Origin: Steal Away (Phil Coulter? trad?)

Subject: Re: Steal Away
From:
Date: 16 Aug 99 - 08:10 AM

I am trying to establish the origins of a song titled "Steal Away". I have two separate recordings of the song, one (by The Fureys) attributing the song to Phil Coulter, the other (by The Blarney Lads) suggesting that the song is traditional. If anyone knows who really does hold the copyright, or whether it is actually traditional and in the public domain, please let me know. It would be greatly appreciated. To help you out, here's the first verse: "Steal away, let's steal away, No reason left to stay, For me and you, let's start anew And darling steal away..."

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: alison
Date: 16 Aug 99 - 11:50 AM

Hi,

Here's and earlier thread Steal away

there isn't much more info though..

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: COINWOLF
Date: 05 Jan 03 - 02:49 PM

The Fureys & Davey Arthur Song has Steal Away written by Phil Coulter

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: Big Tim
Date: 05 Jan 03 - 02:55 PM

Can anyone tell me what the Phil Coulter song is about? I listened to the lyrics and watched the Fureys' video and still can't figure it.

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: nutty
Date: 05 Jan 03 - 06:42 PM

What is it about the song that you don't understand Tim???

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: SussexCarole
Date: 05 Jan 03 - 07:19 PM

Recorded in 1925 by my favourite singer Paul Robson - on LP Songs of My People - no note of origin

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: SussexCarole
Date: 05 Jan 03 - 07:22 PM

Re previous - seems I'm not talking about the same song - sorry!!

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: GUEST,Pat Cooksey.
Date: 06 Jan 03 - 05:34 AM

Written by Phil Coulter, about a young couple seeking a better
life away from the troubles in northern Ireland.

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: banjomad (inactive)
Date: 06 Jan 03 - 06:26 AM

Phil Coulter said that it came in a dream about getting away from everything.
Dave

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: Big Tim
Date: 06 Jan 03 - 03:12 PM

What I can't figure, Nutty, is WHO (an individual, a couple, a family, some political or military grouping?) is stealing away from WHOM, WHEN (in the Irish context - 1798, 1969, etc) and WHY (war, natural disaster, famine, poverty, divorce, martial breakdown - whatever). I find the song enigmatic and would appreciate an explanation or key.

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: nutty
Date: 06 Jan 03 - 04:11 PM

I think you are intended to fill in the gaps for yourself ...... making the song appropriate for any or all.
It's a nice tune - just enjoy it

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: breezy
Date: 06 Jan 03 - 07:11 PM

Tank you Pat.Our Jerry rendered it last evening, we just love the song and do it with great gentleness.
Perhaps Big Tim has a problem, is that why he calls hisself as he does? Who cares, just fill in the bl vacant spaces!

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: Big Tim
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:59 AM

So, nutty, breezy, you don't know what it means either! (This is not a big deal for me: just curious).

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: widowmaker
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 03:49 PM

Hi Big Tim, back from over the water drop me an e-mail. I got to meet Art and had a good chat with him re his songs.

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: breezy
Date: 08 Jan 03 - 02:16 PM

I do, and I refer you to Pat's input for further, definitve clarification on the subject, amen.

Subject: RE: Re: Steal Away
From: Big Tim
Date: 09 Jan 03 - 04:40 AM

Pat's input is at variance with banjomad's, who says his is what Phil Coulter himself said - The Troubles or just modern life in general? (Coulter's "Scorn Not His Simplicity" is a great song: good discussion of it by Coulter himself on the fairly recent RTE ducu about Luke Kelly, who of course practically made the song his own).

Subject: RE: Origin: Steal Away (Phil Coulter? trad?)
From: GUEST,Moonlight
Date: 11 Jun 10 - 12:16 PM

Thanks to whoever began this thead because I have found the lyrics through it.
I am still searching for the SHEET MUSIC of this song with the lyrics included [if poss]. Is the sheet music to this beautiful song available - anywhere?
Are there any SONGBOOKS of the Furries or Davey Arthur

PLUS - secondary search - has anyone any info on the recording of the Furries LIVE in about March 1993 WITHOUT orchestral background. It was played on Folk on 2 Radio 2 BBC - in the mid to late 90's... I did have a tape of the radio programme but it was lost when lent -
I have tried BBC Radio archives but they had nothing to offer.
Has anyone been able to transfer a recording into software which translates sound into musical score notation.. I haven't the means nor the brains to do this.

Subject: RE: Origin: Steal Away (Phil Coulter? trad?)
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 11 Jun 10 - 01:02 PM

I read somewhere that it was about teenage boys deciding to leave Belfast..I don't know the lyrics so I don't know if that even makes sense..but it is a beautiful song. Sad because I have a teenage step great nephew living in uncertain circumstances in Belfast..mg

Subject: RE: Origin: Steal Away (Phil Coulter? trad?)
From: GUEST,it is about two youngsters
Date: 08 Dec 12 - 05:20 AM

leaving the TROUBLES as it was known in BELFAST i think written during the seventies by the great PHIL COULTER another song by him is SCORN NOT HIS SIMPLICITY sung by the late LUKE KELLY

Subject: RE: Origin: Steal Away (Phil Coulter? trad?)
From: GUEST,Desi C
Date: 08 Dec 12 - 07:50 AM

It's definitely by Phil Coulter, who says of it, it could be about any two disaffected youngsters in any major city with poor prospects, deciding to up and away and chase their dreams

Subject: RE: Origin: Steal Away (Phil Coulter? trad?)
From: GUEST,Johninmullion
Date: 08 Dec 12 - 05:57 PM

Hi Moonlight
If you can use ABC follow Aloson's link above and that will give you the music. Otherwise it is in the Furey's songbook.
Hope this helps
John

Subject: RE: Origin: Steal Away (Phil Coulter? trad?)
From: GUEST,John in Mullion
Date: 08 Dec 12 - 05:59 PM

Apologies Alison (#£%*) predictive text
John

Subject: RE: Origin: Steal Away (Phil Coulter? trad?)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 09 Dec 12 - 12:27 PM

I have the Fureys & Davey Arthur songbook (to give it its full title): all it says re Steal Away is:
"Written by Phil Coulter about a dream that he had as a child stealing away in the middle of the night".
My understanding is that it was about getting away from the Troubles in Belfast - or even that it was a young couple, one Catholic, the other Protestant, who had to steal away as their familes would never let them be together - I'm sure I've heard somone introduce it in that way, but maybe that person's own interpretation, and not Phil Coulter's!

Subject: RE: Origin: Steal Away (Phil Coulter? trad?)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 09 Dec 12 - 12:31 PM

Incidentally, as the original poster mentioned copyright, it's given as Professional Music Consultants.

Subject: Lyr Add: STEAL AWAY (Phil Coulter)
From: Genie
Date: 09 Dec 12 - 11:49 PM

For the sake of avoiding confusion, this is the "Steal Away" song being discussed in this thread:


STEAL AWAY

CHORUS: [G]Steal a[D]way, let's [D7]steal a[G]way,
No [C]reason [Am]left to [D]stay[D7]
For [G]me and [D]you, let's st[D7]art a[G]new
And [Am]darling [D]steal a[G]way

Let's steal away and chase our dreams
And hope they'll never find us.
The dreary days, the empty nights,
We'll leave them all behind us.

We'll leave behind our memories,
The gloom and desolation,
The rain, the cold, the growing old,
God knows it's a hard old station.

We'll leave behind the city streets,
And make a new beginning,
We have to chose to win or lose
And it's time we started winning.

X: 1
T:Steal Away
M:3/4
L:1/4
C:P.Coulter/E.Furey
K:G
B2-B/c/|A2z/A/|A/-c/B3/2B/|G2z/G/|E2-E/G/
c2-c/B/|B-A2-|AzB|B2c3|A2z/A/|A/-c2B/|
G2-G/G/|E/-c3/2A|F3/2-E/F|G3-|G2z
% Output from ABC2Win Version 2.1 h on 3/12/99
Regards Baz


There is another "Steal Away" that's in the DT - a Gospel song/spiritual.

There's also a nautical "Steal Away" song written by Mary Benson, with the chorus,
"Steal away, steal away,
Johnny's coming home to stay.
Steal away, steal away,
Never looking back" (IIRC).

Subject: RE: Origin: Steal Away (Phil Coulter? trad?)
From: GUEST,Manyana
Date: 11 May 13 - 09:11 AM

Very nice song,
I think it's true, as someone pointed out above, you can and you're supposed to fill out the blanks yourself.

It sort of reminds me of two songs from across the Pond: "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman and "You Can Sleep While I Drive" by Melissa Etheridge; in a sense that they all are both local and universal, describing a certain period in a lifetime of a country / two people and timeless at the same time.

There's also a version by Celtic Thunder

Regards

Subject: RE: Origin: Steal Away (Phil Coulter? trad?)
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Mar 18 - 06:00 AM

Available in a book of Phils Songs from Four Seasons Music