She Moved Through the Fair (Wedding Version)

Now available on iTunes!
http://itunes.apple.com/album/she-moved-through-the-fair/id477464862


As per some requests to hear more music interpretations, here is an adaptation of one of the oldest songs ever to survive to the present day.
There are so many variations of the lyrics I didn't imagine that yet another thread would be noticed. The original lyrics allude quite clearly to the disappearance and death of the maiden in question, which not many people feel does justice to the beauty of the song and hence leave that part out of it.

The lyrics here are as follows:

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 step'd away from me
and this she did say
"It will not be long, love
'til our wedding day."

She step'd away from me and she moved through the fair
And fondly I watched her move here and move there
And then she went homeward with one star awake
As the swan in the evening moves over the lake.

Last night she came to me
with a beautiful grin
So softly she entered
her feet made no din
And she laid her hand on me and this she did say
"It will not be long, love, 'til our wedding day."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• she
• moved
• through
• the
• fair
• celtic
• folk
• celt
• Irish
• Ireland
• traditional
• world
• wedding
• music
• harp
• ancient

[Timothydlol]

what's the first painting of the slideshow called?

[JudeMaris]

"La Belle Dame Sans Merci" by John Waterhouse

[solsticecelt]

Beautiful, who is the singer please?

[JudeMaris]

M.A. Ludwig :) She has 2 albums on iTunes but they are instrumentals of her own work at the moment.

[Tigerstarr830]

Nice Version.... Brigid Boden has her beat though. That gal's voice haunts me.

[YankeeIrishRose]

I love John Waterhouse's works. This is a lovely rendition of this sweet, short song. It brings me to tears every time.

[MyMoppet52]

I feel that this is lovely but an extremely abbreviated version of the song. In fact, it is so abbreviated that it doesn't reflect the meaning of the song. It appears to have been shortened just to have a pretty song to sing at modern weddings. If you want a pretty song at your wedding, that's fine. The original song is not so happy and I miss it. Even the tune is baleful, if you listen to it. Thank you for your posting. It gives me a new version to listen to.

[breffnipark]

This is an old Irish Love Song .

It has been recorded by over one hundred artists covering all music genres.

This is a particular outstanding version.

Thank you for posting.

[merushikk]

It reminded me Lord of the Rings :) I love it

[anime4lifeim]

i love this song, and its so sad!

[Oldwino2]

@OggyStoop

Actually, I think the "dead" has been a more recent development in this song.

According to the words, any Irish person would know if someone visited in your dreams and their "foot made no din" they were dead. I think this was changed in the song when singing it to other people who would not know this.

[mistermonopoly1]

@nurktwin1960 because it sounds lovely :)

[solsticecelt1]

Beautiful version.

[nurktwin1960]

This song seems to be told from a man's perspective. So why do female singers always perform it?