The Chieftains 6: Bonaparte's Retreat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Professional reviews
Chieftains 6: Bonaparte's Retreat

Studio album by The Chieftains
Released	1976
Genre	Celtic
Length	48:19
Label	Claddagh
Producer(s)	Paddy Moloney
All Music Guide link
The Chieftains chronology
Chieftains 5 (1971)	Chieftains 6 (1973)	Chieftains 7 (1975)

Chieftains 6 or The Chieftains 6: Bonapartes Retreat is an album by The Chieftains. It is the first album to feature singing, and the honoured singer was Dolores Keane. This album was the first time Kevin Conneff played on a Chieftains album, and was later to become a full member of the band.

1 Track listing
2 The History Behind Bonaparte's Retreat
3 Lineup
4 Sources and Links

[edit] Track listing

"The Chattering Magpie" – 4:47
"An Chéad Mháirt den Fhombar (The First Tuesday of Autumn) and Green Grow the Rushes O" – 3:12
"Bonaparte's Retreat" – 14:37
"Away with Ye" – 4:26
"Caledonia" – 5:28
"Iníon Nic Diarmada (Miss MacDermott) or The Princess Royal Máire Dhall (Blind Mary) and John Drury" – 7:00
"The Rights of Man" – 3:21
"Round the House and Mind the Dresser" – 3:12

[edit] The History Behind Bonaparte's Retreat

The Irish, who were themselves under the British thumb through the 18th & 19th century, were actually big fans of Napoleon Bonaparte. His bravery captivated the national imagination, as did his defiance even in defeat. The Irish also adored the tragic story of the romance between the doomed emperor and his young wife, Josephine. So it's no surprise they chose her words to frame the story of Bonaparte's fall.

In the lyrics below, sung by Dolores Keane, the "green linnet" is Napoleon Bonaparte. The "bonnie bunch o' roses" is, according to some, Europe; others say it's a figure of speech for the British Empire. And St. Helena is, of course, the island to which Bonaparte was exiled (the second time, that is - his first exile was on Elba).

1. (Narrator)
Curiosity led a young native of Erin
to view the gay banks of the Rhine,
where an empress he saw,
and the robes that she was wearing
all over with diamonds did shine.
No goddess in splendor was ever yet seen
to equal this fair maid, so mild and serene.
In soft accents she cried,
"Oh, my linnet so green,
Sweet Bonnie, will I e'er see you more?"

2. (Narrator)
He took three hundred thousand men,
and kings likewise to bear his train.
He was so well provided for
that he could sweep the world for gain.
But when he came to Moscow,
he was overpowered by the sleet and snow,
with Moscow ablazing,
and he lost the bonnie bunch o' roses oh.

3. (Josephine)
"I have traveled the deserts of wild Abyssinia
but could find no relief for my pain.
Shall I go and inquire on the isle of St. Helena?
Oh, no, I should whisper in vain.
Come tell me, you critics - come tell me, in time,
what nation should I roam, my green linnet for to find?
Did he die at Waterloo, or on the banks of the Rhine?
Or did he die on St. Helena's bleak shore?"