Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: folk
Song Meaning of “The Frost Is All Over” by The Chieftains
The Chieftains’ song “The Frost Is All Over” takes its inspiration from the traditional Irish folk ballad “The Fox Chase.” The traditional Irish ballad tells the story of a fox hunt and its aftermath, which in reality was used as a cover for matters of love and courtship. In “The Frost Is All Over”, the Chieftains tell a similar story of two lovers looking out over a frosty valley in the morning.
The lyrics describe the two lovers standing in the “frosty morning dew” when they look out over the valley “where nature’s beauty’s spread”. In this moment they experience a stillness and peace and deep admiration for nature’s beauty. This is seen in the chorus of the song: “The frost is all over, the mornin’ bells tells me soo; the frost is all over, and the fields have been fair”. The couple’s deep admiration for the natural beauty all around them is seen in the word “fair”, indicating the beauty of the fields was both visible and tangible.
The chorus also reflects the couple’s feelings for one another. The “mornin’ bells” are not just a reminder of the cold but they also symbolize the beauty of a new dawn, and the beginning of a new love. The “frost is all over” is literal, but it also symbolizes their love in the shared moment of the new morning. The chorus in “The Frost is All Over” is an ode to the beauty of a new love, and its shared experience: in a moment of stillness, admiring the beauty of the natural world, and the joy of a new love.