We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

The Island (song) - Live

from The Grey Coast (Live EP) by Hamish Napier

supported by
d18
d18 thumbnail
/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      £1.50 GBP  or more

     

  • Buy the Full Digital Album

about

'The Island' by Paul Brady

I learned the song from an old mixtape our family were given by a friend in the 80s - it was often played in the car during long journeys in our summer holidays on the West Coast of Scotland and around Ireland. When I sing it, I am a small child in the back seat of a Fiat Regatta, gazing out the window as the coast rolls on and on.

The song is about The Troubles in Ireland - and yearning for a peaceful place.

I recorded this a while back (2016 I think) but I prefer this newer version.

lyrics

The Island (Paul Brady)

They say the skies of Lebanon are burning
Those mighty cedars bleeding in the heat
They’re showing pictures on the television
Women and children dying in the street
And we’re still at it in our own place
Still trying to reach the future through the past
Still trying to carve tomorrow from a tombstone…

Chorus

But Hey! Don’t listen to me!
This wasn’t meant to be no sad song
We’ve heard too much of that before
Right now I only want to be here with you
Till the morning dew comes falling
I want to take you to the island
And trace your footprints in the sand
And in the evening when the sun goes down
We’ll make love to the sound of the ocean

They’re raising banners over by the markets
Whitewashing slogans on the shipyard walls
Witchdoctors praying for a mighty showdown
No way our holy flag is gonna fall
Up here we sacrifice our children
To feed the worn-out dreams of yesterday
And teach them dying will lead us into glory…

Repeat Chorus

Now I know us plain folks don’t see all the story
And I know this peace and love’s just copping out
And I know these young boys dying in the ditches
Is just what being free is all about
And how this twisted wreckage down on main street
Will bring us all together in the end
And we’ll go marching down the road to freedom…
Freedom

Copyright Round Hill Music

credits

from The Grey Coast (Live EP), released August 31, 2023
'The Island' by Paul Brady

Arranged by Hamish Napier

Recorded live by sound engineer Alan 'Dinner' Mackinnon at Gairloch Community Hall, June 2023.

Mixed and Mastered by Andrea Gobbi at Carrier Waves and GloWorm Recording, Glasgow.

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Hamish Napier image

Hamish Napier Grantown On Spey, UK

Hamish is a multi-instrumentalist and composer from the Scottish Highlands.

contact / help

Contact Hamish Napier

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

Hamish Napier recommends:

If you like Hamish Napier, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring interviews with LA music scene pillar Kamasi Washington, and new London-based duo Mrcy.

listen now