Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?

Subject: who wrote
From:
Date: 05 Nov 96 - 11:41 AM

Could anyone please tell me who wrote the song " I am streched on your grave" I know Sinead O Connor recorded it but cant find out who wrote it or when?

Subject: RE: who wrote
From: Colm Doyle
Date: 19 Nov 96 - 03:19 AM

If I remember correctly, Philip King adapted/translated the text from a 17th century Irish poem "Táim shínte ar do h'uaigh". The song is on Scullion's first album from 1979 on the Mulligan label.

Subject: RE: who wrote
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 05 Dec 96 - 05:40 AM

According to Frank Harte - who tends to know about these things, Philip King supplied the air to this translation of an anonymous 17th century poem. No idea who did the translation.

Subject: RE: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Ellen Fish of Australia
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 02:33 AM

Only just discovered this song! On a Kate Rusby album. I think she has made some alterations to the original. It is one of the most beautiful and saddest songs I have ever heard!

Subject: RE: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Ellen again
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 02:39 AM

PS Not that I've heard the original version, but Kate Rusby has altered the melody - not the lyrics.

Subject: RE: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Gera
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 03:58 PM

Well... I am a little late...
That is correct, Philip King has transmitted the lyrics.
Yes, one of the saddest songs, and it has several interpritations and has been remade a lot of times by many bands, and In Gowan Ring, Dead Can Dance and Rakoth are among them.

Subject: RE: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 06:32 PM

I just thought it was some short guy...

Subject: RE: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 07:41 PM

What a powerful pictorial story this song gives. ( I have just heard Kate's vertion but I love it ) .

Subject: RE: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: Peg
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 07:48 PM

Sinead O'Connor seems to be the singer who kind of "popularized" this song...but I don't think hers is the best version.
I didn't think many other people had heard of In Gowan Ring! I have seen them live and know the lead player, B...great music, visionary.

Subject: RE: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: michaelr
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 10:34 PM

Sinead's recording credits King/O'Connor. No mention of oul' trad.

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 11:28 PM

You'll find better information in other, more recent threads dealing with the song: see links at the top of the page. This one was old and forgotten until recently revived. King made the tune, while O'Connor (not Sinead) was responsible for the English language "singing" version. The original text was Gaelic; but all that is in the other threads, so we needn't repeat it here.

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Aug 05 - 11:41 PM

Well this is odd. My grandfather was from the far west of Mayo and sang a version of Táim shínte ar do h'uaigh in Irish. He was quite a reader, and I believe he had a translated version of the song from a Frank O'Connor book. That would be well before the Scullions got ahold of the song. My grandfather's Irish version had a tune very similar to Sinead O'Connor's.

Kevin Brady

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Geoff Lawes
Date: 08 Aug 05 - 02:12 AM

The best recorded version I have heard of this is by Peta Webb and Ken Hall who sing it unaccompanied. It`s an electrifying performance. I`m not at home ‚쳌‚"쳌@‚쳌‚'‚…‚"‚…‚Ž‚"쳌@‚쳌‚'쳌@‚h쳌@‚—‚쳌‚•‚Œ‚„ give you the CD title쳌@but I think it is called Clo‚"er Together.Someone in the wonderful world of Mudcat will correct me if I am wrong -the Cd is a diamond.

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: Stewie
Date: 08 Aug 05 - 02:34 AM

Geoff, the CD to which you refer is 'As Close As Can Be' Fellside 2000 - track 9. The attribution there is to 'P.King/F.O'Connor/Trad'.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your gra
From: maeve
Date: 08 Aug 05 - 08:59 AM

"Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Geoff Lawes - PM
Date: 08 Aug 05 - 02:12 AM

The best recorded version I have heard of this is by Peta Webb and Ken Hall who sing it unaccompanied. It`s an electrifying performance...the Cd is a diamond."

Geoff- I'll concur with you there! They're also electrifying in person; insightful, creative, funny, and knowledgable and respectful of traditional material.

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST
Date: 12 May 09 - 07:33 PM

Well Philip got the dosh, Zero to Hero very quickly on the back of the success of Sinead O'Connor's 2nd album

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,franc 91
Date: 16 Jul 16 - 04:09 PM

There's some more information about this song, though it is definitely anonymous, as well as this incredible version sung by Diamuid O Suilleabhan (sorry I don't have fadas on my keyboard) on YouTube (TG Ciaran)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BzMFUo8JU0 - Ta mé sinte ar do thuama

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: Felipa
Date: 17 Jul 16 - 06:18 AM

I tried the link for Diarmuid O Suilleabháín and got the message "this video is unavailable. Sorry about that."

words in Irish and a few translations can be found in the first associated thread in the links at the top ot the page; I didnt go any further to check out the others

I did find other recordings of "Tá mé sínte ar do thuama" on youtube, for instance Mairéad Mhic Dhonncha
(táim = tá mé = I am; in Celtic languages the verb comes before the noun)

I did a search for Diarmuid O Suilleabháin on youtube and got a link that works for me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBzMFUo8JU0

in English, Philip King's group Scullion also a youtube video

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan (n? M?irtIn ? Riain, m'?s mian l
Date: 17 Jul 16 - 07:36 AM

The text of Mairead Mhic Dhonncha's version is given in "Leabhar Mor na nAmhran", together with a brief note on the song and its relation to others.

Regards

p.s. I no longer have the patience to but in the accents in bulletproof form...

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 17 Jul 16 - 05:06 PM

See wot I mean, like?

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 18 Jul 16 - 12:12 PM

í ó á é

Martin, don't you get your fadas right when using Ctrl+Alt+the required letter?

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 18 Jul 16 - 03:08 PM

I'm on Mac these days. I WAS getting such - but when I try it now I get query symbols on "Preview".

Maybe I'm just a born pessimist - let's try again

á é í ó ú

Regards

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 18 Jul 16 - 03:09 PM

Still garbled on my machine...

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jul 16 - 06:52 PM

Use the html version.

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Jul 16 - 07:23 PM

I second that suggestion, Martin Ryan; I rely on html code every time. It is tedious with many keystrokes, but it has never failed me yet.

Without a doubt, other threads on the topic have spelled out the conundrum of the question; repetition it may be, but I will feel easier in my conscience by an obvious response to the title question.

That is, the specific question, Who wrote the English translation which is sung to this traditional Irish tune?

And here is the dilemma: an O'Connor performed the recording that made the tune notorious; and an O'Connor wrote the English words. Naturally, they are two different O'Connors. So there is some validity to credits, in copyrighted published music, which mentions "O'Connor" without telling you which O'Connor it is!

Obviously Sinead O'Connor performed, and did not write, the English words. But it gets confusing to people because the translator's name, Frank O'Connor, is too similar to the performer's.

In one of my "after the Irish" volumes of English translation at home, possibly An Duanaire or possibly Gregory Stephens, I know the Frank O'Connor English version is presented. I will go look it up (not at home presently) and will report back to this thread in a future post.

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 19 Jul 16 - 05:03 AM

Soon the air/s:

My understanding, as stated twenty years ago, is that Philip King composed the air currently used for the English language version. Note that the wonderful Diarmuid O Suilleabhain used a quite different air for the Irish language version linked above - it sounds familiar but I can't place it yet.

Regards

p.s. I taught basic HTML many years ago - but hoped not to have to dredge up the remains again...

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 19 Jul 16 - 06:19 AM

No idea what happened the first line of that last post...

Regards

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 19 Jul 16 - 07:07 AM

The Diarmuid Ó Súilleabháin version is absolutely lovely.

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,John Moulden
Date: 19 Jul 16 - 07:34 AM

Forgive my stating the obvious but, while Sinéad O'Connor popularised the song constructed by Philip King, the translation he used was by Frank O'Connor. Hence Peta Webb and Ken Hall's attribution (above).

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 19 Jul 16 - 07:53 AM

From : A Frank O'Connor reader

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 19 Jul 16 - 02:07 PM

Thank you Peter!

Subject: RE: Origins: who wrote 'I am stretched on your grave'?
From: GUEST,Ciara
Date: 01 May 18 - 02:55 PM

Frank o connor translated it from an irish eighteenth century poem "táim sínte ar do thuama" in a publication "the little monasteries". Philip king found the poem and pout a tune to it- this is the tune Sinead o connor used.she I'd allegedly Frank o connor grand daughter!

Diarmaid O Suilleabháin sings an irish version...not sure if he composed the site