Pretty sure the description is wrong. It turned out to actually be her lover but he wanted to see if she had really been faithful to him. Hence the part at the end of the song.
@@Gasqy I think part of her "shunning all men's view" meant that she probably either refused to look at him or didn't get (nor want) a good look at his face. Plus after not seeing each other for a decent amount of time back when there wasn't a form of photography (Battle of Waterloo was in 1815) not having said person around to see constantly would cause you to forget what they look like - at least even a bit.
It's not hard to imagine how she doesnt recognize him. He goes to war a young man, a few years pass, he's no doubt more haggard, more scarred, perhaps bearded, not at all the teen, probably, who she last saw. Ask any veteran- war changes you vastly.
That's a fairly common theme of several folk songs, but the young man recognizes her and usually "tests" her fidelity first. In this, he clearly is attracted but doesn't know who she is and he is a true stranger to her. Then it rather abruptly shifts that he's William. I like the song but it's not very clear on what's happening.
@@kallinyx5469 This song sounds to me less like a description of what happened and more like a story William would have told someone about their meeting long after the fact. And so, he would put us listeners into the same spot Nancy had been in and not tell us the truth right from the start to not spoil the surprise. What I think actually happened is this. William met Nancy and recognized her immediately. But she did not recognize him and he worried she may have fallen in love with another since it presumably have been years since they saw each other last. So to find out, without making her guilty about not wanting to marry him anymore even though she promised, he acted as a stranger at first. But she obviously still loved him, and so he hinted. See: "If you were here, lovely Nancy, I'd be willing to die." This is the part that makes me cry. It feels as if he is trying to say "I had the will to hang on because I just couldn't die without saying goodbye to you first." But she doesn't get it and thinks his words just a confirmation that her love had really died. And so he has to go and say plainly that it is him and prove it as well, by having the ring for one and talking about their parting too, which presumably only the two of them would have known about.
Rest in Peace Sinead, you had a lovely voice and were a powerful performer, and more you lived your convictions. That said I will add that following the threads where people argue for their point of view on what really happened in the song is a hoot and a holler.
Cada música mais linda do que as outras. A saudade é imensa Sinéad, mas agora está livre desse mundo crueldade e em paz. Adeus minha Rainha da Irlanda. 🙏🕊
I don't think he wanted to know if she was faithful to him. Probably she received false news that he had died, maybe he just went missing and was considered dead. I think she left her family home and when he came back to the town and he found out that she had left, so did he. when he was in another place he saw her, but he didn't recognize her either but when he saw his name embroidered on her mantle, he wanted to see if she really loves him. He knew then that she was his love, so he told her the truth and showed her the ring she had given him before he left for the battle. I don't know if it makes sense but i hope it does 😅
Very beautiful song sung by a very talented singer and a lovely one also. Singing a song of a lost love is a tearjerker for sure. And maybe that maiden greaved as long as she needed and decided to start to live again. But in that age it's harder to understand. Just have to take the song as it is. A very beautiful one.
Theres a few versions of this type of story, the maid believes or wants to believe its her lover not his friend, the returning soldier pretends to be the womans lover but isnt . and the returning lover tests and teases his lover before revealing he is alive and it is he.. i think there is another where the lover thinks he will die, sp he gives the ring to his friend who gets shot and dies, so its reported hes dead when he lives and returns
i dance with love and joy again, I shed my tears cry as i go to river as i walk among the trees an the valleys, i cry for all that could have been but i dance again with laugther and joy i sing my joy of love, i bring grace where there is none, but my love now i know what it is, even if i far away from the lands of the dead this, as i dance with joy and laugther again Build me a mound after i die so i can sleep with the grace of the forest i dance and i cry with the laugther and sadness of my life i dance and i grief over all the blood that i have spilled, not a single drop was given to me, but if the emperor says we shant dance with the joy of your love, Then i marry the forest again and again and walk to rome what he means when he says we shant dance with our love again no more, There are many that have walked this earth, but today i dance with the love of my love.. As i walk this barren earth i cry for all the life and joy we had , so long ago, i cry because i'm in joy with my life, The damned shall not dance on our graves no more, bring out your dead and rattle your bones, i walk eternitys own walk for this and iam in love, i cry over how ancient our mounds are and the time we used to have Give me no more, but love and joy again and again my river of joy gladdens my heart, i shall findeth in the green rivers where the mounds lay hidden, i shall find my bones of old, even if wizards and necromancers are after my bones and my soul As i walk upon earth, i remember the haunting horrow of what haunted me and my steps, as i walked this earth for the rivers and ours queens, my mother of old my river of love, as i walk this earh as so many aeons ago i remember my love of my heart
Iam the eternal Celt and warlord of mana, if you shall dance on my grave again, i shall rattle your bones so completely so completely that your graves shall findeth no more ever again, if we shant dance no more with ou love, then i shall give you the war Iam he, we are no raiders, we are celts! I shall dance on your graves and shake your bones as you have tortured me and my blood of my soul, iam the celt of old build me a mound so i can sleep soundly and be comforted by my love, i dance with all our songs of yore, i am the celt of riddles!
As i walk upon earth i grief over how and contempful they are, i am saddened with grief over the souls of the dead and damned! i am comforted again and again, i bring joy where there is none, bring out your bones and rattle your dead, iam the celt of old as i sing with joy again and again, im the celt of old, And my head is my own A highlander until the day i die, but i shant dance no matter where i walk even if torture they bring, Bring out the souls of your dead and rattle your brains again and again, bring out your dead and be shaken by the power of my dance of my love, bring out the torturers of the damned And rattle the dead as i walk upon our earth, bring me the song of old again as i grief over my pre archaic past, give me what is mine to give as i dance for the dead and the damned, i dance with my love as i ance over all the dead that has passed away..
I just wanted to leave a comment to say thank you- I am subscribed and smile so warmly whenever these videos pop up as suggested. Your work is much appreciated and richly enjoyed by me 💌
He had to check whether she is faithful to him, because that is what soldiers constantly think about, whether the girl they left home remained faithful or not. Or maybe some rich bastard snatched her while you are fighting for your country, cold, hungry, tired, in constant danger of dying. But I like those small trolling details of his story. He was my best comrade - soldiers best friend is always himself, he has to be careful, you must always do your best and try to survive and look after yourself in the battlefield... But it is also a very good lie, because that describes how he knows all those details about the man. He died on the battlefield - the men that go to war do not return the same men. They returned changed. The boy you loved is dead, the man that has returned is me.
yall hear me out what if he was this fine ass conman and he did see William O'Reilly die and he told him about their parting with Nancy and the ring before he died and he took the ring cuz hell yea what conman wouldnt take a free gold ring then he met this girl she was pretty and he didnt really have anything going on for him so he impersonated William O'Reilly based on his knowledge of his character he gathered during their time in the army and produced the ring and the story as proof and got him a wife and a life from nothing
The more often I hear this song, I think you're right. Soldiers talk. Especially when they're away from home and likely to die. If it had been some years and photos or even letters, then she could have been fooled for a time at least. We never actually heard her response. Another verse would have helped!
The soldier is an imposter. You can't assume that he is William since he says outright that they were close war comrades and if anyone will learn deta ils about someone, it will be trench buddies talking about home. Just having the ring token means that either William gave it to him to take to his love or the guy just took it from the dead man. Plausible, if he is willing to take over his friend's name, bride, and life. The final chords also have a very ironic downbeat turn to them. It's also likely that the girl would want to believe her love was alive. Whether she does believe this, eventually he'll probably be found out. Interesting song with a bit of mystery..+-
I can’t stop loving him for six years even though we have never been together I am her. I love old fashioned loved him since the first three weeks love no other compare all men to him torture all my suitors with comparisons to David. My phone keeps unblocking his number it’s a sign. My family thinks he isn’t good for me I love him still. He honorably didn’t try to sway me from my evangelical beliefs about sexual behavior. I want to kiss him again maybe next year. I’m not obsessed not crazy I barely ever eeen my dad but less and less since I was twelve years old and I love my dad and my dad loves me. If he is guilty of playing games so am I ill never stop loving him I don’t care if it keeps me from moving on and getting married to someone else. Fond thoughts when I’m not mad at him.
i am william o reilley and i depart with caskets and letters of gold, i depart over the river and as i lay my burden to die.. i am burden iam carried, i am weary , i am old, i am stooped and my tools made mountains of gold
Can we please have 12 albums with the same rythm same verse that just continues for all time , just the lyrics that change, can we please have another format for music and storytelling, even if i have mountains of gold, i cry rivers of blood because i fear i will never hear them or take part of your letters of gold
now i have said it again, even if our enemy beyond the valley of forge stole my verses my poems and gave me their answer that would never leave me alone, for that i answered the riddle, but i ask them what are they, if thieving is the only thing they do know, what need have they for castles ramparts and gold, if they only rob the poor
and when you have mountains of gold, i find not the need for a mortal coil, serpent ill be, ill burn your castles and with the breath of my flame i shall swallow you all in the flame eternitys pastures you stole, i shall burn you as the dragon i truly am, i will quake and smash you, i am the dragon reborn, and now the spell is broken, i can leave my mortal coil and uncover the truth in the needle mountains as i one day shall make use of my dragonic scales, i am reborn in fire and mountains of gold and i will extuinguish your souls, but if you ever come to our battle of our wellingtons waterloo i will break you like a branch over my knee i will rob you of all that ever was for you, until you cannot see more than the poverity of your despicable souls, i depart as the dragon being iam - spell broken
arian were are you as i walk in blindedness were are you oh lady of magic were are you arian as i cry in tears made of diamond blood, were are your panther you so did make behold.. i am old now and iam weary and i rob no one of gold but i wonder how fire and spells.. dear arian my love, please come hom i cry river of gold and still iam poor
Lovely nancy, iam married in wedlock, for the wedlock over my soul, is for all time finally so gone. Nancy my darling, now i can see, i can witness what is , I can feel with my hands, And as i look upon my image my shadow caste a dance of shadows over all those that murdered and stole my life, Iam to young to have a child, I will love my Girlfriends and shower them with gold, ANd i have turkish to the roof, we will have fun all the time, and they will never work a day, Iam married in wedlock, but when i depart i shall ask them for letters of gold, I shall dance into the world, And make the rain fall again. AS my soul was gained my the water that is dark as the night and in moonlit silver flows mystically i know, theirs souls were reaped this night lovely nancy. Even if iam the celt of riddles, iam still a boy that is married in wedlock with the prosperous Evil Good deeds The domain of darkness do for evil men and women. more shant i say
But madly so laugh for 6-12 months straigth in my struggle over them that traid to jail me for my crimes of laugther and that made them piss them self with jokes, I shant dance in laugther ever again , I will be serious like i was when i was 19, when i so did loose my soul. Lovely nancy, i have found someone just like you but in another image, i will treat her well when iam older. Talks and an arm for comfort, for parents i do not have
Thanks - the captioning is so brilliant in your uploads. Many of these songs I know well enough but only pay sparse attention to the actual lyrics. So much more profound, memorable with text. Irish likely highly conflicted on Waterloo - Napoleon made a couple of valiant efforts to support rebellion in Ireland, met with Wolfe Tone. His physician on St Helena was an Irishman, Dr Barry O'Meara.
