Low Lie the Fields of Athenry

By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young girl calling
Micheal they are taking you away
For you stole Trevelyn's corn
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.

Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.

By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling
Nothing matters Mary when your free,
Against the Famine and the Crown
I rebelled; they cut me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity.

Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.

By a lonely harbor wall
She watched the last star falling
As that prison ship sailed out against the sky
Sure she'll wait and hope and pray
For her love in Botany Bay
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.


This is one of the most famous Irish folk songs. If you are Irish, you have probably heard it. These heartbreaking lyrics tell the story of a father who steals food to feed his starving children during the famine. For those of you who don't know, the famine wasn't a distaster soley because Ireland's fields failed to produce any food... it was a horrible crime against the Irish. The English would sell Ireland's produce to other countries, leaving almost only potatoes for the Irish to live on. The Irish were not so lucky then, when their main source of sustinence failed to grow in the "black" year of 1847. The song specificially talks about a man who stole corn imported from America to feed his family... and as a result, was sent to Australia, like the other Irish and Scottish criminals of the time. Sadly, these events were somewhat common for this time in Ireland.

There is nothing happy about this song, really, except for the mention of happier past times. However, it always provides me with hope in tough times. On one hand, no matter what you're going through, it's probably not as bad as your husband getting sent to Australia forever after attempting feed your starving baby... which you now have to raise on your own, in a country that is suffering agricultural, economical, and political troubles. Few stories are that sad, and sometimes it makes your problems seem much easier to deal with.

It's more than that though. The characters in this song deal with some tough breaks... and so does everybody. To me, this song kind of represents an "everybody hurts" idea. Although Mary and Michael deal with some rough things, everyone has some, if not many, tough breaks in their lives. It might not be as dramatic, but I know sometime I have situations in my life that seem unsolvable, and will never really be resolved. All you can do is stand back, look at it, and think, "wow, that sucks". Mary and Micheal couldn't do anything about their problems but cope with them, and sometimes you can't either. As much as we'd like to think that there's a solution to every problem, there isn't. Sometimes you just have to let situations go - sometimes it's just a lost cause. No matter how much Mary cries, Micheal isn't coming back. She could sulk about her tough breaks, or she could keep living. She has a child to raise, and she's going to raise it with dignity, despite what she's been through. This isn't giving up hope, or giving in, or taking the easy way out. This is being mature enough to recognize sometimes there just isn't anything you can do.

It's nice to know this is a timeless tale. This is a universal thing - everyone has these problems that seem to suck beyond imagination. Heartbreak, disappointment, loss... it's all part of being human. I like to think that if I saw Mary, she wouldn't tell me to suck it up, because her problems are worse. She'd nod, because she knows what it's like to have something go horribly wrong. So next time you think things are just going terribly for you, well, I'm not going to tell you "things will get better!" or "things could always get worse!" or "look on the bright side!" because sometimes there is no bright side. Just know, that it's something we're all united in - utter disappointment. It's something everyone has experienced. If nothing else positive comes from that, at least it unites us.