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.
The Stone
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Across the fields I steered O,
When O and I a woman I spied
And a pretty fair maid appeared O.
Her head was bare I do declare
She had neither hat nor feather on,
And she stooped so low gave me to know
O gathering O, and she stooped so low gave me to know
It was mushrooms she was gathering O.
Where are you going says I my dear
Why are you up so early O,
I've seen you on the dewy grass
Before the sower Ferdio.
Quite modestly she answered me
And she gave her head one fetch up,
And she said I am gathering mushrooms
To make my Mammy ketchup O.
O ketchup O, and she said I am gathering mushroom
To make my Mammy ketchup O.
Her parting breast on mine she pressed
Her heart was like a feather O,
And her lips on mine do gentle join
And we both sat down together O.
Together O, and her lips on mine do gentle join
And we both sat down together O.
The Chieftains' song "The Stone" tells the story of a man who rises early to roam the fields and comes across a woman gathering mushrooms. The woman, who is bareheaded and modestly dressed, is polite and shares that she is gathering mushrooms to make ketchup for her mother. The man is taken by her beauty, and the two share a gentle and intimate moment together before parting ways.
The lyrics of the song are simple, but they reveal a sense of innocence and charm. The use of the refrain "O gathering O" adds a musical quality to the lyrics and emphasizes the act of harvesting mushrooms. The woman's response to the man's question is also telling; she is simply gathering mushrooms for her mother, demonstrating a sense of duty and love.
Overall, "The Stone" is a tender and romantic song that celebrates the simplicity and beauty of life. It speaks to the universal experience of falling in love and the special moments that make life worth living.
Line by Line Meaning
Rising early out of bed
I woke up early in the morning
Across the fields I steered O
I walked through the fields
When O and I a woman I spied
When I saw a woman named O
And a pretty fair maid appeared O
A beautiful woman appeared
Her head was bare I do declare
She didn't wear a hat or feather on her head
She had neither hat nor feather on
She didn't wear a hat or feather on her head
And she stooped so low gave me to know
She bent down to pick something
It was mushrooms she was gathering O
She was picking mushrooms
Where are you going says I my dear
I asked her where she was going
Why are you up so early O
I asked her why she woke up so early
I've seen you on the dewy grass
I saw her on the dew-covered grass
Before the sower Ferdio
Before the farmer Ferdio starts sowing
Quite modestly she answered me
She replied politely and respectfully
And she gave her head one fetch up
She raised her head slightly
And she said I am gathering mushrooms
She told me she was picking mushrooms
To make my Mammy ketchup O
To make ketchup for her mother
Her parting breast on mine she pressed
She hugged me tightly before leaving
Her heart was like a feather O
She was very kind and gentle
And her lips on mine do gentle join
We kissed each other
And we both sat down together O
We sat down together
Contributed by Eliana A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tom canterbury
on North Amerikay
the great accapella version by kevin on tribute to their harpist