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Celia of the Seals Lyrics
Should you wander this land to the North,
And few seldom do,
Should you follow the song of the gull
To enchanted western isles,
Coax a fisherman to take you out
Where the silky seals are seen,
Hear the stories that they tell about
The maiden who is their queen,
The maiden who is their queen.
Celia of the seals,
She knows just how they feel,
Celia of the seals.
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
Seal hunters are not brave and bold,
They murder her poor wee seals
And cut off their skins to be sold,
Cursed be he who deals.
There's no reason for this slaughtering,
They're left on the rocks to bleed
He's not a man who does this thing,
It's a cruel and a heartless deed,
A cruel and a-heartless deed.
Celia of the seals,
She knows just how they feel,
Celia of the seals.
Celia of the seals,
Celia of the seals,
She knows just how they feel,
Celia of the seals,
Celia of the seals,
Celia of the seals,
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay
And few seldom do,
Should you follow the song of the gull
To enchanted western isles,
Coax a fisherman to take you out
Where the silky seals are seen,
Hear the stories that they tell about
The maiden who is their queen,
The maiden who is their queen.
She knows just how they feel,
Celia of the seals.
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
They murder her poor wee seals
And cut off their skins to be sold,
Cursed be he who deals.
There's no reason for this slaughtering,
They're left on the rocks to bleed
He's not a man who does this thing,
It's a cruel and a heartless deed,
A cruel and a-heartless deed.
She knows just how they feel,
Celia of the seals.
Celia of the seals,
She knows just how they feel,
Celia of the seals,
Celia of the seals,
Celia of the seals,
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
"Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay
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This song is about Celia Hammond, a model who took a stand against animal cruelty (particularly the seal hunts) She also opened several clinics for neutering pets.
"Silky" (in line 6) is an unusual adjective to apply to a seal. But it is a pun on selkie, a mythological creature that can take the shape of either a seal or a human. (Watch Song of the Sea for a great selkie story.) Hence "enchanted" in line 4 and the notion that Celia Hammond is their queen.
"Voyna" in the chorus is Russian for "war," but in this context, specifically "war-torn." "Vay" is "way."
[Edit: typo]