and be merry,
Til the beer is all spilled and the whiskey has flowed.
And the whole family tree you neglected to bury,
Are feeding their faces until they explode.
[Chorus]
There'll be laughter and tears over Tia Marias,
Mixed up with that drink made from girders.
Cause it's all we've got left as they draw their last breath,
Ah, it's nice for the kids, as you finally get rid of them,
In the St Stephen's Day Murders.
Uncle is garglin' a heart-breaking air,
While the babe in his arms pulls out all that remains of his hair.
And we're not drunk enough yet to dare criticize,
The great big kipper tie he's about to baptize.
With his gin-flavored whiskers and kisses of sherry,
His best Chrimbo shirt slung out over the shop.
While the lights from the Christmas tree blow up the telly,
His face closes in like an old cold pork chop.
And the carcass of the beast left over from the feast,
May still be found haunting the kitchen.
And there's life in it yet, we may live to regret,
When the ones that we poisoned stop twitchin'.
[Chorus]
The Chieftains' "St. Stephen's Day Murders" depicts the aftermath of Christmas Day, when relatives gather to eat, drink, and be merry. The singer tells the story using vivid imagery of the events that unfold at the party. He introduces two sisters named Christmas, Dawn, and Eve, and wonders if they grew up hating the holiday season due to the festivities that lead up to the Feast of St. Stephen. At the time where the whole family gets together, drinking and feasting to their heart's content, the singer describes the scene with a tone of gloom.
The singer describes the way they all celebrate by drinking Tia Marias and other alcoholic beverages until they cannot drink anymore. He highlights the depressing atmosphere of the house after the feast, with Uncle gargling a heart-breaking tune in a melancholic state while a baby pulls out his hair. The party guests are not drunk enough to make fun of Uncle's gaudy kipper tie in a humorous way, and the singer paints the picture of the aftermath of the party. He describes the carcass of the animal that was eaten, still in the kitchen, and hints that there may be some consequences for the people who consumed it.
Line by Line Meaning
I knew of two sisters whose name it was Christmas,
I was aware of two sisters who were given the name Christmas as their first name.
And one was named Dawn of course, the other one was named Eve.
One sister had the name Dawn and the other was named Eve.
I wonder if they grew up hating the season,
I am curious if the sisters grew to hate the season due to the festivities.
The good will that lasts til the Feast of St. Stephen
The positive feelings towards each other go on until St. Stephen's Day.
For that is the time to eat, drink, and be merry,
During St. Stephen's Day, it is the time for feasting and celebration.
Til the beer is all spilled and the whiskey has flowed.
The celebration will continue until all the beer and whiskey have been consumed.
And the whole family tree you neglected to bury,
Even the relatives you didn't care to see are present for the celebration.
Are feeding their faces until they explode.
They are consuming so much food that they may make themselves ill.
"There'll be laughter and tears over Tia Marias,
People will be emotional over drinks, including Tia Maria.
Mixed up with that drink made from girders.
Another beverage to expect is a strong drink made from girders.
Cause it's all we've got left as they draw their last breath,
The only thing left for some people is to consume these drinks before they die.
Ah, it's nice for the kids, as you finally get rid of them,
It is pleasant for adults to finally get some time without the presence of children.
In the St Stephen's Day Murders."
These events of revelry have been called as St. Stephen's Day Murders.
Uncle is garglin' a heart-breaking air,
The uncle is singing in a sorrowful tone.
While the babe in his arms pulls out all that remains of his hair.
The infant is grabbing the uncle's hair, even as it is falling out.
And we're not drunk enough yet to dare criticize,
The party has not yet consumed enough alcohol to start judging each other.
The great big kipper tie he's about to baptize.
The uncle is about to spill some of his drink on his large kipper tie.
With his gin-flavored whiskers and kisses of sherry,
The uncle has gin-flavoured whiskers along with the scent of sherry on his person.
His best Chrimbo shirt slung out over the shop.
He is wearing his best Christmas shirt with pride.
While the lights from the Christmas tree blow up the telly,
The brightness of the Christmas tree lights is making the TV flicker.
His face closes in like an old cold pork chop.
The uncle's face is contorted in a distasteful manner.
And the carcass of the beast left over from the feast,
The leftover ribs from the meal are still present.
May still be found haunting the kitchen.
The room could still smell of the roast.
And there's life in it yet, we may live to regret,
There may still be germs in the leftovers that will make them regret eating them.
When the ones that we poisoned stop twitchin'.
If the germs really are present, those who consumed them will begin to feel sick.
"There'll be laughter and tears over Tia Marias,
Again, there will be great emotion over drinking.
Mixed up with that drink made from girders.
The strong drink made from girders is still present.
Cause it's all we've got left as they draw their last breath,
People will drink these until they can drink no more.
Ah, it's nice for the kids, as you finally get rid of them,
Parents will be pleased to be able to have some time without the children around.
In the St Stephen's Day Murders."
The party which continues to consume alcohol has been given this name to describe its loud, festive chaos.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO, PADDY MOLONEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Walls_of_Skulls
no one added the lyrics yet so here you go:
I knew of two sisters whose name it was Christmas,
And one was named Dawn of course, the other one was named Eve.
I wonder if they grew up hating the season,
The good will that lasts til the Feast of St. Stephen
For that is the time to eat, drink, and be merry,
Til the beer is all spilled and the whiskey has flowed.
And the whole family tree you neglected to bury,
Are feeding their faces until they explode.
There'll be laughter and tears over Tia Marias,
Mixed up with that drink made from girders.
Cause it's all we've got left as they draw their last breath,
Ah, it's nice for the kids, as you finally get rid of them,
In the St Stephen's Day Murders.
Uncle is garglin' a heart-breaking air,
While the babe in his arms pulls out all that remains of his hair.
And we're not drunk enough yet to dare criticize,
The great big kipper tie he's about to baptize.
With his gin-flavored whiskers and kisses of sherry,
His best Chrimbo shirt slung out over the shop.
While the lights from the Christmas tree blow up the telly,
His face closes in like an old cold pork chop.
And the carcass of the beast left over from the feast,
May still be found haunting the kitchen.
And there's life in it yet, we may live to regret,
When the ones that we poisoned stop twitchin'.
There'll be laughter and tears over Tia Marias,
Mixed up with that drink made from girders.
Cause it's all we've got left as they draw their last breath,
Ah, it's nice for the kids, as you finally get rid of them,
In the St Stephen's Day Murders.
Calvin Maynard
Elvis Costello, the Chieftains, Christmas, and morbid humor? I am so in!!!
Quinn W. Johnson
Just glad it's here. Haven't heard since, damn maybe when it came out and I recorded on a cassette.
kcanded
May the Chieftains live forever!
Jer Berus
They will in our hearts, our CD players, and our tradition of playing them every year.
Rebecca Lachowicz
My favorite Christmastime song!
Thomas Lazo
Love the breakdown at 3:00, manages to be very punk and very folk at the same time
Alterna Dude
Very good.. one of my favorite Christmas songs.
MySerpentine
I love this album . . .
Cris Roll
Love this one!
Julia Abbott
finally! My favorite Christmas song ever!