Briggs was born in Toton, Beeston, Nottinghamshire on 29 September 1944. Her mother died of tuberculosis when she was young. Her father, Albert, was severely injured in World War II and she was raised by her Aunt Hilda and Uncle Bill in Toton, who also brought up Hilda's youngest sister, Beryl, and their own daughter Betty. In 1959 she cycled with a friend to Edinburgh. They stayed overnight with Archie Fisher, who was at that time prominent in the revival of folk music in Scotland, and through him she met Bert Jansch, who had just begun to compose his own songs. Jansch and Briggs had an instant rapport and were to remain influential on one another for several years.
In 1962, the Trades Union Congress passed Resolution 42, a resolution to develop cultural activities outside of London. To implement this resolution, playwright Arnold Wesker was appointed as the leader, with Ewan MacColl and A.L. "Bert" Lloyd heavily involved, and Charles Parker on production. Calling themselves Centre 42, they organised a tour around the Britain, hoping to involve local talent at each stop.
At Nottingham, MacColl heard Briggs singing "Let No Man Steal Your Thyme" and "She Moves Through the Fair" and promptly invited her to perform on stage that night. She became a full member of the tour and recorded the same two songs on an album recorded live in Edinburgh later that year. Briggs decided to leave home, just four weeks short of her eighteenth birthday. Centre 42 gave her an administrative job in their offices, liaising with theatres and galleries. She soon acquired the contacts she needed to pursue her own musical career.
Jansch described her as "one of the most underrated singers". He recorded Briggs' songs (including "Go your way, my love" and "Wishing well") on four of his albums. She was also his source for several of the traditional songs which he recorded, including "Blackwaterside". Jansch's instrumental accompaniment to this song was later copied and adapted by Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, who recorded it as "Black Mountain Side".
Jansch and John Renbourn play "The Time Has Come" on their duo record before eventually recording it with the rest of Pentangle on the "Sweet Child" release. One song, "Mosaic Patterns" (which she herself has never recorded) was recorded by blues singer, Dorris Henderson. Sandy Denny wrote a song in tribute to Briggs, called "The Pond and the Stream" on Fotheringay (1970).
Briggs has been cited as a favourite of Eliza Carthy, Kate Rusby and lead singer of Altan, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh. Charlotte Greig and the Scottish band James Yorkston and the Athletes have said Briggs was an influence on them. David Tibet of Current 93 also recently mentioned her in an interview.
The 2009 The Decemberists album, The Hazards of Love, was inspired by Briggs's album of the same name.
Gathering Rushes in the Month of May
Anne Briggs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was gathering rushes just at the break of day.
But before she's come home she's born a little son,
And she's rolled him underneath her apron.
Well, she cried at the threshold as she coming at the door,
And she folded in her apron the little babe she bore.
Said her father, "Where've you been, my little daughter Jane,
"Oh father, dear father, it's nothing then," said she.
"It's only my new gown and that's too long for me.
And I was afraid it would draggle in the dew,
So I rolled it underneath my apron."
But in the dead of the night, when all were fast asleep,
This pretty little baby, oh, it began to weep.
Said her father, "What's that bird a-crying out so clear
In the bedroom among the pretty maidens?"
"Oh father, dear father, it's nothing then," said she,
"It's just a little bird that fluttered to my knee,
And I'll build for it a nest, and I'll warm it on my breast
So it won't wake early in the May morning."
But in the third part of the night, when all were fast asleep,
This pretty little baby again began to weep.
Said her father, "What's that baby a-crying out so clear
In the bedroom among the pretty maidens?"
"Oh father, dear father, it's nothing then," said she,
"It's just a little baby that someone gave to me.
Let it lie, let it sleep this night along o' me
And I tell to you its daddy in the May morning."
"Well, was it by a black man or was it by a brown,
Or was it by a ploughing lad a-ploughing up and down,
That gave to you the stranger you wear with your new gown,
That you rolled up underneath your apron?"
"No, it wasn't by a black man and it wasn't by a brown,
I got it from a ploughing lad that ploughs the watery main.
He gave to me the stranger I wear with my new gown
That I've rolled up underneath my apron."
"Well, was it in the kitchen got or was it in the hall?
Or was it in the cow-shed or was it in the stall?
I wish I had a firebrand to burn the building down
Where you met with him on a May morning."
"No, it wasn't in the kitchen got, it wasn't in the hall,
And neither in the cow-shed and neither in the stall.
It was down by yonder spring where the small birds they sing
That I met with him on a May morning."
The song "Gathering Rushes in the Month of May" by Anne Briggs tells the story of a young girl who becomes pregnant out of wedlock. As she walks home from gathering rushes, she hides the baby under her apron. When she is questioned by her father about the baby's cries, she tells him it is just a bird that she will care for. She repeats this lie a second time, but on the third occasion, she admits the truth that the baby was given to her by a sailor she met by a spring, and that she will reveal his identity in the morning. The song is essentially a cautionary tale about the dangers of premarital sex, highlighting the shame and secrecy that often accompany such situations.
Interestingly, there are several variations of this song throughout folk music history. While the melody and lyrics are largely consistent across versions, the details of the story sometimes differ. For example, in some variants, the girl's father physically abuses her when he discovers the baby. In others, the baby is quietly left with a "kindly nurse" before the girl returns home. Additionally, the song has been recorded and performed by numerous different artists over the years, including Bert Jansch, Nic Jones, and Martin Carthy.
Line by Line Meaning
A fine young girl all in the month of May,
A young girl was collecting rushes in May.
She was gathering rushes just at the break of day.
She was collecting rushes when the sun was rising.
But before she's come home she's born a little son,
Before she returned home, she gave birth to a son.
And she's rolled him underneath her apron.
She hid her baby under her apron.
Well, she cried at the threshold as she coming at the door,
She cried at the front door.
And she folded in her apron the little babe she bore.
She hid the baby in her apron.
Said her father, "Where've you been, my little daughter Jane,
Her father asked where she had been.
And what's that you've got underneath your apron?"
He asked what was under her apron.
"Oh father, dear father, it's nothing then," said she.
She lied to her father saying it was nothing.
"It's only my new gown and that's too long for me.
She told them it was her gown.
And I was afraid it would draggle in the dew,
She was afraid her gown would get dirty.
So I rolled it underneath my apron."
She lied saying she rolled up her gown under her apron.
But in the dead of the night, when all were fast asleep,
At night, everyone was asleep.
This pretty little baby, oh, it began to weep.
The baby started crying.
Said her father, "What's that bird a-crying out so clear
Her father thought it was a bird crying.
In the bedroom among the pretty maidens?"
He wondered why it was in the bedroom with the girls.
"Oh father, dear father, it's nothing then," said she,
She lied to her father again.
"It's just a little bird that fluttered to my knee,
She claimed it was a bird that landed on her knee.
And I'll build for it a nest, and I'll warm it on my breast
She said she would take care of the bird.
So it won't wake early in the May morning."
She hoped the bird wouldn't wake up everyone in the morning.
But in the third part of the night, when all were fast asleep,
Later that night, the baby cried again.
This pretty little baby again began to weep.
The baby kept crying.
Said her father, "What's that baby a-crying out so clear
Her father heard the baby crying again.
In the bedroom among the pretty maidens?"
He asked why the baby was in the bedroom.
"Oh father, dear father, it's nothing then," said she,
She lied again to her father.
"It's just a little baby that someone gave to me.
She claimed someone gave her the baby.
Let it lie, let it sleep this night along o' me
She asked to keep the baby with her.
And I tell to you its daddy in the May morning."
She promised to reveal the father of the baby in the morning.
"Well, was it by a black man or was it by a brown,
Her father asked for the father's race.
Or was it by a ploughing lad a-ploughing up and down,
He wondered if the father was a farmer.
That gave to you the stranger you wear with your new gown,
He asked who gave her the baby.
That you rolled up underneath your apron?"
He asked if she hid the baby under her apron.
"No, it wasn't by a black man and it wasn't by a brown,
She answered that it was neither a black nor a brown man.
I got it from a ploughing lad that ploughs the watery main.
She said a sailor gave her the baby.
He gave to me the stranger I wear with my new gown
The sailor gave her the baby and the gown.
That I've rolled up underneath my apron."
She repeated the lie that she hid the gown under her apron.
"Well, was it in the kitchen got or was it in the hall?
Her father asked where she met the sailor.
Or was it in the cow-shed or was it in the stall?
He continued with possible locations.
I wish I had a firebrand to burn the building down
He wished he could destroy the building.
Where you met with him on a May morning."
He accused her of meeting the sailor on a May morning.
"No, it wasn't in the kitchen got, it wasn't in the hall,
She said she didn't meet the sailor in those places.
And neither in the cow-shed and neither in the stall.
She continued to deny the accusations.
It was down by yonder spring where the small birds they sing
She revealed that she met the sailor at a spring.
That I met with him on a May morning."
She confirmed it was a May morning when she met the sailor.
Contributed by Alyssa D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
David Shilton
Easy to comment. Shear class. Seem I heard it yesterday. Known this for nearly ,60 years.