submissions

Great Big Sea – England Lyrics

16 years ago

I think what Sean McCann achieved with this song was probably what he has been aiming for since he started writing music: to write a piece that has a great lyrical and musical flow and sounds like it belongs in the canon of traditional Newfoundland music. I love the way this piece builds up as it goes, with increased harmonies and instrumentation . . . I just love this song, I think it might be the best Great Big Sea song out there (and that's saying something!).

submissions

Great Big Sea – Sally Ann Lyrics	17 years ago
I think I read somewhere that the Sally Ann in the song was Alan Doyle's young niece, and this was a cute song dedicated to her. She commands everyone's attention and love, and it gives that last line "she's got me crawling on the floor" a literal interpretation.

submissions

Hey Rosetta – swing the cellar door Lyrics

17 years ago

I'm surprised hardly anyone has commented on any of Hey Rosetta's music - it's got a great sound and the tunes are ell written. I really like this song, because I think he conveys the exact thing that, in the song, he claims to be incapable of: expressing himself in a meaningful way. The situation seems to be that someone he cares about is leaving, but he can't let him/her truly know how he feels, because all he can give is "useless imagistic bullshit." This might also be a criticism of music that are overly poetic but that no one can understand and appreciate because they're too flowery. Of course, I could be completely off the mark here. I really like the title of this song too; J.R.R. Tolkien once said that 'Cellar Door' was the most beautiful sounding phrase in the English language, and so I think the title sums up the song perfectly: it sounds great, but it doesn't mean anything.

submissions

Stan Rogers – The Idiot Lyrics	18 years ago
So many people are faced with this dilemma: having to leave their homes in Eastern Canada to live in a factory-town in Alberta. This song is as true today (maybe even more so) than it was when Stan wrote it.

submissions

Stan Rogers – The Mary Ellen Carter Lyrics	18 years ago
I can't believe no one's commented on this song! This is definitely one of Stan's best-known songs, and for great reason: he takes the story of recovering a destroyed ship into a metaphor for overcoming challenges and adversity by believing in your own worth and, no matter what life throws at you, rising again.

submissions

Great Big Sea – Something To It Lyrics	18 years ago
This song came out very early in Great Big Sea's career and I always assumed it was about how they were selling records and making fans and not quite knowing how to feel about it/ what to do, and how fame was already affecting those they loved. I don't know, but that's what I thought about it.

submissions

Great Big Sea – Nothing Out Of Nothing Lyrics

18 years ago

Such a powerful song, with a couple of borrowed lyrics from a song Sean and Bob used to do with Rankin Street. This song is addressing the devastating truth that so many young men and women have to leave the small towns and even the cities of Newfoundland to find work in other parts of Canada and the world, leaving all their friends and family members behind just so that they can survive, because there's so little available here.

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