Songs by Shay Healy

Subject: Songs by Shay Healy
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 May 13 - 08:08 PM

On May 17, I received an e-mail from Shay Healy, clarifying the fact that he is the author of several songs that have been posted at Mudcat. I've had a wonderful time since then, studying his songs and correcting the lyrics that have been posted here. I crosslinked the threads containing his songs - you'll find the crosslinks at the top of this page.
Thanks for all these wonderful songs, Shay!
-Joe Offer-

Here's his e-mail:

Yo Joe.

My name is Shay Healy and serendipitously I have found several of my songs on Mudcat,over which there has been some debate in the past.

Autumn Has Come was recorded by Paddy Reilly, The Emmet Spiceland and Johnny McEvoy and it was written entirely by me There was a ashrt debate about the authorship back about 2008.

Come Up The Stairs has been regarded as a traditional song, but again, I wrote it to the tune of a song my mother used to sing, as Gaeilge, "Taim In Arrears"

Other songs that are liable to pop up at some stage are

1. Tarry Flynn, written to the air of An Fallagin Muineach(The Munster Cloak))

2. If You Could Wait, recorded by Danny Doyle, Ann Sands. Words and music original

3..The Town Is Not Their Own, recorded by Finbarr & Eddie Furey, Jim McCann and The Wolfe Tones.

4. Dollymount Strand, a parody of The Sea Around Us, recorded by Paddy Reilly Words by moi.

5.The Fiddler, recorded by The Buskers.

6. A Fairy Story recorded by Robbie O'Connell and The Brodbignagian Bards

I know that several of them have been recorded by local acts in America and I can go whistle for royalties, but I would like to put the record straight on their authorship.

That's it Joe. Thanks for your time. Tell me what I have to do next and I'll get right on it.

I love the site.

SHAY HEALY

Oisin/ Bardis Music
9 Prince of Wales Terrace,
Ballsbridge,
Dublin 4

Subject: ADD: The Town In Not Their Own
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 May 13 - 08:34 PM

The Fureys recording of this song really moved me. It reminded me of the "Hiring Fair" statue in Letterkenny in County Donegal, and then seeing travellers in front of the Letterkenny cathedral.

Thread #24468   Message #280862
Posted By: Snuffy
19-Aug-00 - 05:05 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Mrs Stein Don't Rent to Gypsies Any More
Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: THe TOWN IS NOT THEIR OWN (Healy)^^

Larry

I hope this one says it better. I couldn't find it in DT or Forum, but it IMHO ought to be there.

THE TOWN IS NOT THEIR OWN
(Shay Healy)

In a cloud of dust they roam,
Covered wagons down a country road,
Happy people laugh and sing
Or hear the bell of freedom rings awhile
And the countryside is their own.

Now the town it's drawing near
Parent's eyes begin to shift with fear
While their children still play on
Not knowing they can never settle down
And make the town their own.

Round the camp the fires are hot
Hungry children gather round the pot
But some will go to bed tonight
Without a bite of food or heat or light
'Cos the town is not their own.

And at the dawning of the day
People come and tell us "Go away
We don't want you likes here
You bring dirt, disease and to our children fear
Come on, get out, this town's not your own."

So once more we're on the run
Out to face the cruel winter sun
O land of saints and scholars, we
Have lost our precious gift of charity
And don't recognise our own.

Sung by Finbar and Eddie Furey.
The tune is very close to Ian Campbell's "The Sun is Burning In the Sky", but which came first?

MIDI file: TOWNNOT.MID

Timebase: 480

Tempo: 160 (375000 microsec/crotchet)
Key: F
TimeSig: 4/4 48 8
Name: This Town is Not Your Own
Text: C:Shay Healey
Start
0000 1 60 127 0479 0 60 000 0001 1 62 090 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 65 127 1439 0 65 000 0001 1 69 090 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 67 127 1439 0 67 000 0001 1 69 090 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 67 127 2879 0 67 000 0001 1 69 090 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 72 090 0479 0 72 000 0001 1 77 127 0639 0 77 000 0001 1 79 090 0319 0 79 000 0001 1 77 090 0479 0 77 000 0001 1 76 090 0479 0 76 000 0001 1 72 127 1439 0 72 000 0001 1 70 090 0479 0 70 000 0001 1 72 127 2879 0 72 000 0001 1 74 090 0479 0 74 000 0001 1 76 090 0479 0 76 000 0001 1 77 127 0639 0 77 000 0001 1 79 090 0319 0 79 000 0001 1 77 090 0479 0 77 000 0001 1 76 090 0479 0 76 000 0001 1 72 127 1439 0 72 000 0001 1 70 090 0479 0 70 000 0001 1 69 127 0639 0 69 000 0001 1 70 090 0319 0 70 000 0001 1 72 090 0479 0 72 000 0001 1 69 090 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 70 127 0479 0 70 000 0001 1 69 090 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 67 127 2879 0 67 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 69 127 1439 0 69 000 0001 1 69 090 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 67 127 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 65 090 0959 0 65 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 65 127 1919 0 65 000 0001 1 67 127 0079 0 67 000 0001 1 65 090 0079 0 65 000 0001 1 67 090 0079 0 67 000 0001 1 65 090 0719 0 65 000
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:This Town is Not Your Own
M:4/4
L:1/4
Q:90
C:Shay Healey
S:Finbar & Eddie Furey
K:F
CD|
F3A|G3A|G4-|G2Ac|
f>gfe|c3B|c4-|c2de|
f>gfe|c3B|A>BcA|BAGF|G4-|G2FG|
A3A|(GF2)F|(F4-|{GFG}F2)||


Wassail! V
^^
Note from Joe Offer (27 May 2013): I have received an e-mail from Shay Healy, confirming that he wrote this song. The true name of the song is "THE TOWN IS NOT THEIR OWN," and it was recorded by Finbar & Eddie Furey, Jim McCann, and The Wolfe Tones. The song was written entirely by Shay Healy, Contact information: Shay Healy, Oisin/ Bardis Music
9 Prince of Wales Terrace,
Ballsbridge,
Dublin 4

Subject: RE: Songs by Shay Healy
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 May 13 - 09:25 PM

I couldn't find "The Fiddler." We have a song with that title in the Digital Tradition (There's nothing so quiet as a night without music), but we're quite sure that one was written by Charlie Moore.
Shay, might you like to post the lyrics to the songs we're missing?
-Joe-

Subject: ADD: If You Could Wait (Shay Healy)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 May 13 - 09:39 PM

Here's "If You Could Wait," sometimes known as "If You Could Only Wait," transcribed from the recording by Danny Doyle & Music Box.

IF YOU WOULD WAIT
(Shay Healy)

If you could wait a moment longer,
The sun would rise before the morn.
The shadows from the skies would vanish,
And the day be twice as long.
Every minute be an hour,
Every hour a loving kiss,
Every kiss a fresh spring flower,
Sparkling in the morning mist.

If you were here again beside me,
The running waters I would hold.
And turn their flow to you, my lover,
To wash your feet, your hair of gold.
Every drop a silver crystal,
Every crystal all aglow,
Every glow a breath of beauty,
From your skin like dimple (?) snow.

But since you've gone, the light has faded,
Birds are silent in the wood.
The grass still trampled in a hollow,
Marks the spot on which you stood.
Every tree a sad reminder,
Every branch a memory bare (?),
Every memory tinged with sorrow
That you are gone and I still care.

---

Here is a somewhat flawed YouTube Recording. It will give you an idea what this song sounds like.

Subject: RE: Songs by Shay Healy If You Could Wait
From: maeve
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 01:45 PM

Joe, I think it's "From your skin like dimpled snow" and "Every branch a memory bare" (as posted).

Jean Redpath sings this at the beginning of this recent tribute Youtube offering Jean Redpath , and I found it sung by Anne Sands- lovely http://annesands.bandcamp.com/track/if-you-could-wait-a-moment-longer

I missed this when you posted- must have been the right time for me to find it now. Thanks.