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The song was first collected in Donegal by Padraic Colum and Herbert Hughes , and published by Boosey & Hawkes in London in a work entitled ''Irish country songs'' in 1909 , though some claim it dates back to Medieval times. The lyrics, except for the last verse, were composed by Padraic Colum , and the tune was written down by Herbert Hughes . The tune is in the Mixolydian Mode . Most modern arrangements of the song can be traced to the recording by Fairport Convention in 1968 , who adopted the style of the song from the travelling singer Margaret Barry. To notice also the recording of the song by Alan Stivell in 1973 . LYRICS Whilst subject to certain variations (as noted below) the lyrics are as follows: As She Moved Through The Fair My young love said to me my mother won't mind And my father won't slight you for your lack of kind And she laid her hand on me and this she did say It will not be long now 'til our wedding Day And she went away from me, she moved through the fair And fondly I watched her move here and move there And then she went onward, just one star awake Like the swan in the evening moves over the lake The people were saying no two e'er were wed But one had a sorrow that never was said And I smiled as she passed with her goods and her gear And that was the last that I saw of my dear Last night she came to me, my dead love came in So softly she came her feet made no din And she laid her hand on me and this she did say It will not be long now 'til our wedding day VERSIONS Many modern versions leave out verse three with some reason. The second line of the first verse has two versions: And my father won't slight you for your lack of kine And my father won't slight you for your lack of kind ''Kine'' is an archaic plural of ''cow'', whereas ''kind'' in this sense refers to general goods and property, as in the same sense that one would say "payment in kind" (rather than implying that the suitor is not pleasant or genteel). Either way, the line says that the father won't object to the marriage because the suitor is not rich. Both versions are normally considered correct. "My dead love" in verse four is sometimes sung as "my dear love" or "my own love". This may be:
Both Sinéad O'Connor 's version (as used in the soundtrack of the film Michael Collins ) and the one by Trees change the gender of the pronouns and so the song became ''He Moved Through The Fair'' although both versions still appear as "She Moved Through The Fair" on their respective album sleeves. There is an alternate version of the lyrics; which are sung on the Mary Black version, as well as the Dolina Mackay version, amongst others. The lyrics are as follows: I once had a sweetheart, I loved her right well I loved her far better than my tongue can tell Her parents did slight me for want of some year Adieu to all pleasure since I lost my dear She went away from me And moved through the fair Where the hand clappin' dealers' Loud shouts rent the air The sunlight about her did sparkle and flame Saying it will not be long love 'till our wedding day When dew falls on meadows And moths fill the night When the glow from the creosote Is half rose and half light I will slip from my casement and I'll run away Then it will not be long love 'till our wedding day I dreamt it last night, my young love came in She came creepin' so softly Her feet made no din She came steppin' up to me And this she did say It will not be long love 'till our wedding day When the old man recovers The young woman leaves Her love was too precious for one old as he The only remembrance Her shoes in the rain He should not have tried her He won't come again BELFAST CHILD BY SIMPLE MINDS In 1989 Simple Minds recorded a song called "Belfast Child", which made it to No. 1 in the UK Charts . This song uses the traditional tune associated with "She Moved Through The Fair", but with completely different words. The song may be found on their album '' Street Fighting Years ''. RECORDINGS Artists who have recorded "She Moved Through The Fair" (with the original words) include:
OTHER VARIATIONS Davy Graham 's version of this song, played by the title "She Moved Thru The Bizarre", is almost directly copied in the Jimmy Page song '' White Summer '', first recorded with The Yardbirds in 1969. EXTERNAL LINKS
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