• Should you wander this land to the North,
  And few seldom do,
  Should you follow the song of the gull
  To enchanted western isles,
  Coax a fisherman to take you out
  Where the silky seals are seen,
  Hear the stories that they tell about
  The maiden who is their queen,
  The maiden who is their queen.
  
  Celia of the seals,
  She knows just how they feel,
  Celia of the seals.
  "Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
  "Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
  
  Seal hunters are not brave and bold,
  They murder her poor wee seals
  And cut off their skins to be sold,
  Cursed be he who deals.
  There's no reason for this slaughtering,
  They're left on the rocks to bleed
  He's not a man who does this thing,
  It's a cruel and a heartless deed,
  A cruel and a-heartless deed.
  
  Celia of the seals,
  She knows just how they feel,
  Celia of the seals.
  
  Celia of the seals,
  Celia of the seals,
  She knows just how they feel,
  Celia of the seals,
  Celia of the seals,
  Celia of the seals,
  "Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay"
  "Voyna, voyna, voyna, voyna voyna vay Writer/s: DONOVAN LEITCH
  Publisher: Peermusic Publishing
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

• Jim from Oregon I thought this song was inspired by the Scottish legend of Selkies - woman who turned into seals.
• Gloria from LondonThe Celia of the song title is Celia Hammond, who was a top model in the 70s and often modelled furs, until she realised how fur was obtained and how cruel the fur trade is. She used her fame as a model to become a vocal and hands-on animal activist and opened the Celia Hammond Animal Trust which takes in and neuters feral cats, rehoming those tame enough or releasing them back whence they came where possible, and finding farm homes for the remainder. Her clinics provide low-cost neutering and vet services in east and south London, and no animal in her care is ever put down while there is any quality of life. She was in a relationship with Jeff Beck for many years and met Donovan, who wrote this song about her. Most recently, she cleared the Olympic stadium site in east London of its feral cat population, successfully lobbying for more time before construction started, due to the large numbers of cats there. She took in over 200 cats from this one site alone. See: www.celiahammond.org
• Sara from Silver Spring, MdThis was inspired by a fur trader who was a friend of Donovan's mistress Linda. Early in his career he wrote a song called "Ceila" but never recorded it.

More Songfacts:

Night MovesBob Seger

Bob Seger got inspired to write "Night Moves" after watching the movie American Graffiti, which showed young people growing up in his "neck of the woods."

JetPaul McCartney & Wings

The Australian band Jet took their name from the 1973 song of the same by Paul McCartney and Wings.

All of the LightsKanye West

Alicia Keys, Elton John, Fergie, and Rihanna all sang on "All of the Lights" by Kanye West.

Careless WhisperWham!

George Michael was 17 and on a bus to his job at the cinema when he came up with the idea for "Careless Whisper" and the lyrics, "Something in your eyes calls to mind a silver screen."

Life Is A HighwayTom Cochrane

Tom Cochrane wrote "Life Is A Highway" to pull himself out of a funk following an exhausting humanitarian trip to Africa.

Take Me Home Country RoadsJohn Denver

"Take Me Home Country Roads" is set in West Virginia, but John Denver had never been there when he recorded the song. The country roads represent a sense of belonging.

Editor's Picks

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Cy Curnin of The FixxSongwriter Interviews

The man who brought us "Red Skies" and "Saved By Zero" is now an organic farmer in France.

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock PhotographySong Writing

One of rock's top photographers talks about artistry in photography, raising funds for a documentary, and enjoying a County Fair with Tom Waits.

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.