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She Moves Through the Fair by Rebsie [Email]
Genre: Other

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SONG STATS:
Hits: 6022
Comments: 70
Votes: 40
Plays: 2974
Last Played: Dec 01, 2008 - 09:34:45 AM
Downloads: 440
Fans: 20
Uploaded: Jan 26, 2005 - 10:42:54 AM
Last Updated: Oct 23, 2005 - 04:50:52 PM
Fan List
Keywords:
irish (40), traditional (65), folk (370), atmospheric (12), spooky (22), creepy (26), ghost (26), dead (20), death (132), ethereal (29)
Description:
Time to float away on a sea of ghostly voices as I try out my new condenser mic - with an old Irish song about talking to the dead. This has been a regular favourite on the folk scene for years, but I love it and wanted to do my own version. In Celtic myth, swans often symbolise death; here the image of the swan flying over the lake is a metaphor for the soul's journey into the afterlife.

Lyrics:
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 laid her hand on me and this she did say
"Oh it will not be long, love, till our wedding day"

Then she went away from me and she moved through the fair
And fondly I watched her move here and move there
And then she went onward, just one star awake
Like the swan in the evening moves over the lake

Last night she came to me, my dead love came in
So softly she came, her feet made no din
And she laid her hand on me and this she did say
"Oh it will not be long, love, till our wedding day"

Hardware:
Mac G5, Behringer B-1 mic, M-Audio Keystation 49e, Tascam US-122 ... and hopefully no line hiss!

Software:
GarageBand
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shivers &mdash 01/26/05 - 01:11:23 PM
Very beautifully done! The mic picks up your breath,
which adds a nice crispness to this slowly floating song. I
see that you found some good-sounding bagpipes too.
The sparseness of the background music I thought was
almost perfect, though I wanted the harmonies brought
forward ever so slightly. I kept getting carried off
somewhere with your voice and lyrics, it was hard to
switch into left-brain critique-mode... which is meant as a
great compliment :)
7-8-8-8
ttfn,
Drakonis

[ Reply to This ]
shivers &mdash 01/26/05 - 01:33:09 PM
Thank you. I really appreciate your comments. I was interested to know
what people thought of the backing vocals because I couldn't tell
whether I'd underdone them or overdone them. I'm glad the song carried
you away somewhere, anyway - that's what I hoped it would do.

[ Reply to This ]
Yes! &mdash 01/26/05 - 02:29:18 PM
The new mic does justice to your voice, certainly...but
what justice you have done to this song! The haunting
harmonics with the steady lilt of the main vocals.
So beautiful. So well done.
I've a soft spot for folk songs like these, and hope more
are on the way....

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Yes! &mdash 01/27/05 - 05:13:42 PM
Thanks Mystified, I'm glad you like it. It's a song I'm very attached to and
I hoped I could do justice to it. I owe a lot to you for the help and
encouragement you've been giving me - you've helped me find new
areas of subtlety in my voice which I didn't know were there.

[ Reply to This ]
Definitely there... &mdash 01/28/05 - 09:17:47 PM
Definitely your voice, and it's wonderful! I can listen to this again and
again...and I have :)

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For folk's sake! &mdash 01/26/05 - 04:02:11 PM
This is one of my favourites of your folky ones. As I
think I've mentioned before this folky stuff is not
always to my tastes but this is a lovely song and your
rendition is beautiful. The vocals are first rate, as
ever, but I also like what you've done with the
arrangement - very ethereal. Sorted!

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For folk's sake! &mdash 01/27/05 - 05:19:27 PM
Hooray, I've managed to do a folk song you don't mind too much! Things
are looking up. Thanks for your continued support - you know how
much I appreciate it.

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you found them &mdash 01/26/05 - 08:27:39 PM
I see you found the bag pipes you were looking for and
the mic your lovely singing deserves. Beautiful and clean
sound. But I didn't notice that there was any hiss or
ambient noise on your vocals until it suddenly cut off after
your last line. I'd recommend you record some ambient
silence with the same settings you used when recording
your vocals to keep the vocal track alive until it can fade
out with the music. Other than that, perfect.

[ Reply to This ]
you found them &mdash 01/27/05 - 05:36:07 PM
Thanks Peter, it's always nice to hear from you. I'm still looking out for
better bagpipe sounds because I wasn't 100% happy with the one I've
used here - but maybe that's just me! I slapped plenty of reverb on it to
take the edge off its MIDIness, and that'll have to do for now. But I'll look
into your suggestion about the ambient silence - there is a trace of hiss
at the end. Though I'm getting such a clean signal now from the new
set-up, I think most of the background noise is just my asthmatic
wheezing...

[ Reply to This ]
Much Better &mdash 01/27/05 - 05:26:55 AM
Now we can hear your pretty voice much better! Lovely
song. Pacing of the song seems appropriate considering
the subject matter. Well Done!

[ Reply to This ]
Much Better &mdash 01/27/05 - 05:45:17 PM
Glad the pacing worked out OK. It is quite slow, but that was the only
way I could get enough expression into it. Thanks for your nice
comments.

[ Reply to This ]
Hey, good voice! &mdash 01/27/05 - 04:36:02 PM
Not usually my kind of music but I really like my voice.
Maddy Prior reborn. I'd love to hear some more. I'm a fan!

[ Reply to This ]
Hey, good voice! &mdash 01/27/05 - 06:04:46 PM
Well, what a compliment, thank you. I have more songs in the pipeline...
Thanks for listening.

[ Reply to This ]
channeling perfection &mdash 01/28/05 - 09:38:40 AM
excellent. perfect. ethereal. like spirits singing. you channel these songs beautifully.

[ Reply to This ]
channeling perfection &mdash 01/28/05 - 11:46:57 AM
Thank you Suzanne. I'm glad you said that, because channeling is what I
was aiming at. Some of these songs are so ancient they seem to have a
momentum of their own, and it's a case of trying to tap into that.

[ Reply to This ]
Nicely done &mdash 01/28/05 - 12:48:45 PM
Your crisp yet drifting voice works excellently with this
song, and the support work is very competent. I have
heard this song before, I think on a tape with Van
Morrison (great musician) and the Cheiftains?

Well done, although does the non cover policy of Macjams
not apply to this?

Archy

[ Reply to This ]
Nicely done &mdash 01/28/05 - 12:57:14 PM
Thanks Archy. You may well have heard someone like the Chieftains do
this song, it's been recorded lots of times. The no-covers rule on
MacJams only applies to songs under copyright. There's no copyright on
this one because it's so old nobody knows who wrote it.

[ Reply to This ]
Wonderful Performance and Production &mdash 01/29/05 - 07:05:42 AM
Very Haunting.
Have you gotten Jam Pack 4 yet? It has a harp and some
tuned percussion that you might find useful in future
productions.
This pursuit of creating music can get kind of pricey, can't
it? :)

[ Reply to This ]
Wonderful Performance and Production &mdash 01/29/05 - 02:32:27 PM
You're right there! I've blown all my savings on the mic and interface, so
it may be a while before I can have any new toys. But it's worth knowing
that Jampack 4 has those sounds, just in case Santa comes early. Thanks
for your comments!

[ Reply to This ]
I'm floating through the dense fog &mdash 01/29/05 - 09:39:23 AM
of Ireland. Rebsie, you captured it. Wonderfully written
performed and produced. This is a cool track. Very nice
work.

[ Reply to This ]
I'm floating through the dense fog &mdash 01/29/05 - 09:45:06 AM
of Ireland. Rebsie, you captured it. Wonderfully written
performed and produced. This is a cool track. Very nice
work.

[ Reply to This ]
I'm floating through the dense fog &mdash 01/29/05 - 02:34:45 PM
I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Thanks very much for your lovely
comments.

[ Reply to This ]
Gossamer resonance &mdash 01/29/05 - 12:02:39 PM
Your voice possesses an ethereal lightness and delicacy as
it floats over ancient seas, lakes, hills and forests. You
have tapped into the collective unconscious of your
forebears.

Yes, the chorus can come on stronger. Maybe add some
male choral voices to fill out the spectrum. What about a
few deep and distant bass drum hits to demarcate points
in the journey? Ooh, I get goosebumbs just thinking about
the possibilities within this song. Singing gulls, highland
flutes, lowland groans, mystical sparkles...



[ Reply to This ]
Gossamer resonance &mdash 01/29/05 - 02:59:34 PM
Well, it's fired your imagination ... that's got to be a good sign! I'm open
to suggestions about what else to add to it. Interesting point you make
about the collective unconscious: I did meditate on the song for a while
before I recorded it to bring my consciousness to the right level.

[ Reply to This ]
Enya-esque &mdash 01/30/05 - 10:29:35 AM
Your voice is truly lovely. You achieved a haunting and
meditative mood with its quality and deliberate phrasing
on this track.

The drone also adds to the meditative mood. I felt like I
was floating in space.

This definitely reminds me of Enya's work. You have
captured the soul, the essence of this ancient Irish song in
much the same way that Enya does with her
performances.

I look forward to hearing more vocal selections. Brava!

[ Reply to This ]
Enya-esque &mdash 01/30/05 - 03:09:24 PM
Thank you so much. Yes, the style is Enya-like - I've listened to a lot of
her stuff in the past so she's definitely been an influence.
More songs on the way...

[ Reply to This ]
crystalline and intimate &mdash 01/30/05 - 11:21:50 AM
This is as good as any Loreena McKennitt track. The
intimacy of your recorded voice, the clean track, the
simplicity, the purity of concept, all excellent. All the way
to the absolutely crystalline fade, this is a top notch
recording and affecting performance. Perfect.


[ Reply to This ]
crystalline and intimate &mdash 01/30/05 - 03:17:42 PM
What can I say ... it means a lot to me to get such lovely
comments. Thank you, Tobin. I'm glad the new mic is picking up more
detail in my voice ... seems like it was a good investment!

[ Reply to This ]
Excellent &mdash 01/30/05 - 05:11:04 PM
4 x 10

[ Reply to This ]
Excellent &mdash 01/31/05 - 07:30:05 AM
Just wanted to add that the clarity and performance of the vocals are
stunning. I'm listening to this song over and over. I've even sent a link to me
mum and she has asked if she could get the cd. I d'loaded. Thanks for
posting this song. Your voice haunts like a living mist weaving through a
grove of weeping willow trees.

---
MacJams...the global recording studio!

[ Reply to This ]
Excellent &mdash 01/31/05 - 10:41:32 AM
Wow, that's fantastic, thanks Skipper. It's great that your mum likes it
too. A download is always a great compliment ... I'm delighted that
people are enjoying it and giving it multiple listens.

[ Reply to This ]
Very nice! &mdash 01/30/05 - 05:30:09 PM
It features by far your best instrument - that voice! I like
that the background stays simple and brings out the
vocal. To nitpick - I agree that the bagpipe is a little midi-
ish but it doesn't detract from the mood. If you could find
good loops of recorded bagpipes might work better than
software instruments or softfonts.

[ Reply to This ]
Very nice! &mdash 01/31/05 - 10:55:11 AM
Yes, I'm actively looking for more authentic-sounding instruments, since
these atmospheric songs really show up the plasticky tone of MIDI
instruments. The ideal solution would be to find myself a friendly uillean
pipe player ...

[ Reply to This ]
Thanks for ... &mdash 01/31/05 - 02:37:11 PM
sharing this wonderful Celtic song.

Beautiful.

Jack

[ Reply to This ]
Thanks for ... &mdash 02/14/05 - 03:49:30 AM
Thanks Jack!

[ Reply to This ]
Like clear air &mdash 02/02/05 - 03:40:44 PM
Such a wonderful rendering. Accomplished.

[ Reply to This ]
Like clear air &mdash 02/14/05 - 03:51:57 AM
I do appreciate your comments ... thanks!

[ Reply to This ]
So beautiful &mdash 02/07/05 - 09:58:26 PM
You have such a lovely, wonderful voice. I love the
restrained, etherial performance. I'm fairly certain from
now on, when I hear a folk song, I want to hear it with
your voice.

[ Reply to This ]
So beautiful &mdash 02/14/05 - 04:00:17 AM
That's a lovely thing to say, thank you so much Joanna! I'm very chuffed
by that. More songs on the way ...

[ Reply to This ]
creepy &mdash 02/11/05 - 08:56:59 AM
Like it. Wish there were more stanzas. :)

A little slow, but I didn't mind. I like the minimalism. I like
the backing vocals.

So this is a lesbian song, right? Just kidding!

I listen to these songs as stories and am always
wondering, "How'd she die?" I realize these were written a
little before modern medicine, so strange things, or
simple things could cost a life, but I always wonder.

Glad you stepped up to nicer equipment. I plan to do so
soon myself.


[ Reply to This ]
creepy &mdash 02/14/05 - 04:18:36 AM
I'm glad you like it. It's always tricky when I want to do songs which are
written from a man's point of view ... though interestingly almost every
version of this song I've ever heard has been sung by a woman. There's a
lot of cross-gender singing going on in the world of folk music!

[ Reply to This ]
Nice tune :) &mdash 02/18/05 - 11:45:08 AM
Your voice goes very well with the drone type sound.

Nice harmonizations in the backround.



[ Reply to This ]
Nice tune :) &mdash 03/02/05 - 07:02:46 AM
Thank you! I'm honoured to be on your favourites list too!

[ Reply to This ]
Peace & Love &mdash 03/05/05 - 05:49:53 AM
With your subtle voice and calm music you mediates peace and love impressively!
Regards
Volker aka Philos60

[ Reply to This ]
Peace & Love &mdash 03/15/05 - 05:15:56 AM
Thanks very much for visiting and commenting. It's appreciated!

[ Reply to This ]
L.O.T.R &mdash 03/09/05 - 05:10:45 PM
couldnt help but think of the lord of the rings
films....which is a good thing! ur voice is perfect for this
style of music. beautiful stuff.

[ Reply to This ]
L.O.T.R &mdash 03/15/05 - 05:29:55 AM
That's a nice compliment, thanks!

[ Reply to This ]
great song! &mdash 03/30/05 - 06:35:57 AM
It's the sort of music that captures you mind.
Beautiful heartfelt vocals.
I sing myself,but haven't yet put any vocal songs up.
Hopefully very soon!
Anyway . . Nice work!!

[ Reply to This ]
great song! &mdash 04/29/05 - 06:10:13 AM
Thanks very much for listening. I look forward to hearing your singing
when you post it.

[ Reply to This ]
one of my favorite songs ever &mdash 04/29/05 - 02:35:21 AM
and i know, after listening to you, i will be singing all day today. i think i already told you, but the color of your voice is really special. i'd love to hear you sing some funk, some macy gray stuff maybe or something like that. 32 from me.

ps. some years ago i would wake up an play this song (all about eve was the band) first thing every morning. great, great song.

[ Reply to This ]
one of my favorite songs ever &mdash 04/29/05 - 06:29:06 AM
Ah, the All About Eve version is probably my favourite of all the ones I've
heard. I love Julianne Regan's voice and she's been a big influence on me
as a singer.

Thank you so much for your lovely comments, baki.

[ Reply to This ]
Great song of course &mdash 05/10/05 - 01:41:24 AM
I've got this by Fairport somewhere in my collection.. you
have done this song justice, the vocals are excellent and I
like the subliminal drone and effects. Very nice!
S

[ Reply to This ]
Great song of course &mdash 05/10/05 - 04:01:04 AM
Thank you Steve! I've got the Fairport version too but I wanted to make
mine spookier than theirs. I'm really glad you like it!

[ Reply to This ]
What can I say? &mdash 05/15/05 - 02:00:22 AM
I've heard a few versions of this one over the years
(Sinead O'Connor's most recently I think), but this is
one of (if not) the best. It's a beautifully simple song
but so haunting - goosebump material!
MacJams is lucky you're still here!

Thanks

[ Reply to This ]
What can I say? &mdash 05/15/05 - 04:38:56 AM
Wow, that's a lovely thing to say, thank you! I have the Sinead O'Connor
version too (I've built up a collection of different versions over the years)
and I think her vocal on it is amazing. So I'm delighted that you think
mine is as good.

MacJams is the best thing that's happened to me in years, so I'm not
going anywhere!

[ Reply to This ]
Enjoyed the Celtic Myth and &mdash 07/31/05 - 03:24:58 PM
vey fascinating,

Well sung and recording history.

[ Reply to This ]
Enjoyed the Celtic Myth and &mdash 08/24/05 - 02:45:08 PM
Thanks David! Nice of you to drop by and take a listen.

[ Reply to This ]
Amazing &mdash 08/23/05 - 06:09:49 PM
Rebsie - you may never get to read this as it's months since
you posted the track however, it's simply stunning. The
restrained accompaniment works very very well - dead
impressed!

KK

[ Reply to This ]
Amazing &mdash 08/24/05 - 02:42:15 PM
On the contrary Komrade, I always check for (and appreciate) comments on
older songs! I'm really delighted that you like this one. It's especially
gratifying to get such nice comments from a fellow British folky as talented as
yourself. Thanks muchly.

[ Reply to This ]
lovely &mdash 01/10/06 - 04:49:24 PM
nice vocals. your voice is beautiful in this song. its got a real peaceful sound to it. im downloading this onto my ipod :) lovely lyrics.

[ Reply to This ]
lovely &mdash 03/15/06 - 04:44:48 PM
Thanks Chance. Glad you like it. I can't take credit for the lyrics, but yes, they
suit the song very nicely.

---
Imber ...<a href="http://thelostrecords.com/revolving-doris-artist.html">now available at The Lost Records</a>

[ Reply to This ]
draochta &mdash 03/13/06 - 05:51:08 AM
lainn.... you have a very pure and beautiful sounding voice which comes across very hauntingly in this song. this song has always been a favorite of mine and always will be.i think you did it great justice and you deserve to have the chance of being heard all over the world,thanx for sharing

Is maith an scthn sil charad

[ Reply to This ]
dra�ochta &mdash 03/15/06 - 04:51:09 PM
Thanks very much ... I know this is a well liked song and there are a lot of
different versions out there, so that's a great compliment. I've recently done a
slight remix with a sprinkling of spooky mandolin added.

---
Imber ...<a href="http://thelostrecords.com/revolving-doris-artist.html">now available at The Lost Records</a>

[ Reply to This ]
wonderful &mdash 03/10/07 - 09:26:40 AM
I was searching all over the 'net for Sinead O'Connor singing this, and could not find it. Instead I found you, and absolutely love your version. Thank you!

[ Reply to This ]
Welcome to MacJams &mdash 03/10/07 - 06:19:56 PM
That's a lovely compliment, thank you! I have Sinead O'Connor's version and love it ... she sings it with an intensity I couldn't even attempt. If mine works for you too then I'm delighted.

[ Reply to This ]
thoughts from the bull... &mdash 03/15/07 - 07:46:26 PM
rebsie, you always hit right between the ears with your music.

this is no different. absolutely wonderful! i discovered this one via
the recent Celtic music thread and wow... glad i caught it!

the mood and pace suit your vocal perfectly. a fabulous walking song!

thank you!!

[ Reply to This ]
Another vocal jewel! &mdash 09/25/07 - 05:27:31 PM
So very beautiful....compares favourably with one of my favourite renditions by Loreena McKennitt.
Thanks,
Doug

[ Reply to This ]
Haunting and beautiful &mdash 11/29/07 - 03:19:01 AM
The intelligent backing allows your voice to fill the space of the song perfectly. I love this.

[ Reply to This ]
Thanks &mdash 11/29/07 - 04:33:16 AM
Thanks very much for listening, I'm very pleased you enjoyed it. I'm really in my element with this kind of stuff as you might have guessed!

[ Reply to This ]
she moved through the fair &mdash 10/04/08 - 02:58:55 PM
I have heard someone on here singing this song and it's lovely, I like the arrangement. Is there any way I can get the backing track? I'm a singer and I need this track to sing the song for a wedding I'm doing later this month. Can you help?

[ Reply to This ]
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