On September 27th, we had the honor to hear the studio version of that old hidden treasure with which we had been dreaming for years. Years in which we would regret not having asked any of the band members if they had ever thought of recovering it. But Dolores had thought of it. Dolores was so special that, despite having left so prematurely, she made sure not to leave anything undone and that her fans would be able to find some kind of comfort that would make it a bit easier to keep going with such an immense pain.

“Íosa” (Jesus) is the first posthumous song by Dolores O’Riordan and the only known song of The Cranberries in Gaelic, although not entirely unpublished: it was played live only once, at the University of London Union, London, on the 14th of November 1991. “Íosa” sounds dark and mysterious, mystical and painfully nostalgic. It sounds like a distant dream; like the reminiscence of better times; like youth dreams and promising illusions, as if what was intended to be a letter of introduction in the first place, had otherwise turned to be the farewell which it has sadly become. It sounds like beginnings, like experimentation, like the early 90’s, although the initial guitar chords and Dolores’ voice may remind us to “Why” and to that maturity and experience that was so characteristic of Something Else.

Thanks Sanela Nesensohn and Bitesize Irish Gaelic (https://www.bitesize.irish/), we have an approximation to the lyrics of the song and its translation in English.

GAELIC

Suite ar chathaoir mhaorga ag smaoineamh ?
Anois ar a laethanta saoire.
Na blianta crua curtha síos.
Seanathair, a sheanathair.
(líne dothuigthe)
Saol le chéile le do chéile
Blianta caite ón am sin
Nócha trí bliain, nócha bliain
A Íosa, cad é ?
A Íosa, go dtaga do riocht
A Íosa, cad é ?
A Íosa, go dtaga do riocht
Suite ar an gcathaoir shoilseach,
D’fhéach sé orm, cád é a dheir mé
Na laethanta crua curtha síos
Seanathair, a sheanathair.
Mise ? ar sheanathair
Suí/saol le chéile le do ?
Blianta caite ón am sin
Nócha trí bliain, nócha bliain
A Íosa, cad é ?
A Íosa, go dtaga do riocht
A Íosa, cad é ?
A Íosa, go dtaga do riocht

ENGLISH

Sitting on a majestic chair (throne) thinking ?
Now on his holidays
The hard years put down
Grandfather, oh grandfather
(Unintelligible line)
Life together with your spouse/companion
Years spent since then
Ninty three years, Ninty three years,
Jesus, what is ?
Jesus, may Your Kingdom come
Jesus, what is ?
Jesus, may Your Kingdom come
Sitting on the luminous chair
He looked at me, what did I say
The hard days put down
Grandfather, oh grandfather
Me ? grandfather
Sit/life together with your ?
Years spent since then
Ninety three years, Ninety three years,
Jesus, what is ?
Jesus, may Your Kingdom come
Jesus, what is ?
Jesus, may Your Kingdom come

The reedition of Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? Will be published on October 19^th 2018. You can get it in different formats in the link below:

https://store.udiscovermusic.com/artist.html?a=the_cranberries