Hey, it’s time for music again!
As some of you may know I’m working on an album of my theater music. If you’re not from Iceland you may not know this, but I’ve written music for a few theater productions here, and in fact one of them won a Gríman award, the Icelandic equivalent of the Tonys. I’m very proud of the songs that have come out of these projects, And later this year I plan on recording some of them and releasing on CD and hopefully vinyl.
So I thought I’d share one of the songs now (and perhaps a few more down the line – watch this space).
This is a song I wrote to words written by my father. It’s from a play called Í skugga Sveins, where I played one of the main characters, and sang this song. The lyrics are in Icelandic, of course, but they deal with the loss of a time gone, and the loss of an old friend.
Last year a good friend of mine passed away very suddenly. It was a tragic thing, but that’s life, I guess. He knew how to live it, and he taught me a lot. After he died I asked my dad to update the lyrics a bit to include my friend, Siggi. He did that, and this is now dedicated to Siggi. May he rest in peace.
I hope you like the song.
Folk on!
PS:
I decided to translate the lyrics (literally, so they won’t be very poetic, but at least you’ll get the meaning) for my non-Icelandic friends. Here you go:
You once had a friend,
but that was back then.
Who was better to you than all the rest,
but that was back then.
When others wanted nothing to do with you
he was always by your side.
Always willing to come to your aid.
But that was back then.
And there was colour, there was light,
but that was back then.
And a land that was all in bloom,
but that was back then.
In the light of day they could never have suspected
that cruel spell of darkness.
No one was worried about the night,
but that was back then.
Happy images, the magic of the past,
like light on a dark screen
will always shine upon
all that was back then.
Hey there Eyvi. I finally got around to listening to your sad song. Very pleasant tune and nice guitar playing. I don’t understand Icelandic, however, the music and tone of the vocals conveys the mood. I like your song. I lost a friend last year. He died suddenly and unexpectedly too. It is sad to lose a friend or loved one.
Thank you for the kind words. It is very sad, but I suppose it’s a part of life.
I think I’ll translate the lyrics loosely and update the post. They’re really beautiful.