Found the Silver Sea!

I have finally found the Silver Sea album by Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, after extensive searching and waiting. I will share for a limited time only, if you’re interested, be sure to leave a message in this post.

The album has 13 songs of pretty awesome vocals. Meav’s got one of the most delightful voices I’ve heard in a long time, it really is a pleasure to just listen to her. Many of the tracks are slow to mid-tempo songs that really showcase her vocals, but most of my favorite ones are beat-driven tracks like The Wicked Sister, and The Dark-Haired Girl.

Some other highlights are Morning in Béarra – that, if I’m not mistaken, sounds like She Moved Thru the Fair, – A Maid in Bedlam, and Youkali Tango – a sexy-sounding Tango in French. Song lyrics and translations found at LyricsMagnet.com. Here’s the tracklist:

1. You Brough Me Up
2. The Wicked Sister
3. Morning in Béarra
4. Full Fathom Five
5. The Waves of Tory
6. A Maid in Bedlam
7. The Cradles
8. Newry Boat-song
9. Martha’s Harbour
10. The Dark-Haired Girl
11. Port Na Bpucaí
12. Silent O Moyle
13. Youkali Tango

You Brought Me Up

Verse 1
You brought me up and out of the water,
You brought me up to forget
I had ever been, I could ever breathe
In the water under your heart.

I darkened your door and your days, you said
You couldn’t sleep the night
With the sound of the sea hard on my heels
Climbing the stairs to your bed.

You promised me gloves from the skins of the fishes,
The smile of a dolphin for a ring in my hands
But you left me with nothing but a mouthful of air,
And promises wide as the ocean.

You left me down for once and for all,
You left me out in the open,
Under mackerel skies, high and dry
Way out of the reach of our sea.

Way out of reach and out of my depth,
I wear your love like a skin
That hurts when anyone touches me,
Where you left me down for once and for all
Out of the reach of our sea.

Chorus

Verse 1

The Wicked Sister

A mother lived by the North Sea shore,
Daughters were the babes she bore.
One grew radiant as the sun,
Darkly grew the elder one.

A knight came riding to their door,
He travelled far to be their wooer,
He courted both with gold and rings,
But loved the younger o’er all things.

“Sister, won’t you walk with me
To watch the ships sail o’er the sea?”
As they walked the rocky shore,
The dark one pushed her sister o’er.

“Sister, sister, let me live
All that’s mine I’ll surely give”
“Thy bridegroom I will take and more,
But thou shalt never come ashore”

Off she floated like a swan,
The salt sea bore her body on.
You could not see her lily feet,
Her golden fringes were so deep.

A minstrel walking by the strand,
Saw her body float to land,
When he looked that lady on,
He sighed and made a heavy moan.

He made a harp of her breastbone,
Whose sound would melt a heart of stone,
Took the strands of her bright hair,
And with them strung his harp so rare.

He brought the harp to the wedding hall,
There to play before them all,
When they set it on a stone,
The harp began to play alone.

The strings sang out a dreadful sound,
“The bride her younger sister drowned
Now her secret you all know
Her guilty tears will surely flow”

Morning in Béarra

Is é mo choí gan mise maidin aerach
Amuigh i mBéarra im’ sheasamh ar an dtrá
Is guth na n-éan ‘o’m tharraing tha na sléibhte cois na farraige
Go Céim an Aitinn mar ambíonn mo ghrá
Is obann aoibhinn aiteasach do léimfhinn
Do rithfhinn saor ó anabhroid an tláis
Do thabharfainn droim le scamallaibh an tsaoil seo
Dá bhfaighinn mo léirdhothain d’amharc ar mo
chaoimshearc bán

Is é mo dhíth bheith ceangailte go faonlag
Is neart mo chléibh dá thachtadh ‘nseo sa tsráid
An fhad tá réim na habhann agus gaoth ghlan na farraige
Ag glaoch is gairm ar an gcroí seo i m’lár
Is milis bríomhar leathanbhog an t-aer ann
Is gile ón ngréin go farsing ar an mbán
Is ochón, a ríbhean bhanúil na gcraobhfholt
Gan sinne araon i measc an aitinn mar do bhímis tráth

A Maid in Bedlam

Abroad as I was walking one evening in the spring
I heard a maid in Bedlam who mournfully did sing
Her chains she rattled on her hands, and thus replied she
“I love my love because I know my love loves me

Oh cruel were his parents who sent my love to sea
And cruel was the sailing ship that bore my love from me
Yet I love his parents since their his, although they’ve ruined me
I love my love because I know my love loves me

With straw I’ll weave a garland, I’ll weave it wondrous fine
With roses, lilies, daisies I’ll mix the eglantine
And I’ll present it to my love when he returns from sea
I love my love because I know my love loves me”

Just as she sat there weeping, her love, he came on land
Then hearing she was in Bedlam he ran straight out of hand
He flew into her snow-white arms, and thus replied he
“I love my love because I know my love loves me”

She said, “My love, don’t frighten me, are you my love or no?”
“Oh yes, my dearest Nancy, I am your love also
I am returned to make amends for all your injury
I love my love because I know my love loves me
I love my love because I know my love loves me”

The Dark-Haired Girl

Dheannain sùgradh ris a nighean duibh
N’ deidh dhomh eirigh as a ‘mhadainn
Dheannain sùgradh ris a nighean duibh

Dheannain sùgradh ris a’ghruagaich
‘Nuair a bhiodh a’ sluagh nan codal

Chorus

Dheannain sùgradh an àm dùsgaidh
‘N àm na siùil a bhith ‘gam pasgadh

Chorus

Di-Luain an dèidh Di-dòmhnaich
Dh’fhalbh sinn le Seonaid a Aircaibh

Chorus

Riof ‘ga ceangal ‘s riof ga fhuasgladh
Muir ma guallain, fuaim is fead oirr’

Chorus

Is Dún Drumuilliún, muilliún, muilliún
Nach í seo aniar an bád
Is Dún Drumuilliún, muilliún, muilliún
‘S mo ghrá ar an mbuille láir
Is Dún Drumuilliún, muilliún, muilliún

Is Dún Drumuilliún, muilliún, muilliún
Is iarram ar Rí na ngrást
Is Dún Drumuilliún, muilliún, muilliún
Mo ghrá a thabhairt chugam slán
Is Dún Drumuilliún, muilliún, muilliún

‘Null ma chaolas na Ròimh
B’fheudar dhuinn an “boom” a leaiseadh

Chorus

Null ma chaolas na Fraing
Maide ‘na làimh is gaoth ‘gha greasadh

Chorus

Dh’fheumadh pòrsan thigh ‘nn à bùth dhith
Ged a bhiodh e crùn an cairteal

Chorus

Ged a bhiodh e crùn an óirleach
Dh’fheumadh pòrsan dheith thigh ‘nn
dhachaidh

Chorus

Youkali Tango

C’est presqu’au bout du monde
Ma barque vagabonde
Errant au gré de l’onde
M’y conduisit un jour
L’île est toute petite
Mais la fée que l’habite
Gentiment nous invite
A en faire le tour

Youkali
C’est le pays de nos désirs
Youkali
C’est le bonheur, c’est le plaisir
Youkali
C’est la terre où l’on quitte tous les soucis
C’est, dans notre nuit, comme une éclaircie
L’étoile qu’on suit
C’est Youkali

Youkali
C’est le respect de tous les voeux échangés
Youkali
C’est le pays des beaux amours partagés
C’est l’espérance
Qui est au coeur de tous les humains
La délivrance
Que nous attendons tous pour demain

Youkali
C’est le pays de nos désirs
Youkali
C’est le bonheur, c’est le plaisir
Mais c’est un rêve, une folie
Il n’y a pas de Youkali

Et la vie nous entraîne
Lassante, quotidienne
Mais la pauvre âme humaine
Cherchant partout l’oubli
A, pour quitter la terre
Se trouver le mystère
Où rêves se terrent
En quelque Youkali

Youkali
C’est le pays de nos désirs
Youkali
C’est le bonheur, c’est le plaisir
Youkali
C’est la terre où l’on quitte tous les soucis
C’est, dans notre nuit, comme une éclaircie
L’étoile qu’on suit
C’est Youkali

Youkali
C’est le respect de tous les voeux échangés
Youkali
C’est le pays des beaux amours partagés
C’est l’espérance
Qui est au coeur de tous les humains
La délivrance
Que nous attendons tous pour demain

Youkali
C’est le pays de nos désirs
Youkali
C’est le bonheur, c’est le plaisir
Mais c’est un rêve, une folie
Il n’y a pas de Youkali

Mais c’est un rêve, une folie
Il n’y a pas de Youkali