She Moves Through the Fair

Rebsie

Genre: Other

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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.

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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"

Song Stats

Hits: 7227
Comments: 72
Fans: 21
Plays: 3069
Downloads: 492
Votes: 40
Uploaded: Jan 26, 2005 - 10:42:54 AM
Last Updated: Oct 23, 2005 - 04:50:52 PM Last Played: Nov 23, 2009 - 07:24:27 AM

Song License

Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NonCommercial

Song Actions

Keywords:

irish (46), traditional (76), folk (423), atmospheric (23), spooky (24), creepy (27), ghost (31), dead (23), death (146), ethereal (34)

Hardware:

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

Software:

GarageBand

Comments

drakonis

drakonis said 1765 days ago (January 26th, 2005)

shivers
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

Check out my latest song called Lullaby for the Inner Child

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1765 days ago (January 26th, 2005)
	shivers 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. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Mystified	Mystified said 1765 days ago (January 26th, 2005)
	Yes! 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.... Check out my latest song called For the Beauty of the Earth

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1764 days ago (January 27th, 2005)
	Yes! 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. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Mystified	Mystified said 1763 days ago (January 28th, 2005)
	Definitely there... Definitely your voice, and it's wonderful! I can listen to this again and again...and I have :) Check out my latest song called For the Beauty of the Earth

Epileptic Gibbon	Epileptic Gibbon said 1765 days ago (January 26th, 2005)
	For folk's sake! 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! Check out my latest song called Fiddler Off the Roof w/Komrade K & Caroline

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1764 days ago (January 27th, 2005)
	For folk's sake! 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. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Peter Greenstone

Peter Greenstone said 1765 days ago (January 26th, 2005)

you found them
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.

Check out my latest song called From Nothing

Rebsie

Rebsie said 1764 days ago (January 27th, 2005)

you found them
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...

Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

aclarke	aclarke said 1764 days ago (January 27th, 2005)
	Much Better Now we can hear your pretty voice much better! Lovely song. Pacing of the song seems appropriate considering the subject matter. Well Done! Check out my latest song called Ballad of The Little Tiki

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1764 days ago (January 27th, 2005)
	Much Better 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. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Truth42	Truth42 said 1764 days ago (January 27th, 2005)
	Hey, good voice! 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! Check out my latest song called Hide And Seek

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1764 days ago (January 27th, 2005)
	Hey, good voice! Well, what a compliment, thank you. I have more songs in the pipeline... Thanks for listening. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Suzanne	Suzanne said 1763 days ago (January 28th, 2005)
	channeling perfection excellent. perfect. ethereal. like spirits singing. you channel these songs beautifully. Check out my latest song called Rock The Baby With Voodoo (w/Tobin)

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1763 days ago (January 28th, 2005)
	channeling perfection 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. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Archy	Archy said 1763 days ago (January 28th, 2005)
	Nicely done 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 Check out my latest song called Vines

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1763 days ago (January 28th, 2005)
	Nicely done 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. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

	said 1762 days ago (January 29th, 2005)
	Wonderful Performance and Production 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? :)

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1762 days ago (January 29th, 2005)
	Wonderful Performance and Production 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! Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Syncopatient	Syncopatient said 1762 days ago (January 29th, 2005)
	I'm floating through the dense fog of Ireland. Rebsie, you captured it. Wonderfully written performed and produced. This is a cool track. Very nice work. Check out my latest song called Jazz Praise

Syncopatient	Syncopatient said 1762 days ago (January 29th, 2005)
	I'm floating through the dense fog of Ireland. Rebsie, you captured it. Wonderfully written performed and produced. This is a cool track. Very nice work. Check out my latest song called Jazz Praise

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1762 days ago (January 29th, 2005)
	I'm floating through the dense fog I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Thanks very much for your lovely comments. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

said 1762 days ago (January 29th, 2005)

Gossamer resonance
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...

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1762 days ago (January 29th, 2005)
	Gossamer resonance 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. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Cameron

Cameron said 1761 days ago (January 30th, 2005)

Enya-esque
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!

Check out my latest song called EPONYM

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1761 days ago (January 30th, 2005)
	Enya-esque 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... Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

TobinMueller	TobinMueller said 1761 days ago (January 30th, 2005)
	crystalline and intimate 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. Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1761 days ago (January 30th, 2005)
	crystalline and intimate 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! Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

	said 1761 days ago (January 30th, 2005)
	Excellent 4 x 10

	said 1760 days ago (January 31st, 2005)
	Excellent 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!

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1760 days ago (January 31st, 2005)
	Excellent 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. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

oldlibmike	oldlibmike said 1761 days ago (January 30th, 2005)
	Very nice! 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. Check out my latest song called Lama du jour

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1760 days ago (January 31st, 2005)
	Very nice! 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 ... Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

	said 1760 days ago (January 31st, 2005)
	Thanks for ... sharing this wonderful Celtic song. Beautiful. Jack

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1746 days ago (February 14th, 2005)
	Thanks for ... Thanks Jack! Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

mulletsrock	mulletsrock said 1758 days ago (February 2nd, 2005)
	Like clear air Such a wonderful rendering. Accomplished. Check out my latest song called Frankenfun II (with iGStudio, Tobin, Suz...)

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1746 days ago (February 14th, 2005)
	Like clear air I do appreciate your comments ... thanks! Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Joanna	Joanna said 1753 days ago (February 7th, 2005)
	So beautiful 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. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1746 days ago (February 14th, 2005)
	So beautiful That's a lovely thing to say, thank you so much Joanna! I'm very chuffed by that. More songs on the way ... Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

cjorgensen

cjorgensen said 1749 days ago (February 11th, 2005)

creepy
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.

Check out my latest song called Gardens

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1746 days ago (February 14th, 2005)
	creepy 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! Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

thetiler	thetiler said 1742 days ago (February 18th, 2005)
	Nice tune :) Your voice goes very well with the drone type sound. Nice harmonizations in the backround. Check out my latest song called I't Been A While

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1730 days ago (March 2nd, 2005)
	Nice tune :) Thank you! I'm honoured to be on your favourites list too! Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Philos60	Philos60 said 1727 days ago (March 5th, 2005)
	Peace & Love With your subtle voice and calm music you mediates peace and love impressively! Regards Volker aka Philos60 Check out my latest song called GOTHIC STATEMENT OF BELIEF

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1717 days ago (March 15th, 2005)
	Peace & Love Thanks very much for visiting and commenting. It's appreciated! Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

fairy beth	fairy beth said 1723 days ago (March 9th, 2005)
	L.O.T.R 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. Check out my latest song called Message No.1 - David Gwynne

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1717 days ago (March 15th, 2005)
	L.O.T.R That's a nice compliment, thanks! Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Heidi_E	Heidi_E said 1702 days ago (March 30th, 2005)
	great song! 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!! Check out my latest song called 'More than Enough'

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1672 days ago (April 29th, 2005)
	great song! Thanks very much for listening. I look forward to hearing your singing when you post it. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

baki

baki said 1673 days ago (April 29th, 2005)

one of my favorite songs ever
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.

Check out my latest song called On the Other Side

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1672 days ago (April 29th, 2005)
	one of my favorite songs ever 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. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

stevel	stevel said 1662 days ago (May 10th, 2005)
	Great song of course 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 Check out my latest song called Electricity

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1661 days ago (May 10th, 2005)
	Great song of course 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! Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

jiguma	jiguma said 1657 days ago (May 15th, 2005)
	What can I say? 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 Check out my latest song called Lost In Translation (w Mike Watkins)

Rebsie

Rebsie said 1656 days ago (May 15th, 2005)

What can I say?
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!

Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

dwwave	dwwave said 1579 days ago (July 31st, 2005)
	Enjoyed the Celtic Myth and vey fascinating, Well sung and recording history. Check out my latest song called One Half Person

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1555 days ago (August 24th, 2005)
	Enjoyed the Celtic Myth and Thanks David! Nice of you to drop by and take a listen. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Komrade K	Komrade K said 1556 days ago (August 23rd, 2005)
	Amazing 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 Check out my latest song called Ye Mariners All

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1555 days ago (August 24th, 2005)
	Amazing 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. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

screamalexz	screamalexz said 1416 days ago (January 10th, 2006)
	lovely 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. Check out my latest song called Die (Album Version)

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1352 days ago (March 15th, 2006)
	lovely 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> Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

ThroughRivers	ThroughRivers said 1354 days ago (March 13th, 2006)
	dra�ochta �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 sc�th�n s�il charad Check out my latest song called No Time

Rebsie

Rebsie said 1352 days ago (March 15th, 2006)

dra�ochta
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>

Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Sandra Jensen	Sandra Jensen said 992 days ago (March 10th, 2007)
	wonderful 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!

Rebsie	Rebsie said 992 days ago (March 10th, 2007)
	Welcome to MacJams 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. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Boris the Bull	Boris the Bull said 987 days ago (March 15th, 2007)
	thoughts from the bull... 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!! Check out my latest song called What You'd Be Like

Doug Somers	Doug Somers said 793 days ago (September 25th, 2007)
	Another vocal jewel! So very beautiful....compares favourably with one of my favourite renditions by Loreena McKennitt. Thanks, Doug Check out my latest song called Desiree (MJ Space Race 2009)

MacFerret	MacFerret said 728 days ago (November 29th, 2007)
	Haunting and beautiful The intelligent backing allows your voice to fill the space of the song perfectly. I love this. Check out my latest song called Ordinary Air

Rebsie	Rebsie said 728 days ago (November 29th, 2007)
	Thanks 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! Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

	kateady1 said 418 days ago (October 4th, 2008)
	she moved through the fair 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?

LunaTrick	LunaTrick said 183 days ago (May 27th, 2009)
	This one.. Sets my orchestral heart purring... but the spaces that hold your voice have their own ephemera. I am haunted by the lines... Last night she came to me, my dead love came in So softly she came, her feet made no din Check out my latest song called Luna Gypsy Heart II (Eternal Firelight)

Rebsie	Rebsie said 183 days ago (May 27th, 2009)
	This song has always been my pièce de résistance ... remind me to sing it for you one day. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

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Artist Info

Name: Rebsie Fairholm

NEW ALBUM "SEVEN STAR GREEN" NOW AVAILABLE! I'm a singer and musician (12-string guitar, celtic harp, etc) rooted in British traditional music and veering off into the psychedelic, dark, experimental and unusual. I'm very blessed to have... [see more]

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