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.
When The Ship Comes In
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh the time will come up
When the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin'
Like the stillness in the wind
Before the hurricane begins
The hour when the ship comes in
Oh, the seas will split
And the ship will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shakin'
And the tide will sound
And the winds will pound
And the morning will be a-breakin'
Oh the fishes will laugh
As they swim out of the path
And the seagulls they'll be smilin'
And the rocks on the sand
Will proudly stand
The hour that the ship comes in
And the words that are used
For to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they are spoken
For the chains of the sea
Will have busted in the night
And be buried at the bottom of the ocean
A song will lift,
As the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts out onto the shoreline
And the sun will respect
Every face on the deck
The hour that the ship comes in
And the sands will roll
Out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a-touchin'
And the ship's wise men
Will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin'
Oh the foes will rise
With the sleep still in their eyes
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'
But they'll pinch themselves and squeal
And they'll know that it's for real
The hour when the ship comes in
And they'll raise their hands
Sayin' "We'll meet all your demands"
But we'll shout from the bow "Your days are numbered"
And like the pharaoh's triumph
They'll be drownded in the tide
Like Goliath they'll be conquered
The Chieftains' song When The Ship Comes In, featuring The Decemberists, is an intricate and thought-provoking take on the inevitable arrival of a time when justice and righteousness will prevail. The lyrics speak of a time when winds and the ocean will still, right before a massive hurricane begins. The seas will then split, and the ship will hit the shoreline with such force that the sands will shake. As the ship appears, the fishes will laugh and swim out beside the ship, and the seagulls will be smiling. The rocks will stand proudly as the hour that the ship comes in.
The words that people use to confuse the minds of the masses will no longer have any impact, as the chains of the sea have been broken and buried at the bottom of the ocean. A song will lift as the mainsail shifts, and the boat drifts out onto the shoreline, and the sun will respect every face on the deck. The hour that the ship comes in, the sands will roll out a carpet of gold for the weary travelers' toes to touch. The wise men on the ship will remind the masses that the whole world is watching.
One of the interesting facts about the song is that it was written by the famous Bob Dylan and was included in his album, The Times They Are a-Changin'. The Chieftains and The Decemberists later created their version, which became one of the most iconic adaptations of the song.
Another fascinating aspect of the song is that it has been covered by many artists, including Bob Dylan himself. Other notable musicians who have covered the song include Peter, Paul, and Mary, The Clancy Brothers, and Joan Baez.
The song has also been featured in many movies, including the 1990's popular movie "Dances with Wolves," in which a cover version of the song was used.
Here are the chords to the song:
Intro: G D G D
Verse 1:
G D
Oh, the time will come up when the winds will stop
G D
And the breeze will cease to be breathin'
G D
Like that stillness in the wind before the hurricane begins
G D
The hour when the ship comes in
Chorus:
Bm Em G D
And the seas will split, and the ship will hit.
Bm Em G D
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking.
Bm Em G D
Then the tide will sound, and the wind will pound,
Bm Em G D
And the morning will be a-breaking.
Verse 2:
G D
Oh, the fishes will laugh as they swim out of the path
G D
And the seagulls, they'll be smiling
G D
And the rocks of the shore will proudly stand
G D
The hour that the ship comes in.
(Continue with Chorus and Verse 3 in the same manner)
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the time will come up
The moment will surely arrive
When the winds will stop
The breeze will cease its gentle blowing
And the breeze will cease to be breathin'
The wind will be still
Like the stillness in the wind
The calm before the storm
Before the hurricane begins
Right before the storm hits
The hour when the ship comes in
The exact moment the ship arrives
Oh, the seas will split
The waters will divide
And the ship will hit
The ship will make landfall
And the sands on the shoreline will be shakin'
The very ground will quake
And the tide will sound
The waves will crash
And the winds will pound
The wind will be fierce
And the morning will be a-breakin'
As the new day dawns
Oh the fishes will laugh
The fish will be happy
As they swim out of the path
As they swim away from the ship
And the seagulls they'll be smilin'
The birds will be happy
And the rocks on the sand
The stones on the beach
Will proudly stand
Will be standing strong
The hour that the ship comes in
When the ship arrives
And the words that are used
The things that were said
For to get the ship confused
To cause confusion on the ship
Will not be understood as they are spoken
Will not make sense to those who hear them
For the chains of the sea
The restraints of the water
Will have busted in the night
Will have broken in the darkness
And be buried at the bottom of the ocean
Sunk deep beneath the waves
A song will lift,
A melody will rise
As the mainsail shifts
As the sail moves
And the boat drifts out onto the shoreline
The vessel will ride to the beach
And the sun will respect
The sun will honor
Every face on the deck
Each person on board the ship
The hour that the ship comes in
When the ship arrives
And the sands will roll
The sand will shift
Out a carpet of gold
Revealing a golden pathway
For your weary toes to be a-touchin'
Where your tired feet will tread
And the ship's wise men
Those on board who are wise
Will remind you once again
Will tell you once more
That the whole wide world is watchin'
That everyone is paying attention
Oh the foes will rise
The enemies will appear
With the sleep still in their eyes
Half asleep and unprepared
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'
Thinking it's not real
But they'll pinch themselves and squeal
They'll realize it's true
And they'll know that it's for real
And accept the truth
The hour when the ship comes in
When the ship arrives
And they'll raise their hands
They will surrender
Sayin' "We'll meet all your demands"
Willing to comply with requests
But we'll shout from the bow "Your days are numbered"
Declaring their impending defeat
And like the pharaoh's triumph
Like a tale of ancient victory
They'll be drownded in the tide
They too will fall to the sea
Like Goliath they'll be conquered
As a great foe was defeated
Writer(s): Pierre Delanoe, Hugues Aufray, Bob Dylan
Contributed by Sebastian M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tom canterbury
on North Amerikay
the great accapella version by kevin on tribute to their harpist