She Moved Through The Fair

[poliphilo]

She Moved Through The Fair

My young love said to me my mother won't mind
And my father won't slight you for your lack of kind
And she laid her hand on me and this she did say
It will not be long now 'til our wedding Day

And she went away from me, she moved through the fair
And fondly I watched her move here and move there
And then she went onward, just one star awake
Like the swan in the evening moves over the lake

The people were saying no two e'er were wed
But one had a sorrow that never was said
And I smiled as she passed with her goods and her gear
And that was the last that I saw of my dear

Last night she came to me, my dead love came in
So softly she came her feet made no din
And she laid her hand on me and this she did say
It will not be long now 'til our wedding day

                                                       Anon + Padraic Colum

The song was collected in Donegal by Padraic Colum and Herbert Hughes and first published in 1909. The lyrics- all except the last verse- are Colum's work. 

I understand some people choose to have this played at their weddings. They must be mad. 

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

My favourite- maybe it's an urban myth- is the one about the couple who request "The Robin Hood" song, meaning the theme from Prince of Thieves, and the organist plays the bouncy theme to the 1950s TV series-

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding down the glen,
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with his band of men-
Feared by the bad, loved by the good-
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood...

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Probably urban myth, but I love that one too. I think I first saw it in Private Eye's Funny Old World column.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link.

I've just been listening to Dick James singing the original- with it's wonderful, scribbled-on-the-back-of-fag-packet lyrics

"They handled all the trouble on the English country scene
And still found plenty of time to sing."

[ibid.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine wanted the Star Wars theme!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

And why not?