The Roses Of Eyam
Beau Lyrics


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The earth beneath the surface dust
Is cold and damp and raw
And, holding but the memories
Of what has gone before,
Can almost be forgiven
For remembering the dream
Of the wall of stones around the homes
Of the villagers of Eyam,
Of the villagers of Eyam.

In August sixteen-sixty-five
Along the cobbled roads,
Between the houses dark and high,
The carriers with their loads
Were leaving for the northern towns
The capital and crown,
And also leaving far behind
The plague of London town,
The plague of London town.

George Vicars was the tailor
To the village life of Eyam,
And to his house a case of clothes
From London town was seen
To be delivered one fine day
In September 'sixty-five,
And never more was tailor Vicars
Ever seen alive,
Ever seen alive.

The scars upon his face and chest
Were many to behold
And, lying by the fevered body
Now so very cold,
The case from London opened wide,
The clothes all neatly hung,
And from the bell upon the church
The knell of death was rung,
The knell of death was rung.

There followed sixty, scarred and bleeding,
Buried in their graves
As Thomas Stanley stood above
And told them "Jesus Saves".
But Stanley was a puritan,
An enemy to heed
To Mompesson (the Anglican
Who held the rectors creed,
Who held the rectors creed).

The differences between the men
That were so very wide
Were shattered by the desperate need
And rudely cast aside.
The forces of the two were joined.
Their words were not in vain.
They told the villagers of Eyam,
"The plague must be contained,
The plague must be contained".

The simple people took their word,
Agreed to stay and die.
They built a wall around the hamlet,
Not so very high,
But high enough that they should know
That though it mean their lives,
The plague must stay behind the wall
With children, friends and wives,
With children, friends and wives.

For six long months the wall did stand
And honest to their word,
The families died. The Friths and Sydalls
Never more were heard.
The Thornleys, Hancocks, and the Torres,
All buried in the ground.
The Coopers and the Vicars
Never made another sound,
Never made another sound.

The dawn that rang the final bell
Left thirty-three alive
From three-hundred-and-fifty
In September 'sixty-five.
The villagers rebuilt their lives
With those who still remained.
The name of Eyam can still be seen;
The plague had been contained,
The plague had been contained,




The plague had been contained,
The plague had been contained...

Overall Meaning

The Roses of Eyam by Beau is a poignant tribute to the brave villagers of the real-life Eyam, who contained the deadly bubonic plague in their small community in 1665. The opening lyrics describe the Earth beneath the surface dust that holds the memories of what has gone before, the villages of Eyam, and their dream of a stone wall around their homes. The rest of the song is a historical account of the plague and how the village contained it.


In August of 1665, carriers with their loads left the capital and crown for the northern towns, leaving the plague in London town. George Vicars was the tailor to the village life of Eyam, who received a case of clothes from London town. This case from London, which was delivered to Vicars' house, contained the bubonic plague virus, and he was the first person to die from it. The singer describes the scars upon Vicars' face and chest, and how the knell of death was rung from the bell upon the church. Thomas Stanley, an Anglican who believed in Jesus, buried sixty scarred and bleeding villagers, while Mompesson, a Puritan, was the rector who held the rectors creed.


The differences between the two men were shattered by the desperate need, and they joined forces to contain the plague. The simple people of Eyam agreed to stay and die and built a wall around the hamlet, high enough to keep the plague behind it with children, friends, and wives. The families died in the village for six long months, and only thirty-three villagers were left alive when the final bell rang. The villagers rebuilt their lives with those who still remained. The legacy of Eyam and how they contained the plague can still be seen today.


Line by Line Meaning

The earth beneath the surface dust
The soil below the visible dirt layer


Is cold and damp and raw
Feels chilly, moist, and unrefined


And, holding but the memories
Containing only the recollections


Of what has gone before,
Of what occurred earlier


Can almost be forgiven
May be pardoned


For remembering the dream
For recollecting the aspiration


Of the wall of stones around the homes
About the protective barrier of rocks around the houses


Of the villagers of Eyam,
That surrounded the inhabitants of Eyam


In August sixteen-sixty-five
In the eighth month of 1665


Along the cobbled roads,
On the uneven pavement


Between the houses dark and high,
Amidst the pitch-black tall dwellings


The carriers with their loads
The people carrying baggage


Were leaving for the northern towns
Were departing for the municipalities in the north


The capital and crown,
The main city and the monarch's authority


And also leaving far behind
Also leaving London way behind


The plague of London town,
The epidemic of London city


George Vicars was the tailor
Vicars was the clothier


To the village life of Eyam,
A significant member of the Eyam community


And to his house a case of clothes
To his abode, a box of apparel


From London town was seen
Was witnessed to have come from London


To be delivered one fine day
Expected to arrive any day now


In September 'sixty-five,
In the ninth month of 1665


And never more was tailor Vicars
And Vicars, the tailor, was never again


Ever seen alive,
Witnessed alive from then on


The scars upon his face and chest
The marks on his visage and torso


Were many to behold
Were abundant and noticeable


And, lying by the fevered body
And, located beside the heated corpse


Now so very cold,
That's now extremely cold


The case from London opened wide,
Expanded to uncover the London parcel


The clothes all neatly hung,
All the apparel precisely hanged


And from the bell upon the church
And, from the bell mounted on the church steeple


The knell of death was rung,
The sound of death was signaled


There followed sixty, scarred and bleeding,
Then came sixty, wounded and bleeding


Buried in their graves
Interred in their tombs


As Thomas Stanley stood above
While Thomas Stanley surveyed from above


And told them "Jesus Saves".
And preached them on "Jesus Saves."


But Stanley was a puritan,
Although Stanley was a puritan


An enemy to heed
Someone they would usually avoid


To Mompesson (the Anglican
At Mompesson's (the priest of the Anglican church)


Who held the rectors creed,
Who had confidence in the rector's belief


The differences between the men
The distinctions between the guys


That were so very wide
Were so broad indeed


Were shattered by the desperate need
Were devastated by the pressing necessity


And rudely cast aside.
And roughly dismissed.


The forces of the two were joined.
Their phalanx conjoined.


Their words were not in vain.
Their discourse wasn't baseless.


They told the villagers of Eyam,
The people of Eyam were instructed


"The plague must be contained,
"That the pandemic requires isolation


The plague must be contained".
The pandemic must be contained."


The simple people took their word,
The ordinary folk accepted their advice


Agreed to stay and die.
Opted to remain and perish.


They built a wall around the hamlet,
They put together a barricade around the small town,


Not so very high,
Not excessively tall,


But high enough that they should know
Though sufficient to make them aware


That though it mean their lives,
That even if it cost them their lives


The plague must stay behind the wall
The epidemic must be contained within the wall


With children, friends and wives,
With their offsprings, acquaintances, and spouses


For six long months the wall did stand
For half a dozen months, the barricade stood


And honest to their word,
Keeping their promise as per their commitment,


The families died.
The families expired.


The Friths and Sydalls
Both the Friths and Sydalls


Never more were heard.
Were never spotted again.


The Thornleys, Hancocks, and the Torres,
The Thornleys, Hancocks and Torres households,


All buried in the ground.
All interred beneath the soil.


The Coopers and the Vicars
And the Cooper and Vicar families


Never made another sound,
Never produced any more noise.


The dawn that rang the final bell
The daybreak that sounded the last chime


Left thirty-three alive
Thirty-three managed to survive


From three-hundred-and-fifty
Out of three hundred and fifty


In September 'sixty-five.
In the ninth month of 1665.


The villagers rebuilt their lives
The citizens reconstructed their existence


With those who still remained.
Alongside those who were still present.


The name of Eyam can still be seen;
The name of Eyam persists even today;


The plague had been contained,
The epidemic had been constrained,


The plague had been contained,
The epidemic had been restricted,


The plague had been contained,
The epidemic had been curbed,


The plague had been contained...
The epidemic had been repressed...




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