Sad Songs for Sad Times

The country is going to hell as the leftists and conservatives compete over how quickly (the leftists) or how deliberately (the conservatives) socialism should be adopted ... and its also St-Patrick's day ... so the mood calls for posting some great old Irish songs.

First up is an outstanding performance of W. B. Yeats' Down by the Salley Gardens, sung by Maura O'Connell and Karen Matheson. They're backed by an all-star Celtic ensemble as part of the Transatlantic Sessions, a BBC program that highlighted the links between traditional Celtic and American music. Click for Youtube video.

Here's the text of Yeats' poem ("salley" means willow):

Down by the Salley Gardens
William Butler Yeats, 1889

Down by the salley gardens my love and I did meet;
She passed the salley gardens with little snow-white feet.
She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree;
But I, being young and foolish, with her did not agree.

In a field by the river my love and I did stand,
And on my leaning shoulder she placed her snow-white hand.
She bid me take life easy, as the grass grows on the weirs;
But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears.

Next up we have country singer Allison Moorer with an intense performance of the old Irish song Carrickfergus. This performace was also part of the Transatlantic Sessions. The settng blends country (steel guitar Dobro) and Celtic (bagpipes at 5:05) instrumentation. Here's the video:



Here's another version of Carrickfergus, sung by Van Morrison backed by the Chieftains. Click for Youtube video.


Next up we have Morrison again, this time with his song Celtic New Year from his album Magic Time (2005):




And that's it for today's heartache. For something more upbeat - and keeping with the transatlantic musical spirit - here are Texas fiddlers the Quebe Sisters with Shame on You:





(updated)