I messaged him ages ago asking for a copy of the lyrics and he replied within the hour. Top man!
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I’m still hoping to find something else to rival Sebona Fi in welsh and I haven’t found it yet. This is the only song in welsh that I have found, where my daughter knows the words and spontaneously jumps up and down every time she hears it. Plenty of good stuff out there that I personally like and I have thought that things by the Candelas and others might get some interest, but they just don’t seem to have that magic ingredient for kids.
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When my daughter was young she used to love to sing Musus Glaw by Cowbois Rhos when it was raining.
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Brilliant - I will give it a go.
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I realise I’m a bit late to this thread but I would like to add the following choices, all of which I find inspired.
“Don’t Let It Bring You Down”, by Neil Young (calculated to really cheer you up if you’re feeling a bit down!!):
Old man lying
by the side of the road
With the lorries rolling by,
Blue moon sinking
from the weight of the load
And the buildings scrape the sky,
Cold wind ripping
down the alley at dawn
And the morning paper flies,
Dead man lying
by the side of the road
With the daylight in his eyes.
Don’t let it bring you down
It’s only castles burning,
Find someone who’s turning
And you will come around.
Blind man running
through the light
of the night
With an answer in his hand,
Come on down
to the river of sight
And you can really understand,
Red lights flashing
through the window
in the rain,
Can you hear the sirens moan?
White cane lying
in a gutter in the lane,
If you’re walking home alone
Don’t let it bring you down
It’s only castles burning,
Just find someone who’s turning
And you will come around.
“Coronach”, by Jethro Tull (like all these lyrics you have to listen to the song to get the full impact):
Grey the mist – cold the dawn;
Cruel the sea and stern the shore.
Brave the man who sets his course
For Albion.
Sweet the rose — sharp the thorn;
Meek the soil and proud the corn.
Blessed the lamb that would be born
Within this green and pleasant land.
Hi-o-ran-I-o
Brown furrow shine
Beneath the rain washed blue.
Bright crystal streams
From eagle mountains born.
Fortune has smiled on those who wake anew,
Within this fortress nature built
To stay the hand of war.
“I’ll Walk Beside You”, a much older song originally sung by John McCormack but since recorded by many artists. My particular favourite is the version by Anthony Newley (who was an early influence on David Bowie); as he sings it - “I’ll walk Beside Yer”. A modern singer recently sang an updated version on a TV show, can’t for the life of me recall who it was now.
I’ll walk beside you through the world today
While dreams and songs and flowers bless your way
I’ll look into your eyes and hold your hand
I’ll walk beside you through the golden land.
I’ll walk beside you through the world tonight
Beneath the starry skies ablaze with light
And in your heart love’s tender words I’ll hide
I’ll walk beside you through the eventide.
I’ll walk beside you through the passing years
Through days of cloud and sunshine, joys and tears
And when the great call comes, the sunset gleams
I’ll walk beside you to the land of dreams.
“All Along The Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix still sends shivers down my spine more than 40 years later - words by Bob Dylan of course. “Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zepp needs no introduction, but it’s absolutely inspired and manages to roll all the world’s myths into one. If I have to pick a Welsh song, then it has to be “Dafydd y Garreg Wen”: words and music sum up all that is best about Wales.
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Not sure how to link on my phone but…
Casey Chambers has a wonderfully distinctive voice. I would recommend either ‘The Captain’ or ‘The Flower’.
But… Paul Kelly - ‘they got married early, never had no money, then when he got laid off, they really hit the skids.’
It is ‘to her door’ and is about young love that hits hard times and after a time apart they reunite.
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and this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5zuR2FXDQ4
@toffidil this was very popular in the summer for the Euros.
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An enchanting song in Catalan. “And this loneliness that keeps me company, greedily faithful, among the crowd”…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHYoP62aB_o
Tan fonda, amiga meva, tan estranya
la distància de mar i continent!
I tan alta i tan freda la muntanya
que ha de sobrevolar el meu sentiment!
I aquesta soledat que m’acompanya,
avarament fidel, entre la gent!
Si ets en mon somni tan present, tan clara
que percebo la fressa del trepig,
que sento el teu alè en la meva cara
i el sabor de tants besos entremig,
¿com és possible que l’absència encara
no hagi cedit, vençuda pel desig?
No pas com l’escultor que espera glòria
ans com l’amant que només pensa amor,
he refet en una obra transitòria
la teva imatge amb afanyós rigor
damunt el marbre dolç de la memòria
i amb el cisell blaníssim de l’enyor.
I així tu ets meva en la presó secreta
d’on mai ningú no trobarà el camí,
i de nit, com qui fa una malifeta,
que ni l’àngel mateix no em pot sentir,
arriba fins a tu, a la quieta
i en pensament, allò més pur de mi.
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Oooh it’s gone rather quiet here… Where are all you music lovers?
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On a previous note, here’s something to compare. Then you decide by yourself who wrote something. The thingy I’ve known (Simon & Garfunkel one) is prety old, Nana’s must be translation and Tsunami??? I’m not sure what to think. All in all, I love that song too.
.
The melody is quite similar just the rhythm is (a bit) different.
But here’s more original (I believe) then Nana Mouskouri’s This sounds more like both ones.
Now compare by yourself. There should be kind of connection inbetween thos two songs though.
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Coming late to the party, but in my defence, I hadn’t even heard of SSiW when this thread was last active 
How about this – something that always used to cheer me up! I always felt that “I don’t care what you think and I hope that you approve,” might make a good slogan or motto or something.
T Bone Burnett – Shut It Tight
I find it hard sometimes to say the way that I feel
I do the very things I hate to do
I act like a child and I’m afraid of what is real
And so I try to cover up the truth
I stumble like a drunk along this crazy path I walk
I have a hundred thousand questions too
I’ll go to any length to prove that nothing is my fault
Then later on I will deny the proof
I don’t like to win but then again I hate to lose
And in between is something I can’t stand
I don’t care what you think and I hope that you approve
I am just an ordinary man
Sometimes I want to stop and crawl back into the womb
And sometimes I cannot tell wrong from right
But I ain’t gonna quit until I’m laid in my tomb
And even then they better shut it tight!
Lyrics – so far as I know – © T Bone Burnett
(And for those apologising for very Christian posts further up the thread, compare St Paul, Romans 7:19 – “Canys nid wyf yn gwneuthur y peth da yr wyf yn ei ewyllysio; ond y drwg yr hwn nid wyf yn ei ewyllysio, hynny yr wyf yn ei wneuthur.” )
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This is one of my all time favourite Welsh songs. It has the ability to send electric shivers down my spine and the lyrics bring a tear to my eye each time I listen to it. It was written by the legendary, talented and versatile Ryan Davies and was quite aptly sung at his funeral. Many artists have since recorded truly beautiful versions of this song, but my favourites will always be the original, sung by Ryan and Ronnie and the version sung by Hogia’r Wyddfa, which I fondly remember listening to as a child.
Here are the lyrics, their translation and a YouTube link to Ryan and Ronnie singing the beautiful Pan Fo’r Nos yn Hir…
Pan fyddo’r nos yn hir
A phell y wawr
Brwydro drwy’r oriau hir
Heb gwsg un awr
Ymladd a throi a throi
Drwy’r oriau maith
Heb weled diwedd ddoe
Na phen i’r daith
Yna drwy’r tywyllwych du
Gwella dy wyneb di
Wrth gofio rhamant
Cau mae’r amrant
Pan fo’r nos yn hir
Ymladd a throi a throi
Drwy’r oriau maith
Heb weled diwedd ddoe
Na phen i’r daith
Yna drwy’r tywyllwych du
Gwella dy wyneb di
Wrth gofio rhamant
Cau mae’r amrant
Pan fo’r nos yn hir
Yna drwy’r tywyllwych du
Gwella dy wyneb di
Ac ofn a gilia
Braw ddiflana
Pan fo’r nos yn hir
…
When the night is long
and the dawn is far away
Battling through the long hours
without an hour’s sleep.
Fighting, tossing and turning
through the great, long hours
Without seeing the close of yesterday
nor the end of my journey.
Then through the black darkness
I see your face
I remember the romance
the eyelid closes
When the night is long.
Then through the black darkness
I see your face
And fear doth retreat,
dread disappears
When the night becomes day.
For those of you who are Pobol y Cwm fans, Ryan Davies’ son Arwyn, plays the rogue character Mark Jones in the series.
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I’m sorry if this has been done before, but I would like to share with you the full lyrics for Hen Wlad fy Nhadau, the Welsh national anthem. The lyrics were written by Evan James in 1856 and the composition by his son James James, though it didn’t some in to frequent use as the anthem till about 1905ish…
(First stanza)
Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;
Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad,
Dros ryddid collasant eu gwaed.
(Chorus)
Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i’m gwlad.
Tra môr yn fur i’r bur hoff bau,
O bydded i’r hen iaith barhau.
(Second stanza)
Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd,
Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn, i’m golwg sydd hardd;
Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si
Ei nentydd, afonydd, i fi.
(Chorus)
(Third stanza)
Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad tan ei droed,
Mae hen iaith y Cymry mor fyw ag erioed,
Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad,
Na thelyn berseiniol fy ngwlad.
(Chorus)
And here’s the translation…
The land of my fathers is dear unto me,
a land where the minstrels are honoured and free,
Its warring defenders, so gallant and brave,
For freedom their life’s blood they gave
country!, country!, faithful I am to my country!
While seas serves as a wall
for this land so pure,
O, may the language endure forever.
O land of the mountains, the bard’s paradise,
Whose precipice, valleys are fair to my eyes,
Green murmuring forest, far echoing flood
Fire the fancy and quicken the blood
For tho’ the fierce foeman has ravaged your realm,
The old speech of Wales he cannot o’erwhelm,
Our passionate poets to silence command,
Nor banish the harp from your strand.
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lovely, just listened to this and gwella dy wyneb dy, sounds like gwela or gwela’i dy wyneb dy. Is this correct - it seems to make more sense as well I think.
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The soundtrack of “Un Bore Mercher” was finally released a few weeks ago, so I was able to listen to the hauntingly good title song a couple of times to transcribe the lyrics.
Ela Hughes - Cân Faith (Faith’s Song)
Rhoiais i bobeth ti’n angen
Ti’n brifo, fi’n gwaedu
A nerth i gyd rhoiais i ti
Wi’n caru yn gyflawn
Ti’n gadael 'r ol colli
Naeth 'y ngobaith i gyd fynd gyda ti
Ond rhoiais i 'nghalon i gyd i ti
Rhoiais i 'nghalon
Ac er bod hi’n torri mae’n dal i guro
A rhoiais i 'n enaid i gyd
Rhoiais i’n hun
Er bod i’n torri dal i anadlu
Wna i gysgu trwy’r amser
Yr holl amser a ddygaist
Ond cariad, dwi’n gwybod y gwir
Rhoiais i 'nghalon i gyd i ti
Rhoiais i 'nghalon
Ac er bod hi’n torri mae’n dal i guro
A rhoiais i 'n enaid i gyd
Rhoiais i’n hun
Er mod i’n torri dal yn anadlu
Here is an English translation of the lyrics (for meaning, not “singability”) as far as I understand them:
I gave you all that you needed
You’re hurt, I’m bleeding
And I gave you all my strength
I love completely
You leave after losing
All of my hope went with you
But I gave my whole heart to you
I gave my heart
And although it’s broken it is still beating
And I gave my whole soul
I gave myself
Although I am broken I am still breathing
I will sleep through the time
All the time that you’ve stolen
But my love, I know the truth
I gave my whole heart to you
I gave my heart
And although it’s broken it is still beating
And I gave my whole soul
I gave myself
Although I am broken I am still breathing
If you have any corrections or suggestions for the transcript (or the translation), please let me know!
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Yes, sorry! That is most definitely a typo! Good catch!
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Thank you for posting this! I’ve been listening to it all day just couldn’t quite understand ever word
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Thanks for taking the time to capture the lyrics. One thing to question - the song in English is credited to Amy Wadge (she’s also Welsh), and since the Welsh version seems to be a translation I’m wondering how the credits work.
Who composed the music (Amy Wadge?), and who wrote the lyrics - Amy Wadge in English and Ela Hughes in Welsh?
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Here are the English Lyrics to Faith’s Song (Amy Wadge)
Gave you all that you needed
You cut but I’m bleeding
And all of my strength
That I give to you
I love completely
You lose then you leave me
And all of my hope
I left with you too
But I gave my heart
Whole, I did
I gave my heart
And although it’s lost
It is still beating
And I gave my whole
Soul, I did
I gave my soul
And although I’m broken
I am still breathing
I will sleep through the moments
All the moments you’ve stolen
All for my love
I’ll learn the truth
That I gave my heart
Whole, I did
I gave my heart
And although it’s lost
It is still beating
I gave my whole
Soul, I did
I gave my soul
And although I’m broken
I am still breathing
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