Craic agus Ceol - I'll Never Go Back To Sea

Craic agus Ceol (Fun and Music)

 The Irish Gaelic group Craic agus Ceol (which is Irish Gaelic meaning Fun And Music) is aptly named. One of our associates attended one of their shows, and he told us that by t he end of the night they had most of the audience clapping along with their music. Even though this song, I'll Never Go Back To Sea, doesn't have the brightest of lyrics, the group manages to instill in their performance a driving rhythm that makes it at least not so glum. 

The group is presently on tour, and have been playing to sold out crowds. They have a large repertoire of songs, most of them written by the group in different styles of Irish Gaelic folk music and such. The leader of the group is Angus McGrath, and our associate got a chance to talk to him, and he asked him about the controversy of authenticity that surrounds an other one of our artists, Bertrum Magnussen. Here is what he had to say.

I've heard a great deal of music all my life from these parts. Ireland, Scotland, England, on and on. What I've heard of the music Mr. Magnussen says is authentic, I can only say it sounds like it is, even with the few modern things that slip into it. So I pass on saying if it is or isn't authentic. But even if it is, to perform it exactly like it was during its time, way before sound recordings, is jn a very real sense not possible. There's very little written about performance practices at the time, and no matter how much study and research you put into it, you'll only be able to THINK you've given an authentic performance. But that misses the point. It's the music, and how to perform it in OUR time to reach the listener is the important task.  Our group is steeped in the traditions that have been passed down from one generation to another, so we understand the problems. I'll tell you, most of what we perform is our original work written in the style of the older music. We do play some old standard Irish folk songs as well, and we take it as a compliment when someone tells us that is a beautiful old song when it's one of ours. But we always acknowledge tat it is original with us too. We never try to pass off something we've written as a song from long ago!

We are going to try to get more recordings of the group before their tour is over and they head back to Ireland. We don't know how soon they'll be back, and we want to hear more!

I were a tar, for a long, long, time, 

Was told to go to sea when I was young, 

Had no use for people, no one, ya see, 

So hired on a whaler when I were young’un. 

 

 Swabbed the bilge, swabbed the deck, 

swabbed 'til I nearly broke me neck! 

Any filthy job, they saved 'em fer me, 

That was me first experience at sea! 

 

 Well all that muckin' 'bout never helped me none, 

To develop a love of me fellow man. 

The Cap'n of this ship was a mean old bastard, 

Took a rod and smacked me on the hand! 

 

Took a few years to get big enough for better jobs,

 And the Cap'n's abuse, finally stopped. 

He found out I was a right good hand, 

when I was old enough to skitter aloft.

 

 I had me a good set of eyes, 

Could see away, far off. 

So the Cap'n kept me up on the mast, 

Never spent much time not aloft. 

 

 I could see far off spray of a whale, 

I could see the rollin' blowin' storm. 

I grew to be a part of that salty ol' mast, 

Hugged it just like the thing were me Mom. 

 

 One day when I were busy lookin' 

A gust blew me off of me perch.

 Landed hard on the deck, broke lots a bones, 

It robbed me most all I was worth. 

 

 So I lost all me value to the Cap'n. 

Clean the head or nothin' he let me try. 

Begged and pleaded, but it never did work. 

And as it happened, neither did I 

 

So I had to go ashore forever.

 Quit all me life under sail. 

Never to smell the sweet sea air, 

Now me life has gone stale. 

 

So I whittle and carve me some scrimshaw, 

I can still do that with me broken back. 

Sell it when I can to any people I can, 

To the sea...I'll never....go back!