Makem was born and raised in Keady, County Armagh (the "Hub of the Universe" as Makem always said), in Northern Ireland. His mother, Sarah Makem, was an important source of traditional Irish music, who was visited and recorded by, among others, Diane Guggenheim Hamilton, Jean Ritchie, Peter Kennedy and Sean O'Boyle. His father, Peter Makem, was a fiddler who also played the bass drum in a local pipe band named "Oliver Plunkett", after a martyr of the Cromwell age. His brother and sister were folk musicians also. Young Tommy Makem, from the age of 8, was member of the St. Patrick's church choir for 15 years where he sang Gregorian chant and motets. He didn't learn to read music but he made it in his "own way".
He started to work at 14 as a clerk in a garage and later he worked for a while as a barman at Mone's Bar, a local pub and as a local correspondent for The Armagh Observer.
He emigrated to the United States in 1955, carrying his few possessions and a set of bagpipes (from his time in a pipe band). Arriving in Dover, New Hampshire, he worked at Kidder Press, where in 1956 his hand was accidentally crushed by a press.[4] With his arm in a sling, he left Dover for New York to pursue an acting career.
The Clancys and Makem were signed to Columbia Records in 1961. The same year, at the Newport Folk Festival, Makem and Joan Baez were named the most promising newcomers on the American folk scene. During the 1960s, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem performed sellout concerts at such venues as Carnegie Hall, and made television appearances on shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show. The group performed for President Kennedy. They also played in smaller venues such as the Gate of Horn in Chicago. They appeared jointly in the UK Albums Chart in April 1966, when Isn't It Grand Boys reached number 22.
Makem left the group in 1969 to pursue a solo career. In 1975, he and Liam Clancy were both booked to play a folk festival in Cleveland, Ohio, and were persuaded to do a set together. Thereafter they often performed as Makem and Clancy, recording several albums together. At a concert in 1977, Tommy noticed an audience member having a good time and exclaimed, "What have you been smoking? Good whatever you have, pass it around to the rest of them we'll all get goin'!" He once again went solo in 1988. Throughout the 70's and 80's Makem performed both solo and with Liam Clancy on The Irish Rovers various television shows, which were filming both in Canada and Ireland.
In the 1980-90s, Makem was a principal in a well-known Irish music venue in New York City, "Tommy Makem's Irish Pavilion." This East 57th Street club was a prominent and well-loved performance spot for a wide range of musicians. Among the performers and visitors were Paddy Reilly, Joe Burke, and Ronnie Gilbert. Makem was a regular performer, often solo and often as part of Makem & Clancy, particularly in the late fall and holiday season. The club was also used for warm-up performances in the weeks before the 1984 reunion concert of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem at Lincoln Center. In addition, the after-party for Bob Dylan's legendary 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration at Madison Square Garden in 1992 was held at the Irish Pavilion.
In 1997 he wrote a book, Tommy Makem's Secret Ireland, and in 1999 premiered his own one-man theatre show, Invasions and Legacies, in New York. His career includes various other acting, video, composition, and writing credits. He also established the Tommy Makem International Festival of Song in South Armagh in 2000.
Makem was married to Mary Shanahan, a native of Chicago, for 37 years, and had four children - daughter Katie Makem-Boucher, and sons Shane, Conor and Rory. They also had two grandchildren, Molly (Dickerman) Makem and Robert Boucher. Mary died in 2001.
Makem's three sons (who perform as "The Makem Brothers") and nephews Tom & Jimmy Sweeney continue the family folk music tradition.
Makem died in Dover, New Hampshire on August 1, 2007, following a lengthy battle with lung cancer. He continued to record and perform until very close to the end. Paying tribute to him after his death, Liam Clancy said, "He was my brother in every way" He is buried next to his wife at New Saint Mary Cemetery in Dover.
Makem was a prolific composer/songwriter. His performances were always full of his compositions, many of which became standards in the repertoire. Some, notably "Four Green Fields", became so well known that they were sometimes described as anonymous folk songs. During the fall of the Iron Curtain, Makem often proudly told the story that his song "The Winds Are Singing Freedom" had become a sort of folk anthem among Eastern Europeans seeing a new future opening before them.
Makem's best-known songs include "Four Green Fields", "Gentle Annie", "The Rambles of Spring", "The Winds Are Singing Freedom", "The Town of Ballybay", "Winds of the Morning", "Mary Mack", and "Farewell to Carlingford". Even though many people mistakenly believe that Makem wrote "Red is the Rose", it is a traditional Irish folk song.
Makem had a gripping stage presence – the result of years of public performance, a charismatic personality, and a bard's voice. An army of friends and fans attended his frequent concerts, many recognizing each other at far-flung venues. Performances frequently included the following familiar elements:
Original Makem compositions; the first set often began with "The Rambles of Spring"
The standard repertoire of folk and Irish music, both well-known and little-known (but never "Danny Boy", "When Irish Eyes are Smiling", "Toorah Loorah Looral", or other forbidden requests)
Oddball songs, such as "Bridie Murphy and the Kamikaze Pilot" (Colm Gallagher) or "William Bloat" (Raymond Calvert)
Poetic recitations, often as introductions to songs; a frequent source was William Butler Yeats. (Thus "Gentle Annie" usually began with "When You Are Old and Grey", and Four Green Fields usually began with Seamus Heaney's "Requiem for the Croppies".)
Jokes, often silly, made funnier through repetition:
"If your nose is running and your feet smell, you're upside down."
Rarely: monologues, such as Marriott Edgar's "The Lion and Albert"
Exhortations, nearly always successful, for the audience to join in the singing
He received many awards and honours, including three honorary doctorates: one from the University of New Hampshire in 1998, one from the University of Limerick in 2001, and one from the University of Ulster in 2007; as well as the World Folk Music Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. With the Clancy Brothers he was listed among the top 100 Irish-Americans of the 20th century in 1999.[10]
A bridge over the Cocheco River on Washington Street in Makem's long-time home of Dover, New Hampshire, was named the Tommy and Mary Makem Memorial Bridge in 2010.
Month of January
Tommy Makem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As over hills and valleys, my true love he did go
It was there he spied a pretty fair maid, with a salt tear in her eye
She had a baby in her arms, and bitter she did cry
"Oh, cruel was my father to bar the door on me
And cruel was my mother, this dreadful crime to see
Cruel was my own true love to change his mind for gold
Oh, the taller that the palm tree grows, the sweeter is the bark
And the fairer that a young man speaks, the falser is his heart
He will kiss you and embrace you, 'till he thinks he has you won
Then he'll go away and leave you all for some other one
So come all you pretty fair maids, a warning take by me
And never try to build your nest on top of any tree
For the roots, they will all wither, and the branches all decay
And the beauties of a false young man, must all soon fade away
The song "Month of January" by Tommy Makem tells a poignant story of love, betrayal, and heartbreak. The song is set in the month of January, when the hills are covered in snow. The singer of the song describes how his true love went over hills and valleys, and came across a young woman holding a baby and crying bitter tears. She told him that her father had cruelly barred the door on her, and her own true love had abandoned her in search of gold. As a result of this cruel winter's night, the young woman's heart was pierced with cold, and she was left alone to raise her child.
The song highlights the idea that appearances can be deceiving, as the singer explains that the fairer a man speaks, the falser his heart can be. He warns women not to try and build their lives around any man, as they are transient, and the beauty of a false young man must all soon fade away. Through his verses, the singer speaks of the importance of true love, and calls for a sense of caution and realism when it comes to building relationships.
Overall, the song paints a sombre picture of the struggles and hardships that young women face, and the pain and heartbreak that can come with seeking true love.
Line by Line Meaning
It was in the month of January, the hills were clad in snow
The events occurred in January, a month of snow-covered hills.
As over hills and valleys, my true love he did go
My true love travelled over hills and valleys.
It was there he spied a pretty fair maid, with a salt tear in her eye
He saw a crying young woman.
She had a baby in her arms, and bitter she did cry
The young woman was holding a crying, newborn baby.
"Oh, cruel was my father to bar the door on me
Her father was cruel by refusing to allow her to enter.
And cruel was my mother, this dreadful crime to see
Her mother was cruel for witnessing the crime committed against her.
Cruel was my own true love to change his mind for gold
Her true love was cruel for changing his mind in favor of wealth.
Cruel was that winter's night that pierced my heart with cold"
The winter night was cruel for piercing her heart with coldness.
Oh, the taller that the palm tree grows, the sweeter is the bark
The taller the palm tree grows, the sweeter the bark becomes.
And the fairer that a young man speaks, the falser is his heart
The more beautiful a young man's speech, the less truthful his heart is.
He will kiss you and embrace you, 'till he thinks he has you won
A young man will kiss and embrace a woman until he feels like he has her heart.
Then he'll go away and leave you all for some other one
After he wins her heart, he will leave her for someone else.
So come all you pretty fair maids, a warning take by me
Young women should heed her warning.
And never try to build your nest on top of any tree
Do not rely on a single person or place for happiness.
For the roots, they will all wither, and the branches all decay
People and things are temporary and will eventually disappear.
And the beauties of a false young man, must all soon fade away
False beauty in a person is temporary.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ASHLEY HUTCHINGS, TRADITIONAL, SIMON JOHN NICOL, SIMON CARE, CHRISTINE WHILE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind