The Mountains of Mourne

         
          I love listening to Celtic music.  My favorite groups are Celtic Thunder and Celtic Woman.  There is a song by Celtic Thunder called "The Mountains of Mourne" that makes some good points.  It comes across as having old fashioned and over-used themes.  Yet these are things we face every day.  I think that if people didn't dismiss them so quickly and actually thought about them more often, there wouldn't be half so many that made these mistakes.


The Mountains of Mourne

Oh Mary this London's a wonderful sight

With people here workin' by day and by night

They don't sow potatoes, nor barley, nor wheat

But there's gangs of them diggin' for gold in the street

At least when I asked them that's what I was told

So I just took a hand at this diggin' for gold

But for all that I found there I might as well be

In the place where the dark Mourne sweep down to the sea.

There's beautiful girls here, Oh never you mind

Beautiful shapes nature never designed

Lovely complexions of roses and cream

But let me remark with regard to the same

That if at that those roses you venture to sip

The colours might all come away on your lips

So I'll wait for the wild rose that's waitin' for me

In the place where the dark Mourne sweep down to the sea.

You remember young Davey Mc Clarin of course

Well sure, now, he's round here with the rest of the force

I saw him one day as I was crossin’ the strand

And he stopped the whole street with a wave of his hand
And as we stood talkin’ of days that are gone

The whole town of London stood there to look on

But for all his great powers he's wishful like me

To be back where the dark Mourne sweep down to the sea

But for all his great powers he's wishful like me

To be back where the dark Mourne sweep down to the sea





          The song is about a man writing a letter to Mary (who is likely his girlfriend).  He describes the people in the city and the things that they do.  All of them seem promising at first.  But then he realizes how useless and fake they all are and he yearns to be home where life is more simple and the sea and beautiful mountains are nearby.
          Firstly, when the man goes to London (and this could be true where ever you are in the world) he sees people digging for gold instead of planting crops.  The significance is that they are trying to earn money fast instead of work hard and being patient.  It's like all of those "get-rich-quick" schemes that you here about.  But they hardly ever work.  So he decides that since he's wasting his time he might as well be in the place that he loves doing honest labor.  That's true of anyone.  You could also stretch it a bit and say that it's better to work hard doing what you love than working for the money.
          Secondly, he talks about the beautiful girls in the city.  They almost don't seem natural because they are so lovely.  He admires them, but soon realizes how fake they really are.  I love the line, "if at that those roses you venture to sip / The colours might all come away on your lips".  He's content to wait till he gets home to his wild, but true rose.  He is probably talking about Mary, which I think is sooooo sweet.  " I'll wait for the wild rose that's waitin' for me / In the place where the dark Mourne sweep down to the sea."  He is saying that even though the girls there are beautiful beyond belief, he'd still rather have her.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!  Sorry, that was the girlish, romantic side of me showing through.  It's a good example of how beauty is in the heart.  How girls expect a man to love them when they constantly wear a mask is beyond me.
          Then he runs into an old friend of his, Davey McClarin, who has grown up and become very powerful in the city.  So powerful that the whole city stops and is silent when he commands it.  Yet even Davey admits that power isn't everything.  He misses the simpler, homey life back in the Mountains of Mourne.  Power isn't all people crack it up to be.  You miss so many of the sweet and simple things in life.
          I like this song.  It has a very simple tune which only makes its point even better.  You can't really find it by Celtic Thunder on YouTube though, which is sad.  You can hardly find any of their songs on their.  It's easier to find Celtic Woman songs, but I get tired of watching them parade around in their dresses.  Celtic Thunder is much more interesting to watch.  RABBIT TRAIL!  Sorry!
          I wish modern music were more like this.  I miss the simple morals and themes that encouraged real, attainable happiness.