Over the Hills and Far Away

"Over the Hills and Far Away" is a song by Northern Irish musician Gary Moore, released in December 1986 by 10 Records as the first single from his sixth solo album Wild Frontier. The song peaked at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart, but was most successful in the Nordic countries, topping the charts in Finland and Norway. The song features The Chieftains, who also appear in the video. Moore performed the song with the group at the TV show celebrating their 25th anniversary in 1988. The single B-side, "Crying in the Shadows", was also written by Moore and was produced by Mike Stone. It was also recorded by Japanese singer Minako Honda, titled "The Cross (Ai No Jujika)", with Moore on guitar. Moore's version of "Crying in the Shadows" was released as a single in Japan in October 1986, one month after Honda's version, with "Once in a Lifetime" from the Run for Cover album as the B-side. Lyrics The song is about a man wrongfully accused of armed robbery, but won't tell who his alibi is as it is the wife of his best friend, with whom he was sleeping. So, he gets sent to prison "over the hills and far away, for ten long years". During prison he receives love letters from the woman and "he swears he will return one day", so "back in his arms is where she'll be".