Coping, through music

Before little Quinn was born, I was endeavoring to learn some songs, one or two at a time, because I find the ability to run through a song or two to be a valuable means of helping pass and mark the time at work, in the car, and in general. Plus, it's rather like memorizing poetry -- actually, it's pretty much exactly like memorizing poetry, with an added tune -- which means it puts some really fine turns of language at my disposal. That can only be a good thing, as I'm finding the writing muscles are wanting flexing again.*

Anyhoo, I've started doing that again, starting with "The Fields of Athenry", a terribly sad song that revolves around a shipment of corn brought to Ireland by Lord Trevelyan during the Potato Famine. The corn turned out to be useless (it was too hard to be milled), but this was unknown to the starving locals who, in desperation, broke into the Lord's stores to steal the corn. Those caught were sent by ship to prison colonies in Australia.

By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young girl calling
"Michael, they have taken you away,
For you stole Trevelyan's corn,
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay."

(Chorus)
Low lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely round the fields of Athenry.

By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young man calling
"Nothing matters, Mary, when you're free
Against the famine and the crown,
I rebelled, they cut me down.
Now you must raise our child with dignity."

(Chorus)
Low lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely round the fields of Athenry.

By a lonely harbor wall, she watched the last star fall
As the prison ship sailed out against the sky
For she lived to hope and pray for her love in Botany Bay
It's so lonely round the fields of Athenry.

(Chorus)
Low lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely round the fields of Athenry.

I think that I've come to love Celtic music for much the same reason that I love Russian Romantic music: the strong undercurrent of sadness beneath so much of it. A wonderful rendition of this song, sung heartbreakingly by lead vocalist Kirk McWhorter, can be found on Kilbrannan's album Live at O'Lacy's.

* I know, that was a terrible metaphor, but it's late and I'm tired and I don't feel like looking for a better one.