I’ll be honest: I can’t blame Brian Warfield and the Wolfe Tones for being a little bitter after their people endured hundreds of years of persecution by the English crown, so if he wants to theorize that the devil has risen from the dead and joined the British Army, I won’t be one to doubt him. But north of the border, Tommy Sands pens lyrics of a different tone, and to the Wolfes he (with a hand from Pete Seeger) says: “Don’t sing songs of winning and losing... Sing me the music of healing.”
Many Americans think of drinking songs when they think of Irish music, and certainly those are a part of the modern Celtic canon. But there’s much more depth to be explored in the genre, and many of the songs are rich with tales of the country's history. Both Tommy Sands and the Wolfe Tones are staples of Irish folk music, and through contrasting messages they tell one story of the people of the Irish island.
A listen to the Wolfe Tones’ Greatest Hits followed by Tommy Sands’ The Heart’s a Wonder can offer valuable insights into the past struggles of the rebels against their rulers in the North, and the ongoing struggle to maintain a fragile peace among good people trying to move beyond bad memories. So today, I recommend both. (And I should mention that there’s more here than just lyrics—both also come packed with the melodies and instrumentation that mark all good Irish music.)
Several tracks from Tommy's catalog are available to stream at his website here (songs at left). He'll be at the Carnegie Lecture Hall in Oakland this Saturday, and tickets are still available through ProArts.
Download:
Wolfe Tones - "God Save Ireland" (Mediafire link)
See the full list of St. Paddy's Day record reccomendations here.
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