Like their peers The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and Jefferson Airplane they were blessed with several considerable individual talents and produced music that -at least initially- was eclectic, as well as exploratory. This side of the band may best be heard on Heyday, a collection of tracks broadcast by the BBC. The move to a more British form of folk rock came primarily as a result of the enthusiasm of bassist Ashley Hutchings and producer Joe Boyd. Original singer Judy Dyble was replaced on their second LP What We Did On Our Holidays by Sandy Denny, an experienced folk singer and excellent composer in her own right. Fiddle virtuoso Dave Swarbrick joined, initially as sessioneer, on their third, Unhalfbricking. That LP has arguably their first two bona fide masterpieces. One is their version of the Sandy Denny song, Who Knows Where the Time Goes, popularized by Judy Collins, but characterised on their version by a perfect balance between Denny's vocals and the exquisite support of the group as a whole, and lead guitarist Richard Thompson in particular. The other is A Sailor's Life, the first to demonstrate the potential power of folk rock, the song exploding in an improvised and sophisticated instrumental coda that reaches beyond the words through the impassioned interplay of the whole band, led by the virtuosity of Thompson and Swarbrick in particular. Thompson also soon showed that he could create his own distinctive songs, notably the anthemic Meet on the Ledge, on Holidays.
The following LP Liege and Lief is perhaps Fairport's finest hour. Liege and Lief is generally remembered for its virtuoso versions of traditional folk songs but it also contains beautiful originals by Thompson and Denny. However the next, Full House -deliberately rockier in tone- has its particular gems, most notably Sloth, for its extended guitar/ fiddle duel and Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman, a perfect expression of Thompson's mordant humour; along with the sleeve notes, surely amongst the strangest and funniest ever.
The band continued with a series of personnel changes and albums, all with at least some high points, until it was temporarily disbanded in 1979, but played annual reunion concerts until it reformed in 1985. Since then, it has enjoyed stability and continues to tour and record regularly.
In part, the continuing success of Fairport Convention is due to the annual music festival it organizes. Cropredy Festival has been held every year since 1974 near Cropredy, a village five miles north of Banbury, Oxfordshire and can attract upwards of 20,000 fans.
In 2002 the band was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. In 2006 Radio 2 listeners voted their 1969 album Liege & Lief as the Most Influential Folk Album of All Time. A mass reunion of living Fairport members performed at the ceremony.
Who Knows Where The Time Goes?
Fairport Convention Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But how can they know it's time for them to go?
Before the winter fire, I will still be dreaming
I have no thought of time
For who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?
Sad, deserted shore, your fickle friends are leaving
Ah, but then you know it's time for them to go
But I will still be here, I have no thought of leaving
I do not count the time
For who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?
And I am not alone while my love is near me
I know it will be so until it's time to go
So come the storms of winter and then the birds in spring again
I have no fear of time
For who knows how my love grows?
And who knows where the time goes?
The song "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" by Fairport Convention is known for its poetic lyrics that capture the fluid, ever-changing nature of time. In the song, the singer contemplates the way time moves on, with winter giving way to spring, and the birds leaving for their migration. However, time is also marked by love, which endures even as the seasons change.
The first verse of the song sets the tone of contemplation, with the singer remarking on the way the birds are leaving, but questioning how they know it's time to do so. This can be seen as a metaphor for the mysterious, often unexplainable ways that time moves forward. The second verse describes a deserted shore and the way friends come and go, but the singer remains steadfast in their commitment to remain. This can be seen as a metaphor for the fleeting nature of relationships, and the way that the complexities of time can make them difficult to hold onto.
Throughout the song, love is presented as a constant, regardless of the shifting seasons or the passage of time. The final verse describes the singer's conviction that their love will endure through winter storms and the birds' migration, concluding with the powerful question, "who knows where the time goes?" This question is at the heart of the song's meaning, and it reminds us that time is always moving forward, even as we struggle to hold onto the things that matter most to us.
Line by Line Meaning
Across the evening sky, all the birds are leaving
As the sun sets, birds are flying away towards their homes without knowing it's time to leave
But how can they know it's time for them to go?
The birds don't have a sense of time, so they don't know when it's time for them to leave
Before the winter fire, I will still be dreaming
I will continue to dream and hope for the future even as winter approaches and things may seem bleak
I have no thought of time
I'm not worried about time passing because I'm focused on the present moment
For who knows where the time goes?
Time passes quickly and we can't predict where it will take us
Sad, deserted shore, your fickle friends are leaving
The shore is left alone as the tide goes out and friends are leaving, not caring about how it might feel
Ah, but then you know it's time for them to go
Even though they may seem unfeeling, in reality the shore knows it's time for the friends to leave
But I will still be here, I have no thought of leaving
Even when others may leave, I will stay rooted and present in the moment
I do not count the time
I'm not worried about how much time has passed or how much time I have left
For who knows where the time goes?
We can't predict where time will take us or how quickly it will pass
And I am not alone while my love is near me
As long as I have love close to me, I don't feel lonely or isolated
I know it will be so until it's time to go
I'm confident that my love will remain with me until it's time for me to leave
So come the storms of winter and then the birds in spring again
Just as the seasons change, so does life bring ups and downs
I have no fear of time
I'm not afraid of time passing because I know life still has meaning and purpose
For who knows how my love grows?
We can't predict or explain how love grows and changes over time
And who knows where the time goes?
We can't predict where time will take us or how quickly it will pass, but as long as we have love and hope, we can face whatever comes our way
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SANDY DENNY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ronno
on Book Song
Beautiful song, even if I can't understand what's going on: she's reading a book, he's writing one (and playing) .. I wanted it to be abouth former FC singer Judy Dyble , who would knit on stage if she wasn't singing. The girlfriend theory makes some sense, but if Ian said it was about his daughter...