Ride On (from Christy Moore)

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: michaelr
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 07:33 PM

In his autobiography/songbook "One Voice", Christy Moore comments:

"Ride On" has been one of my most popular songs and has been recorded by many singers. Many people wonder what it's about but Jimmy MacCarthy keeps that to himself. All we need to know is what it means to us individually.

I have lived every word and line of this song, sometimes in more ways than one."

For a quite different arrangement from Christy's minimalist take, check out Mary Coughlan's version (from "Under the Influence") which features a blazing, Jimi Hendrix-like uillean pipes solo by Davy Spillane.

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: belfast
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 09:03 AM

I can't really see what difficulty there is about the meaning of this song. Once you've got the bit about the height of horses being measured in hands, and considered the possible ambiguity of the word "lie" , the meaning seems fairly obvious. Jimmy MacCarthy might be able to tell us that it was connected with some event or relationship in his life. This would not change the meaning of the words of the song. At best we would have another set of words telling us what he intended to mean. We bring our own images to it, imagining stories that gave rise to these words. None of this changes the meaning. The words are there, simple words, and they are easy to understand.

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: smuggler
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 07:35 PM

We play this every gig. Its a great song. Poweful when we have the full instruments going. Fiddle, whistle, guitar, melodeon, mandolin, bass and a pile of voices on the chorus.
We have a great time singing it and a lot of people comment on it.
Just sheer enjoyment!!

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: Roughyed
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 06:17 PM

Excellent. I'd missed that. It's even better written than I thought.

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 06:11 PM

"lie" is of course ambiguous, since it could also mean telling a lie.

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: Roughyed
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 06:01 PM

Maybe I am not looking deeply enough but it always seemed to me that the general meaning of the song was plain. It appears to me to be a song of lost love, longing and lust. There has apparently been a physical relationship "I turn to face an empty space, where you used to lie" but this is over and the emotion is like "a claw against my gut". The image of the lady in question riding off on a high horse works on a few levels (I assume that 16.1 or 2 is high)from the metaphorical (getting on your high horse) to the erotic (Lady Godiva where are you) to the actual (saddling up and galloping off). Her former presence is seen as a "spark that lights the night" i.e. her beauty lit up his lonely existence.

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: sweetfire
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 04:22 PM

"16 1 or 2" is simply the height of the horse. 16 being the number of 'hands' and there are 4" to one hand.

I like singing the song but do sometimes feel a little stupid singing the first verse to new crowds...

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: Big Tim
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 03:09 PM

I don't really hate the song but I do think it's somewhat overrated.

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: Leadfingers
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 12:14 PM

Whatever the song is about its great fun to play on whistle.

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 11:47 AM

I've always had a feeling it might be about Shergar.

But essentially it's about longing for someone or something you know you can never have. You're on foot trudging through the mud, and she's up there riding a fine horse, and you can't even aspire to get closer. And she might be a symbol for poetry or freedom orv whatever it is thta is out of reach for you.

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: Dipsodeb
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 11:12 AM

sounds absolutely fantastic when played by Dave K.... followed closely by the Stray Dogs version.

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: GUEST,JB
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 08:23 AM

I have stopped singing this song at gigs simply because I feel like an idiot as the words make absolutely no sense at all. It becomes all the more absurd when a multitude join in the chorus and they don`t know what they are singing about.

Even Christy himself kinda admitted he hadn`t a clue what the song was about.

JB

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: Amergin
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 04:51 AM

i always figured "see you" meant goodbye....as in see you later...

as for what the song is about ...there have been theories about death and dying...the faeries...and who knows what else...

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: zanderfish3 (inactive)
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 04:42 AM

what is this song about anyway.
incidently it was written by Jimmy MacCarthy

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: Strupag
Date: 26 Jul 03 - 07:08 PM

But the real question is: To what does "see you" allude to? Is CU an organisation?

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 26 Jul 03 - 06:07 PM

1 Hand is 4"

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: Big Tim
Date: 26 Jul 03 - 03:02 PM

I hate this song!

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Jul 03 - 02:14 PM

dick seek a horsie man instead

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From:
Date: 04 May 97 - 04:42 PM

Thanx Martin.

I'm no good at horses, but I like Christy Moore.

Bye

Subject: RE: Ride On/Christy Moore
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 30 Apr 97 - 09:24 AM

Hands! Unit of measurement of horses.

Regards

Subject: Ride On/Christy Moore
From:
Date: 30 Apr 97 - 08:48 AM

I know this from Christy Moore's "Ride On" (great song):

True you ride the finest horse I've ever seen, standing 16",1'or 2' with eyes wild and green.

Does anybody know what the hell is "16",1' or 2'"

Thanks in advance.