Cave of Gold by Jennifer Licko

However, Jennifer Shelton has toured throughout the world with her music along side of performers such as Award winning Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, Jimmy Carton, Rickey Godfrey and Brendan Grace.

Daughter of a Music teacher and niece of a Scottish Highland Dance teacher, Jennifer Shelton received training in both music and dance from a young age. Upon graduating with a music degree from East Carolina University, Jennifer Shelton traveled to Scotland to study abroad on a Rotary International and a St. Andrews society of NC scholarship . She continued to spend summers in Scotland studying Gaelic music and Dance with singers such as Mairi Mac Innes, Ishbel MacAskill and Roddy Campbell. She then moved to Ireland where she lived in Tullaghan, Co. Leitrim performing at pubs all over Donegal, Sligo, and Leitrim. The years she spend playing music with Irish musicians (and for Irish audiences) brought her to a deeper understanding of the Irish ballads. Her passion and love for Ireland, the hardship it has endured as a country, and the sense of humor the Irish have kept through it all, is evident in Jennifer Shelton's performances.

Currently, Jennifer Shelton is based out of Eastern North Carolina where she performs Celtic folk music & dance for children in Elementary schools, concerts, festivals, and pubs all over the state to celebrate North Carolina's Scottish & Irish heritage.

LYRICS and TRANSLATIONS:

Blacksmith-on the way!

Peggy and the soldier-

Come all ye lads of high renown, let me tell of a fair young maiden,

As she arose one summer's morn, just to watch the soldiers parading.

They looked so bold and they marched so gay, with their banners flying as the band did play.

It caused lovely peggy to smile and say, I will go with my galant soldier

Oh peggy dear the soldier said, "I pray don’t' act so unruly,

For when I'm in some foreign land believe me you'll rue it surely

What if in battle I should fall from the shot of an angry cannon ball

And you so far from your daddy's hall, are you wise with your gallant soldier.

I have 50 guines in safe store, likewise a heart that's bolder,

I will give it all to the lad I adore, my brave undaunted soldier

So don’t' say no but let me go, and together we'll face the feircest foe

And pray kind providence should know of Peggy and her gallant soldier

And when he saw she was so true, he could not stay hard hearted,

He said, "my darling I'll mary you, and non but death shall part us.

And when we're in some foreign land, I'll guide you my darling with my right hand

And pray that God a friend might stand with Peggy and her gallant soldier

Fear a' Bhata (The Boatman)-

Traditional

Translation: Recorded on Jennifer Licko's Cave of Gold

Chorus:

Boatman na ho ro eile,

Boatman na ho ro eile,

Boatman na ho ro eile,

My blessings on you whereever you go.

Verses:

1. Often I look from the highest hill,

hopeing to see the boatman;

will you come today, or will you come tomorrow?

And if you come not at all, desolate I will be.

2. My heart is broken and crushed,

And often the tears are streaming from my eyes;

Will you come tonight, will I expect you,

Or will I close the door with a sorrowful sigh?

Ready for the Storm-

Oh the waves crash in and the tide pulls out it's an angry sea but there is no doubt

That the lighthouse will keep shining out to warn the lonley sailors

But the lightening strikes and the wind cuts cold through the sailor's bones to the sailor's soul

And there's nothing left that he can hold except the rolling ocean

Chorus:

But I am ready for the storm

Yes sir ready I am ready for the storm

I'm ready for the storm

Oh give me mercy for my dreams 'cos every confrontation seems

to tell me what it really means to be this lonely sailor

but when the sky begins to clear the sun it melts away my fear

I'll cry a silent weary tear for those that need to love me

The distance it is no real friend and time will take it's time

And you will find that in the end it brings you me the lonely sailor

And when you take me by your side you love me warm you love me

And I should have realized I had no reason to be frightened

Leezie Lindsay

Will ye gang to the hielands, leezie lindsay

Will ye gang to the hielands wi me

Will ye gang to the hielands leezie linsay

My pride and my darling to be

To gang to the hielands wi' you sir

I dinna ken how that may be

For I ken nae the land that ye live in

Nor ken I the lad I'm gaun we

O Leezie, lass, ye maun ken little

If sae ye dinna ken me

For my name is Lord Ronald MacDonald,

A chieftain o' high degree

She has kilted coats o' green satin

She has kilted them up to the knee

And she's off wi' Lord Ronald MacDonald

His bride and his darling to be

Buain na Rainich-on the way!

Caledonia

I don’t know if you can see the changes that have come over me

In these past few days I've been afraid that I might drift away

So I've been telling old stories singing songs

That make me think about where I came from

And that's the reason why I seem so far away today

Chorus: oh and let me tell you that I love you and I think about you all the time

Caledonia you're calling me and now I'm going home

For if I should become a stranger you know that it would make me more than sad

Caledonia's been everything I've ever had

I have moved and I've kept on moving proved the points that I needed proving

I've lost the friends I needed loosing found others on the way

I have tried and I've kept on trying stolen dreams yes there's no denying

I've traveled far sometimes with conscious flying somewhere within the wind

Well now I'm sitting here before the fire the empty room the forest choir

The flames that couldn't get any higher they've withered now they've gone

Uamh an Oir (Cave of Gold)

Traditional Waulking Song

Translation: Recorded on Jennifer Licko's Cave of Gold

Every woman with her coat soaking taking the sand-eels from the shore

Every woman with her coat soaking taking the sand-eels from the shore

***

Before I come, before I return, before I come out of the Cave of Gold

Before I come, before I return, before I come out of the Cave of Gold

***

The little calves will be mart-cattle before I come out of the Cave of Gold

The little calves will be mart-cattle before I come out of the Cave of Gold

***

Before I come, before I return, before I come out of the Cave of Gold

Before I come, before I return, before I come out of the Cave of Gold

***

The little children will be householders before I come out of the Cave of Gold

The little children will be householders before I come out of the Cave of Gold

***

Before I come, before I return, before I come out of the Cave of Gold

Before I come, before I return, before I come out of the Cave of Gold

***

Every woman with her coat soaking taking the sand-eels from the shore

Every woman with her coat soaking taking the sand-eels from the shore

***

Taking the sand-eels, taking the sand-eels, taking the sand-eels from the shore

Taking the sand-eels, taking the sand-eels, taking the sand-eels from the shore

Superhero-on the way!

Wild Mountain Thyme-on the way!

The singing land

The burning skies are never ending cross the red brush plains

And out where the dingle still is king an eternity remains

There between the old and ancient there's an oasis bright

Your gentle children who have gone

Are close to me tonight

Chorus: in your singing land in your singing land shine on oh shine on over me

There's a feeling still and eerie there's a feeling strong

The path humanity has come and the path that he has gone

Me I am I am just passing three score years and ten

And I'm just a starnger who may never come this way again

Under the spell caterpillar dreaming new life shapes it's form

Along the river's naked banks that are straining for the storm

On the sacred rock in thunder ocean the tree of man grows clear

The woodlark sings the brolga dance and dawn is slipping near

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