Lyr Req: Grandmother's Eyes (Martin Furey)

Subject: Lyr Req: Grandmother's Eyes
From: Magpie
Date: 17 Oct 99 - 08:10 PM

I've been looking for a song by Martin Furey called GRANDMOTHER'S EYES. It's about (obviously) a grandson telling the story of how his grandmother has seen every loved one leave for America, England or Australia.

Can anyone of you oracles give me the lyrics, please?

Magpie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: grandmother's eyes
From: Stewie
Date: 17 Oct 99 - 08:12 PM

You are possibly looking for Guy Clark's 'Immigrant Eyes' that has undergone some sort of folk process - well, the Fureys turned 'Aragon Mill' into 'Belfast Mill'. Clark's song has the lines 'So don't take for granted say/grandfather's immigrant eyes'. You'll find it on his CD 'Old Friends' Sugar Hill CD 1025.

Subject: req: grandmother's eyes
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Oct 99 - 08:14 PM

Click here for the thread with Guy Clark's "Immigrant Eyes."
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: grandmother's eyes
From: Magpie
Date: 18 Oct 99 - 11:40 AM

Thanks guys, but it isn't "Immigrant Eyes", although it resembles it a bit. It was writtey by Martin Furey, and I suppose if I had any talent at all concerning computers, I'd find it somewhere out there. But alas...

Magpie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: grandmother's eyes
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Oct 08 - 03:14 PM

i also have spent some time searching for this track but to no avail. its a fantastic song but very difficult to track down

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Grandmother's Eyes (Martin Furey)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Oct 08 - 04:00 PM

Can anybody come up with at least a few phrases from the lyrics? It's on a compilation album called Folk 'N' Hell: Fiery New Music From Scotland, which doesn't seem to be available here in the U.S. It's also on another album called FLAXMILL presents: Audrey Darby - tosnu, also on Skirm & Dezi Donnelly, Welcome: Live in Hamburg
I found songs with similar titles by Rock Salt and Nails, also by a group called "John Trubee and the Ugly Janitors of America," but I'm reluctant to buy these tracks without knowing if they're the right ones.

-Joe-

Subject: ADD: Grandmother's Eyes (Martin Furey)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Oct 08 - 06:48 PM

OK, so I'm guessing this is the song by Martin Furey. Much of it is hard to understand, but here's what I came up with:

MY GRANDMOTHER'S EYES
(Martin Furey)

My grandmother called, wearing rosary beads, in a black, braided shawl that she wears;
My brother and sister are leaving today – it's an American wake affair.
She stands by my side, she smiles at her ease, keeping my sister calm;
And in one last embrace, my brother she presses, a silver coin in his palm.

[next part is very rapid and almost unintelligible]
---said she couldn't be, said she couldn't talk, said she couldn't see,
She couldn't walk, she couldn't talk, she couldn't talk to me;
No more down, down upon her knees
She is praying to the God that she believes will help them on their way,
They are leavin'.
They are gone, they are gone, they are gone, they are gone, they are going
To England
To Australia
To Canada
To America

My grandmother's eyes have seen eighty-two years, she's seen all this before.
My grandmother's skin is all wrinkled and old, for she stood so many times outside this door.
She saw her father leave,
She saw her brothers leave,
She saw her lovers leave,
Her daughters, her children, and now she sees me.
I am gone, I am gone, I am gone, I am gone, I am going
To England
To Australia
To Canada
To America
To America

[next part is very rapid and almost unintelligible]
---said she couldn't be, said she couldn't talk, said she couldn't see,
She couldn't walk, she couldn't talk, she couldn't talk to me;
No more down, down upon her knees
She is praying to the God that she believes will help them on their way,
To England
To Australia
To Canada
To America
To England
To Australia
To Canada
To America

My grandmother called, wearing rosary beads, in a black, braided shawl that she wears.




Transcribed by ear from the Rock Salt & Nails CD, More & More


First Question: Is this the Martin Furey song, or did I go to all this work to transcribe the wrong song?

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Grandmother's Eyes (Martin Furey)
From: GUEST,Big Davey
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 05:39 PM

The song "Grand Mother's Eyes" appears on Bohinta's CD, Wishes. (Note - not "Grandmother").

It was written by Martin Furey.

Bohinta are (primarily):

Martin Furey
Aine Furey (his little sister)
Greg Stewart
Roy Marchbank
Robin Hurt

but have always been Martin and whoever was available at the time, often playing as an acoustic trio.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Grandmother's Eyes (Martin Furey)
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 11:26 AM

hey !Hello WORLD!I wrote this song ,it isn't s derivitive of the song aformentioned,never ehard that one.I wrote it about my Granny Nora when I was leaving for the USA the first tim as a teenager to,work in a rpinting company..kerr offset in Boston!I had a blast!Love the USA for fun n frollix...not been to Canad yet but look fwd to it...bteeee...Martin Furey

Subject: CORRECT GRANDMOTHERS EYES LYRICS last one wrong!
From: GUEST,MARTIN FUREY
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 11:48 AM

GRANDMOTHERS EYES
(Martin Furey)

My Grandmother called dressed in rosary beads and a black braided shawl that she wears
My brother and sister are leaving today its an American wake affair
Standing beside me she smiles at her ease, keeping my sister calm
With one last embrace for my brother she presses a silver coin in his palm

"oh Lord!" she says "it couldn't be" says she "couldn't stop?" says she "couldn't see" says she couldn't walk " says she "couldn't talk" says she couldn' talk to me, no more
Down, down upon her knees she is praying to the God who she believes
Can help them on their way,they are leaving
They are gone(5 times)

To England or to Canada or to Australia,or to America

My Grandmother's Eyes have seen 82 years and she's seen all this before
My Grandmother's skin's become wrinkled n old and she has stood many times outside this door
She saw her father leave, she saw her brothers leave, She saw a lover leave her
Hr daughters, her children and no she sees me
I am gone(5 times)
To England or to Canada or to Australia Or to America

They have(or we have) gone to a land where a tall man can stand, where the gold in his hand is his own

To England, or to Canada, or to Australia, or to America

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Grandmother's Eyes (Martin Furey)
From: GUEST,Magpie
Date: 12 Mar 10 - 03:06 AM

Boy, this took a while!

Thanks, Martin.
I've searched for the lyrics to this song from time to time ever since I heard Skirm sing it in Oslo years and years ago, and now finally it is here! And by the writer himself. I'm well pleased.

So now I'd better whip up my guitar and see if I can make anything hapen.

Thanks again

Magpie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Grandmother's Eyes (Martin Furey)
From: GUEST,Jiggylicious
Date: 12 Jan 11 - 10:43 PM

Happened upon this song a few months ago. So beautiful, as are all of Martin's songs. But this one is especially depressing to listen to ... Makes me cry.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Grandmother's Eyes (Martin Furey)
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Aug 20 - 01:19 AM

As a father-son interview in the Irish Independent from 2008 makes clear,

the generations of Fureys are:
Ted Furey and the Grandmother in question, Ted's wife Nora.

Ted and Nora's sons
Finbar, Eddie, Paul, and George, The Fureys.

Finbar, with his wife Sheila, parented these children:
Martin, Aine, Robert, Katriona,
and their youngest, Finbar,
referred to by Finbar Senior as 'Plan B'. (see interview)

Martin and his wife Jane raised their family in Kilkenny:
Hannah and Culan (as of 2008).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Grandmother's Eyes (Martin Furey)
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 03 Sep 20 - 11:09 AM

After saying goodbye to The High Kings, with whom he sang for ten years,
Martin Furey wrote some more songs and made at least one more album.

And it is worth noting that,
having commemorated his grandmother Nora in
Grand Mother's Eyes,
Furey commemorated his grandfather the fiddler
with an entire album titled Ted,
after Ted Furey.