1. Chasing the Sun 2. When Will We All Be Free 3. The World Looks Away 4. This Time Will Pass 5. The Brown and The Yellow Ale 6. Lady Mary Anne 7. Mother Earth's Revenge 8. Freedom Song 9. The Yellow Furze 10. The Keg of Brandy 11. Waiting for the Snow 12. Bright Winter's Day 13. Jimmy Whelan
CHASING THE SUN (Written by Karan Casey)
The stars they all stand up in the sky Make me want to fly away with you The winds pile themselves into my dreams Reminding me only of the lack of you
I could be up there with the best of them Me the clouds and our shadows Chasing the sun (x2)
The wind takes me up into her arms Wraps herself around me away we go While outside the snows they fall away Slowly saying goodbye, goodbye to you
Musicians Robbie Overson: guitar Paul Meehan: guitar Ewen Vernal: double bass Erik Johnson: drums top
WHEN WILL WE ALL BE FREE (Written by Karan Casey)
Some people live the high life They live like Kings and Queens They go about all dressed up Well encased in their dreams
Most of us go from day to day With the feeling we have no clout The gods they say it's better that way To keep us going from hand to mouth
Life is for living And living is for loving Loving is for giving If we can be free When will we all be free When will we all be free
Our politicians run to the altar of gold To line their pockets with greed Turning a blind eye to all around Especially the ones in need
McDowell's welcome is naught He builds barriers along our shores At night he stops buses and takes people off If they don't look anything like ours
We've only dreamed of what we can do We've hardly seen the colour of angels When will we open our hearts to sing Let the stars fall out and lets begin
Musicians Robbie Overson: guitar Paul Meehan: guitar Ewen Vernal: double bass Niall Vallely: concertina John Anthony: pandeiro, udu, shakers, sticks and bells and drums top
THE WORLD LOOKS AWAY (Written by Barry Kerr)
I woke up from the dream To find it all the same The pain was still here And the world looked away The world looked away The world looked away
Palestine burns The curfew lingers on Invasion by night Occupation by dawn And the world looks away And the world looks away And the world looks away
Refugee's set your spirit free Rise your souls above the dust An F16 won't bring you down Nor take your land from your heart
Child of Jenin Your strength must get you through They took your brothers once Soon they will come for you And the world will look away And the world will look away
Refugee's set your spirit free Rise your souls above the dust An F16 won't bring you down Nor take your land from your heart And the world looks away
Musicians Robbie Overson: guitar Paul Meehan: guitar Ewen Vernal: double bass Niall Vallely: concertina John Anthony: tar, tabla and shaker top
THIS TIME WILL PASS (Written by Karan Casey)
I'll keep your story I'll keep it for you Fold it into my heart Where no one will know
I'll hold your spirit Like a sigh on the wind Like some rain on a flower To remind me of you
I've seen the mountain Her bulge in the sky Her baby unborn Heard her scalded heart cry
This time will pass A wise man has told me This time will pass On all occasions
You must come quiet To the door of my memory I'm standing on briars Out in the storm
Your song like the stars It will be sung So gather the brightness Into your heart
Musicians Robbie Overson: guitar Paul Meehan: bouzouki Ewen Vernal: double bass Michael Aharon: keyboard
top
THE BROWN AND THE YELLOW ALE (Traditional) As I was going down the road one fine morning Oh the brown and the yellow ale I met with a young man without any warning Oh love of my heart
He asked me if the woman by my side was my daughter Oh the brown and the yellow ale When I said she was my wife his manner did not altar Oh love of my heart
He asked me if I'd lend her for an hour and a day Oh the brown and the yellow ale I said if she thinks it fair you may take her away Oh love of my heart
She said you take the high road and I'll take off with him Oh the brown and the yellow ale And we'll meet again by the ford in the river Oh love of my heart
I was waiting by the ford for an hour and a quarter Oh the brown and the yellow ale When she came to me 'twas without shame I saw her Oh love of my heart
When she told me her story I lay down and I died Oh the brown and the yellow ale She sent two men out for timber well she never even cried Oh love of my heart
A board of alder and a board of holly Oh the brown and the yellow ale And two greater yards of a shroud all about me Oh love of my heart
Now if my own little mother had never been a woman Oh the brown and the yellow ale I would sing you many's another song about the women Oh love of my heart top
LADY MARY ANNE (Robert Burns/Traditional)
Lady Mary Anne looked over the castle wall And there she saw twa bonny laddies playing at the ball And the youngest of them was the fairest of all He's my bonny boy he's young and he's growing O
O father dearest father you have done me a great wrong For to go and get married to a lad who is so young For he being only sixteen years and I am twenty one He's my bonny boy he's young and he's growing O
Daughter dearest daughter I have done you no wrong For to go and get you married to a lad who is so young He will be a match for you when I am dead and gone He's your bonny boy he's young and he's growing O
Father dearest father then I'll tell you what we'll do We'll send my love to college for another year or two All around his college cap we'll bind the ribbons blue To let the ladies know that he's married O
Well young Charlie Cochrane was the sprout of an oak Blithe aye and bonny and straight was his neck And the sun when it shone it was all for his sake He will be the pride of the forest O
Lady Mary Anne was the flower among the dew Blithe aye and bonny and straight was her shoe The longer she blossomed well the sweeter she grew For the lilly in the bud will be bonnier O
The summer it is gone and the leaves they were green Happy were the days that both you and I have seen Ah but far happier days I trust will come again For my bonny boy he's young and he's growing O
Oh well at the age of sixteen years he was a married man At the age of seventeen the father of his son Ah but at the age of eighteen o'er his grave the grass grew green Cruel death had put an end to his growing O
I will weave my love a shroud of the ornamental brown While I am a weaving it the tears they will fall down For once I had a true love but now he's lying low I'll nurse his bonny boy while he's growing O
Musicians Robbie Overson: guitar Paul Meehan: mandolin and bouzouki Ewen Vernal: double bass Niall Vallely: concertina John Anthony: bodhrán, shakers and djembe top
MOTHER EARTH'S REVENGE (Written by Barry Kerr)
I am a hawk on a mountain side A crashing wave on a winter's tide The breeze that blows on a tall ship's sail I am the kick of a salmon's tail
I'm up above and I am below I'm black and white, I'm sand and I'm snow I'm all around and I live within I'm mother earth the spirit in all living things
I'm winter white oh I'm autumn gold I'm summer's bloom I'm springs new soul I'm every season with the birds that sing I'm mother earth the spirit in all living things
But you cut down the trees Your fumes they choke the breeze You burn the world for oil And you poison the soil So I'll flood the plains I'll drown you in your acid rain I'll pour fourth a curse and Return you back to dust
When lightning strikes you'll know I'm near You knew the beauty now feel the fear As your storm rolls in you better hide I'll make you wish that you weren't alive
Musicians Robbie Overson: guitar Paul Meehan: guitar Ewen Vernal: double bass Niall Vallely: concertina top
FREEDOM SONG (Written by Karan Casey)
I think of you each day Although you're far away I try to understand How it is in a foreign land
I wonder if you sleep Your mind can find no ease Your heart can still be free To dream of liberty
I'll sing for you this song I'll sing it to keep your heart up I'll sing it to give you strength Oh I'll sing it for freedom Oh freedom, precious freedom
If you can see the sky The skylark he flies high He leaves his spirit there Out upon the air
His dreams they sing on Like the stars they burn through Our voices they will soar Until injustice is no more
Musicians Robbie Overson: guitar Paul Meehan: mandolin and bouzouki Ewen Vernal: double bass Michael Aharon: piano top
THE YELLOW FURZE (Written by Karan Casey)
The yellow furze stole my heart again today The daisies in the long grasses sway Before I stepped into his domain My heart soared and sang with the wind
I stood in by the ditch where the primroses lay And thought of my good friend Jane Who has turned her life around for herself yes for herself Despite the shame of it all They had to hand it to her
She's done well so they couldn't complain They waited for the fall and All the pain to come through With hearts already too broken Only to be frozen over in misery.
They never said about the baby born in the barn About finding her twisted and wound up with their scorn Or the months she spent many miles oh many miles away Or the dark sunglasses worn on a winter's day
We had nowhere to turn to but the skies So we followed our star around the world Now we wave and walk on each bent in our own wind The trees lean in and listen
They had to hand it to her She's done well so they couldn't complain They waited for the fall and All the pain to come through With hearts already too broken Only to be frozen over in misery
Repeat first verse
Musicians Robbie Overson: guitar Paul Meehan: bouzouki Ewen Vernal: double bass Niall Vallely: concertina top
THE KEG OF BRANDY (Written by Robbie O'Connell) I'm always drunk and I'm seldom sober In constant roving from town to town But I am old now and my sporting is over So Molly a stór won't you lay me down
Lay my head on a keg of brandy It is my fancy I do declare For while I'm drinking I'm always thinking Of lovely Molly from the County Clare
The ripest apple is the soonest rotten And the warmest love is the soonest cold A young man's fancies are soon forgotten So beware young maid's and don't make so bold
It's youth and folly makes young men marry It makes them tarry a long long day What can't be cured love must be endured love So farewell darling I am going away
Musicians Robbie Overson: guitar Paul Meehan: mandolin and bouzouki Ewen Vernal: double bass Niall Vallely: concertina top
WAITING FOR THE SNOW (Written by Barry Kerr) Feed us with your left hand Starve us with your right I will lie in a cold tent While you are warm tonight While we watch the same sunset And the same stars fall We have nothing You have it all
As the march moves on We've nowhere left to turn Fighting to survive While waiting for the snow
We curse the dusty mountains The aching desert storm Hear our children crying Hungry in the morn Their feast lies not in this world But in another place So stand up and listen Take the smile from your face
Our fate lies in your hands While your world looks on Politicians squirm about Wondering what's gone wrong Millions taking to the roads It's happened yet again I say now is the time Come on now is the time Now is the time to heal the pain
BRIGHT WINTER'S DAY (Written by Karan Casey) Rain fall softly to kiss your face Bring me back to your embrace Rain come down make the snows fade away On this bright winter's day
And I wonder where you are now In your own quiet way And I wonder where you are now On this bright winter's day
Herds of shadows they cross your eyes Wars are waging there's no disguise Herds through all of your sorrows sway On this bright winter's day
When the winds are still And the rivers icy grey I will always love you Till the end of my day
Musicians Robbie Overson: guitar Paul Meehan: mandolin Ewen Vernal: double bass Niall Vallely: concertina top
JIMMY WHELAN (Traditional) One evening of late as I went a walking Watching the sunbeams as evening drew nigh 'Twas onwards I rambled and I spied a fair maiden A weeping and a wailing with many's a sigh
For one who is gone and now lies lonely Lonely for one no mortal can tell Her deep roaming waters roll swiftly around him And the grass it lies green over young Jimmy's grave
Oh Jimmy she cried now don't go and leave me Don't go and leave me here for to mourn take me oh take along with you darling Down to your grave and the cold silent tomb
My darling he said you are asking a favour That no mortal on earth could grant onto thee For death is the dagger that has torn us asunder And wide is the grave love between you and me
For tis oft times you walk by the banks of the river My spirit will watch you to guard and to keep There will I hover and ever fly over To protect my darling from the cold silent tomb
One fond embrace love and then I must leave you One loving farewell and then we must part Cold were the arms that encircled around her And cold was the form she pressed to her heart
Then slowly he rose from the banks of the river Up to the skies he then seem to go Leaving this fair maid by the side of the water A weeping and a wailing with many's a sigh
