Wedding songs

Subject: Wedding songs
From: GUEST,Camilla
Date: 18 Jun 04 - 08:25 AM

Hello everyone:)

A friend of mine has asked me to sing in her wedding in August, and I would really appreciate any suggestions for beautiful celtic/traditional wedding songs! As I'm going to sing in the church the song must be serious and suit for the altar.

Thank you very much in advance!

Camilla

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 18 Jun 04 - 08:52 AM

'Sweet Jayne' from the singing of Lisa Null:

Oh, come, sweet Jayne, for I must go. Come closer to me.
My trunk is stowed on Johnson's boat with all his company.

I heard a loud black thunder roar out of some cannon's mouth.
I would be welcome safe at home in my sweet sunny south.

I laboured hard for seven years working for my wealth.
I lived on bread and salty meat and never lost my health.

I heard a loud black thunder roar out of some ship on board.
I spied sweet Jayne in all her curls come stepping to the shore.

I led her through the marbled halls in through her father's door.
A gay young crowd was standing around, standing on the floor.

The parson read the marriage vows: wed as one soul for life.
Now Jayne, you are mine without a doubt, a kind and loving wife.

Subject: Lyr Add: WOULD GOD I WERE THE TENDER APPLE BLOSSOM
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 18 Jun 04 - 09:07 AM

To the tune of "Oh Danny Boy"
Would God I were the tender apple blossom
That floats and falls from off the twisted bough,
To lie and faint within your silken bosom,
Within your silken bosom would I now!
    Or would I were a little burnish'd apple
    For you to pluck me, gliding by so cold,
    While sun and shade your robe of lawn will dapple,
    Your robe of lawn my love, your hair of well spun gold.

Yea, would to God I were among the roses
That lean to kiss you as you float between,
While on the lowest branch a bud uncloses,
A bud uncloses there to touch you, queen.
    Nay, since you will not love, would I were growing,
    A happy daisy, in the garden path;
    That so your silver foot might press me going,
    Might press me going all my life e'en unto death.

Be Blessed.

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 18 Jun 04 - 09:12 AM

Don't get maaried girls
you'll sign away your life
you may start off as a woman
but you'll end up as "the wife"

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: GUEST,Cats at work
Date: 18 Jun 04 - 09:26 AM

I have sung 'Searching for Lambs' at quite a few weddings, both in church and at Handfastings. It's a stunningly beautiful song about a girl who goes out in the morning looking for her fathers sheep, meets her true love and returns home to mary him.. Haunting tune. You'll find the dots on the net or I could send you a tape if you PM me at 'Cats'.

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 18 Jun 04 - 12:19 PM

Ah, yes. Leon Rosselson's Don't Get Married Girls

"Then you get him off to work, the mighty hunter is restored
And he leaves you there with nothing but the dreams you can't afford...

"...So don't get married girls, for men are all the same
They just use you when they need you, you'd do better on the game"

If they still take no notice, you could round off the ceremony with:

"Sorry the day I was married and sorry the day I was wed
And it's of if I only had tarried when I to the altar was led..."

Sweet Jayne is really only for the super-optimistic...

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: Maryrrf
Date: 18 Jun 04 - 12:39 PM

How about The Wagoner's Lad

"Oh hard is the fortune
Of all woman kind
She's always controlled
She's always confined.
Controlled by her parents
Until she's a wife
A slave to her husband
The rest of her life...

That ought to satisfy the pessimists! Or you could always sing "The Voyage"....

Heh heh!

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: *#1 PEASANT*
Date: 18 Jun 04 - 12:39 PM

I have written a complete guide to the Traditional Irish Wedding.
You can find everything you need to put together the wedding from scratch. Even a strawboy costume illustration.
One very important section is that concerning music.
I have all of the tunes listed as well as songs with notation!
So....
Go for it! Inexpensive! Lots of folklore of weddings even stories.
And it keeps my work going....
Or at least pushes the debt back a bit :}

Here is the link:
http://www.geocities.com/artcars/iwed2.html

The Best Guide to the Traditional Irish Wedding!

You can purchase it via paypal and I will have it in the mail immediately....
http://www.geocities.com/artcars/paypalprice.html
Get the book via paypal fast!

Good luck finding a song!
If all you had was a polish polka band given my book they would be soon playing as celtic as any!

Conrad

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: Leadfingers
Date: 18 Jun 04 - 12:56 PM

I always reckon that The Copper Family's 'Wedding Song' takes a lot of beating . It can be found in the D T - Enter come write me down in the search box.

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 18 Jun 04 - 03:25 PM

Leadfingers - yes, and we always say people aren't properly married until they've had the Copper Family's 'Wedding Song' sung to them, but from the point of view of actually singing in church, the Bold Fisherman might be more appropriate?

Kitty

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 18 Jun 04 - 05:13 PM

Bold Fisherman? More like the easiest pull ever...

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: Padre
Date: 18 Jun 04 - 10:07 PM

I will not allow "The Wedding Song" (PP&M) to be performed at any ceremony where I officiate. (In the 1970s, I must have sung it at dozens of weddings, and I still find it vapid)

Padre

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: Zorg
Date: 19 Jun 04 - 12:34 PM

Of course there ia always Spike Jones'. "I Went To Your Wedding"

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Jun 04 - 12:41 PM

Did you check out the thread "Wedding Songs for Haruo" of last year? It had some good and thoughtful suggestions.

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: emjay
Date: 19 Jun 04 - 01:29 PM

I think Morning Has Broken is one of the loveliest and appropriate for a wedding. It's also often in hymnals.

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From:
Date: 20 Jun 04 - 12:28 PM

If you enter "Wedding Songs", you will find a number of threads on the subject spanning several years. They've covered many different song ideas for the topic. Have a look at some of those ideas

If you don't like them, you can ask for more. 8-)

Subject: ADD: Red Is the Rose (for wedding)
From: Cap't Bob
Date: 20 Jun 04 - 08:05 PM

I sang this song for a wedding some time back. The original last verse didn't seem to go to well with a wedding so I took the liberty to change the ending. Think I mentioned this on a pervious thread years ago.

RED IS THE ROSE

CHORUS:
   Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows,
   And fair is the lily of the valley;
   Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne
   But my love is fairer than any.

Come over the hills, my bonny Irish lass
Comer over the hills to your darling;
You choose the rose, love, and I'll make the vow
And I'll be your true love forever.

'Twas down by Killarney's green woods that we strayed
And the moon and the stars they were shining;
The moon shone its rays on her locks of golden hair
And she swore she'd be my love forever.

Oh for the joy on our wedding day,
Walking arm and arm through the heather,
We made the vows that we would never part,
Our love will last for ever.

Cap't Bob

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 21 Jun 04 - 07:47 PM

I have to say I like Noah Paul Stookey's Wedding Song.

That said, my favorite one---which she wrote for a wedding and is now used at weddings and funerals (no humor intended there---it just fits beautifully) is Kate Wolf's Give Yourself To Love. I can never hear that without being greatly moved.


Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: GUEST,Chris
Date: 22 Jun 04 - 08:18 AM

I sang THE CALL AND THE ANSWER by Phil Colclough
at my son's wedding two years ago. The words are
so beautiful and the minister said it was on of the
loveliest songs he had ever heard at a wedding.


You called to me and I came running
Like the wind that blows across the moor
All we need is each other
And like the eagles we will soar

Chorus
You are the call and I am the answer
You are the wish and I am the way
You the music - I the dancer
You are the night and I am the day
You are the night and I am the day

You and I are like two rivers
Run and fall down to the sea
When we meet we're lost forever
Lost forever, you and me

Lay your head upon my pillow
Let your heart beat close to mine
With no past and no tomorrow
Two hearts lost in space and time

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: Eve Goldberg
Date: 22 Jun 04 - 08:15 PM

Well, I just got married (see the related thread in the BS section), and we used some wonderful songs:

Give Yourself To Love (by Kate Wolf)
Golden (by Ken Whiteley)
From This Day On (by Linda Morrison)
Love Will Linger On (by Peggy Seeger)

Peggy Seeger's song is a wonderful wonderful song and worked perfectly. "Golden" is not a wedding song per se, but sort of a secular gospel song that has a great singalong chorus.

Since we are involved in a community choir, and Linda Morrison is a choral arranger and conductor in addition to being a fantastic songwriter, we asked her to arrange "From This Day On" for choir. We invited anyone who wanted to be part of the wedding choir, and we sent out sheet music and a rehearsal tape to them so they could practice in advance. It's one of the best wedding songs I've ever heard. Here are the words:

FROM THIS DAY ON
By Linda Morrison

Into this place all friends have come
To see two hearts be joined as one
May your love grow day by day
We wish you joy to come your way
We wish you joy to come your way

If there be days the harbour fades
To misty greys and darker shades
Until the clouds will roll away
We wish you light to guide your way
We wish you light to guide your way

And every tree must reckon when
There's a time to be steadfast and a time to bend
Just like a willow can stand or sway
We wish you strength to choose your way
We wish you strength to choose your way

And so your lives together build
That when you drink your cup be filled
With all of the bitter and all of the sweet
From this day on, united be
From this day on, united be

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: GUEST,Bill
Date: 23 Jun 04 - 12:17 AM

I agree with Kate Wolf's "Give Yourself to Love" but would also suggest "All That Is" by Garnet Rogers. It has a great melody, a killer chorus and heartfelt lyrics. It is in the DT but here it is for those too lazy to look it up.

All that is
(Garnet Rogers)

Who can tell when in love you'll finally fall?
Some live in vain and never love at all.
But as lightning strikes or as a small insistent voice,
If we are blessed, we will hear and heed the call.

(Chorus:) Give your love and never count the cost.
Lose your heart and never call it lost.
May your love be a shelter to the ending of your days.
Love is all that is, and all that ever was.

May your love grow strong and always kind.
May your hearts grow forever more entwined.
In the brightest day or in the stillness of the night,
May it be each other's hand you seek and find.

Never more to be alone,
Ever closer you have grown.
Forever now may no distance come between,
And in each other's loving hearts you find a home.

Copyright Garnet Rogers
As sung by Garnet Rogers on "Sparrow's Wing," 1999.

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: GUEST,Andy Hogg
Date: 20 May 05 - 05:29 PM

Has anyone done a tab for All That Is by Garnet Rogers?

Subject: RE: Wedding songs
From: Fiona
Date: 21 May 05 - 08:23 AM

I had Altans 'Donal Agus Morag' (the Wedding of Donal And Morag) played in the registry office at my wedding, it would be fine in a church I would think, it's in Gaelic but I imagine it would translate well.

Fiona