It was in 1963 that three neighbouring children from a quiet working-class Dublin suburb, Inchicore, brothers Brian and Derek and a pal Noel Nagle started playing round the fleadhs of Ireland more for fun than anything else. They used to get together at weekends playing Fleadh cheoils or music festivals, mainly as a pastime. Thoughts of fame and riches were a world away.
Brian and Noel had taken tin whistle lessons at the Pipers Club in Thomas Street in Dublin, while Derek took up the mandolin for no better reason than his father played it. During the summer of 1963 the four of them had hitch-hiked across Ireland, from Dublin to Kerry, for a weekend at a Fleadh Ceoil, an annual gathering of traditional Irish musicians where there's lashings of drink and non-stop music. The lads were really there for the beer although they did play and sing, but only for their own amusement.
Brian Warfield recalls what happened next: "I remember arriving in Killarney fairly late at night and looking around for somewhere to bed down. It was two o'clock in the morning as we trooped through the streets of the town and probably, because we had a few drinks in us, we started to play and sing. It was August and there were still some people on the streets. A few of them gathered around us as we sang and after a dozen tunes a fella with an American accent came up and asked us if we knew some song or other. We knew it - and played it for him."
In 2002 Derek Warfield left the group to pursue a solo career but the rump of The Wolfe Tones still tour constantly, usually appearing at small function halls. However, 2004 was their last tour year doing that. They continue to tour as a three-piece band comprising Brian Warfield, Noel Nagle and Tommy Byrne.
The well-known rebel song, "Celtic Symphony" was written by Brian Warfield in 1987 for the 100th anniversary of Celtic Football Club. It has been covered by countless bands around the world. Other famous songs written by the group include Joe McDonnell, a song about the life and death of the IRA Volunteer who was the 5th person to die on the 1981 Hunger Strike, which is also said to be their most popular stage song.
The Foggy Dew
The Wolfe Tones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you who are in love
I'll tell to you the many joys it brings
From your first to your last
Love is bitter sweet and sad
It's gentle, it is strong, it is kind
Chorus:
Through this lonely life we stray,
It's sweeter to have loved along the way
Like the dew upon the Rose
And the fairy winds that blows
As we wonder through life's misty foggy dew
Like the stream that's rushing wild
And the mischief of the child
And the gentle waters slowly drifting by
Love is deeper than the seas
And far taller than the trees
It's brighter than the stars up in the sky
Chorus:
Sometimes love I have lost
And sometimes I have found
Are better to have loved than none at all
That same stream that's rushing wild
And the mischief of the child
And the gentle waters slowly drifting by
Chorus:
Repeat chorus and finish
The Wolfe Tones's song The Foggy Dew is a beautiful and romantic ballad that speaks to the many joys and sorrows of love. The opening lines of the song are a call to all young and fair, and those in love, to listen to a tale of the bittersweet nature of love. The singer goes on to describe how love is gentle, strong, and kind, and how it brings many joys from the first moment to the last.
The chorus of the song speaks to the theme of the sweeping, lonely nature of life and how it's better to have loved along the way. The imagery used here connotes a poetic and surreal tone to the song, comparing love to the dew on the rose and the fairy winds that blow. The second verse goes on to use beautiful, descriptive phrases to say that love is deeper than the seas, taller than the trees, and brighter than the stars.
The final verse of the song speaks to the idea that sometimes you'll find love and sometimes, you might lose it. But, it's still better to have loved than not at all. The Foggy Dew is a song about love and loss, its beautiful moments, and how it's intertwined with life's various mysteries.
Line by Line Meaning
O come all you young and fair
Everyone who is young and attractive is welcome to listen
And you who are in love
Those who are currently in love should also pay attention
I'll tell to you the many joys it brings
I will describe the many positive feelings that come with love
From your first to your last
From the beginning of your love life to the end
Love is bitter sweet and sad
Love has both good and bad aspects and can bring sadness as well as happiness
It's gentle, it is strong, it is kind
Love can be tender, intense, and compassionate
Chorus: And as we ramble by day
Throughout our lives as we wander aimlessly
Through this lonely life we stray,
We are often alone and isolated in our journeys
It's sweeter to have loved along the way
Despite the difficulties, it is better to have experienced love than not at all
Like the dew upon the Rose
Just like the dew that falls on a flower
And the fairy winds that blows
And the mystical breeze that carries us forward
As we wonder through life's misty foggy dew
As we journey through life's uncertain and often confusing experiences
Like the stream that's rushing wild
Similar to the way a powerful river flows
And the mischief of the child
Just like a playful child with an imaginative mind
And the gentle waters slowly drifting by
Or like peaceful water calmly flowing
Love is deeper than the seas
Love goes beyond the depths of the ocean
And far taller than the trees
And it is greater than even the tallest forests
It's brighter than the stars up in the sky
It outshines even the brightest stars in the universe
Sometimes love I have lost
There have been times when I have experienced and then lost love
And sometimes I have found
And then found love again at other times
Are better to have loved than none at all
It is still preferable to have loved and lost, rather than not having loved at all
Repeat chorus and finish
Reiterate the chorus from earlier and end the song
Contributed by Adalyn V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@dinkelheit88
As down the glen one Easter morn to a city fair rode I
There Armed lines of marching men in squadrons passed me by
No pipe did hum, no battle drum did sound its loud tattoo
But the Angelus Bell o'er the Liffey's swell rang out through the foggy dew
Right proudly high over Dublin Town they hung out the flag of war
'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky than at Suvla or Sud-El-Bar
And from the plains of Royal Meath strong men came hurrying through
While Britannia's Huns, with their long range guns sailed in through the foggy dew
'Twas England bade our wild geese go, that "small nations might be free"
Their lonely graves are by Suvla's waves or the fringe of the great North Sea
Oh, had they died by Pearse's side or fought with Cathal Brugha
Their graves we'd keep where the Fenians sleep, 'neath the shroud of the foggy dew
Oh the night fell black, and the rifles' crack made perfidious Albion reel
In the leaden rain, seven tongues of flame did shine o'er the lines of steel
By each shining blade a prayer was said, that to Ireland her sons be true
But when morning broke, still the war flag shook out its folds in the foggy dew
Oh the bravest fell, and the Requiem bell rang mournfully and clear
For those who died that Eastertide in the spring time of the year
And the world did gaze, in deep amaze, at those fearless men, but few
Who bore the fight that freedom's light might shine through the foggy dew
As back through the glen I rode again and my heart with grief was sore
For I parted then with valiant men whom I never shall see more
But to and fro in my dreams I go and I kneel and pray for you
For slavery fled, O glorious dead, when you fell in the foggy dew
@dinkelheit88
As down the glen one Easter morn to a city fair rode I
There Armed lines of marching men in squadrons passed me by
No pipe did hum, no battle drum did sound its loud tattoo
But the Angelus Bell o'er the Liffey's swell rang out through the foggy dew
Right proudly high over Dublin Town they hung out the flag of war
'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky than at Suvla or Sud-El-Bar
And from the plains of Royal Meath strong men came hurrying through
While Britannia's Huns, with their long range guns sailed in through the foggy dew
'Twas England bade our wild geese go, that "small nations might be free"
Their lonely graves are by Suvla's waves or the fringe of the great North Sea
Oh, had they died by Pearse's side or fought with Cathal Brugha
Their graves we'd keep where the Fenians sleep, 'neath the shroud of the foggy dew
Oh the night fell black, and the rifles' crack made perfidious Albion reel
In the leaden rain, seven tongues of flame did shine o'er the lines of steel
By each shining blade a prayer was said, that to Ireland her sons be true
But when morning broke, still the war flag shook out its folds in the foggy dew
Oh the bravest fell, and the Requiem bell rang mournfully and clear
For those who died that Eastertide in the spring time of the year
And the world did gaze, in deep amaze, at those fearless men, but few
Who bore the fight that freedom's light might shine through the foggy dew
As back through the glen I rode again and my heart with grief was sore
For I parted then with valiant men whom I never shall see more
But to and fro in my dreams I go and I kneel and pray for you
For slavery fled, O glorious dead, when you fell in the foggy dew
@garytaylor1020
I'm an English man
Born in London
1989 Mean fiddler Harlesden
Best band I've ever seen in my life
It was a smash
Happy days
@richardlow3062
Epitomises the easter rising this tune.
@byronsprophet
One day, one we'll have a united Ireland
@ianjj05
You’re right
@snelgrave101
Hope so 😃 greetings from sunny Scotland, my great grandparents were Irish, never been on th emerald Isle but will get there at one point.
@bhaveshshah7383
Keep fighting.
@notoriousdragon2213
2042 June
@revillino7398
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@cordulahofmann901
❤💃ich feiere diese Musik🫶