As a child she was always singing. Edale, in Derbyshire, was the ideal place to nurture this natural ability, with an abundance of communal song. Having played the fiddle a small amount at school, Bella attended a Folkworks Youth Summer School in Durham age 13. Motivated by the number of young people playing folk music, she was inspired to begin working on folk fiddle. She also met many of her great friends and musical companions.
Some of these new friends arranged to meet up again, and on New Year's Day a year later The Pack was formed. Initially The Pack was a way for this group of people to get free tickets to festivals. The spirited performances and complex arrangements of the 12 piece band proved a resounding success, and they went on to play many of the scene's greatest stages, including Cambridge Folk Festival main stage in 2003. In 2002, the only Pack album 12 Little Devils was released, with fRoots calling it "... a genuine feel good album. Get yours now!".
Hardy released her debut solo album Night Visiting in 2007, to critical acclaim. Mojo gave her a 4* 'Brilliant' rating, fRoots wrote "Bella Hardy is more than a new generation folk revivalist... Her potential is massive", and Taplas Magazine noted "...her debut CD solo album is a piece of wondrous beauty and inventive incisiveness". In 2008 she was nominated for the Horizon Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. She was also nominated for Best Original Song the same year with Three Black Feathers, which Jim Moray went on to record on his 2008 album Low Culture.
Hardy released her second solo album In The Shadow of Mountains in 2009 at the Cambridge Folk Festival. Again it gained critical acclaim. English Dance and Song Magazine wrote "It's astounding and somewhat daunting to realise this is only Bella's second album... Surely no-one has any right to be writing songs with the sophistication of 'Sylvie Sovay', so early in their career..."
All Things Are Quite Silent
Bella Hardy Lyrics
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When me and my true love lay snug in one nest
When a band of bold ruffians broke into our cave
And they forced my dear jewel to plough the salt way
I begged hard for my darling as I would for my life
But they would not heed me although a fond wife
Saying “the King must have soldiers to the wars he must go”
Through green fields and meadows we often have walked
And of fond recollections together have talked
Where the lark and the blackbird so sweetly do sing
And the lovely thrushes voices made the valleys to ring
Now although I’m forsaken I won’t be cast down
Who knows but my true love some day might return
And he’ll make me amends for my trouble and strife
And me and my darling might be happy for life
All things are quite silent each mortal at rest
The song "All Things Are Quite Silent" by Bella Hardy is a traditional folk song narrating the story of a young couple whose happiness is shattered when a group of ruffians break into their hiding place, and press the man into military service. The opening line of the song suggests an eerie calm, with silence all around, and every mortal at rest. The reference to the mortals being at rest indicates that it is probably nighttime, and everyone is asleep. The second line of the song introduces the couple who are lying snug in one nest, which could mean that they are hiding, metaphorically representing their love as a haven, where they are safe from the outside world.
The third line shifts the mood of the song, as a band of ruffians break into their hiding place, causing upheaval in their lives. The ruffians force the man into military service, leaving the lady alone to lament in sorrow and woe. The fourth and fifth lines poignantly express the woman's struggle as she begs for her partner's release, but all her pleas fall on deaf ears. The ruffians justify their actions by claiming that the king needs soldiers to fight wars.
The sixth and seventh lines of the song recall happier times in the couple's life when they walked through the green fields and meadows, talking about their fond memories, and listening to the birds singing. The idyllic landscape of green fields and meadows, with larks and blackbirds singing and thrushes making the valleys ring, contrast sharply with their current situation.
The last two lines of the song express the woman's hope that her true love will return someday to make amends for her trouble and strife. She refuses to be cast down even though she has been forsaken, and dreams of happiness with her darling by her side. The song 'All Things Are Quite Silent' is a powerful ballad that captures the essence of love, hope, loss, and resilience.
Line by Line Meaning
All things are quite silent each mortal at rest
The world is quiet and still as though everybody is at peace
When me and my true love lay snug in one nest
When my beloved and I were together and happy
When a band of bold ruffians broke into our cave
A group of rough and lawless individuals invaded our home
And they forced my dear jewel to plough the salt way
They made my loved one work hard labor as a punishment
I begged hard for my darling as I would for my life
I pleaded with them to spare the life of my beloved
But they would not heed me although a fond wife
But they didn't listen to me even though I am a devoted wife
Saying “the King must have soldiers to the wars he must go”
They claimed that the King needed soldiers for the war so they had to take my beloved
And they’ve left me lamenting in sorrow and woe
And they've left me grieving and in deep sadness
Through green fields and meadows we often have walked
We frequently strolled through lush fields and meadows
And of fond recollections together have talked
We reminisced and shared fond memories together
Where the lark and the blackbird so sweetly do sing
Where birds like the lark and the blackbird sing melodiously
And the lovely thrushes voices made the valleys to ring
And the beautiful songs of the thrushes filled the valleys with sound
Now although I’m forsaken I won’t be cast down
Although I am abandoned, I won't lose hope
Who knows but my true love some day might return
There's a possibility that my beloved might come back to me someday
And he’ll make me amends for my trouble and strife
And he'll make up for all the suffering I've been through
And me and my darling might be happy for life
And we might live happily ever after, if we're reunited
Contributed by Leo G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.