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..."
Flowers Of May
Bella Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And accept these flowers of May
The sun breaks with my love for you
And I beg you come away"
"Oh my father will not have you
And my mother she says no
They say you must earn wealth and rank
"Then my ship shall sail the ocean
On a tide of velvet blue
And I shall rides the waves love
As the stars watch over you"
Well he's boarded on the Trenby
And not far gone from the strand
When the cruel south wind so wickedly
Pushed that ship back to land
On the rocks by Bishop Corner
In the night she's caught and done
And there's neither sight nor sound left
With the breaking of the sun
"Oh your ship lies in the ocean
In a grave of velvet blue
And I shall curse the stars love
As the waves wash over you"
Seven hours she's lost in weeping
'Till to the cliff's edge she has gone
But as she closed her eyes
There came a whisper soft and strong
"I would swim a thousand oceans
To bring you the flowers of May
And I've fought the freezing waters grasp
To beg you come away"
In a cottage by the ocean
There's a song of velvet blue
May you love, may you be loved
And may the stars watch over you
The song "Flowers of May" by Bella Hardy tells a heartbreaking story of a young couple in love, who are prevented from being together by societal expectations imposed upon them. The singer wakes up her lover, Jeanie, with a bouquet of flowers in the month of May, and begs her to come away with her. However, Jeanie's family does not approve of the relationship, claiming that the suitor does not have enough wealth and rank to deserve their daughter. Distraught, the singer announces that she will sail the ocean to ride the waves, while the stars watch over Jeanie. However, her ship is caught in a storm and wrecked on the rocks by Bishop Corner, leaving the singer to curse the stars, as she is left heartbroken, while Jeanie is inconsolable.
The song explores themes of love, societal expectations, and loss. The singer shows a deep commitment to her lover, willing to brave the perils of the ocean to be with her. However, societal norms prevent them from being together, and ultimately result in heartbreak. The imagery of the ocean and the stars symbolizes the vastness and beauty of the world that the singer is willing to navigate to be with her love, but also the cruel and indifferent forces that prevent her from fulfilling her desire.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake, oh wake my dearest Jeanie
Wake up, my beloved Jeanie
And accept these flowers of May
Take these flowers as a symbol of my love for you
The sun breaks with my love for you
I feel the warmth of the sun as it rises, which reminds me of my love for you
And I beg you come away
Please come with me
Oh my father will not have you
My father disapproves of our love
And my mother she says no
My mother also disapproves
They say you must earn wealth and rank
They believe you must have money and status before we can be together
Before they let me go
Before they allow me to be with you
Then my ship shall sail the ocean
I will set sail on the open sea
On a tide of velvet blue
The waves will be a deep blue color
And I shall rides the waves love
I will ride the waves of the sea
As the stars watch over you
The stars will shine down on you
Well he's boarded on the Trenby
He has gotten on board the Trenby
And not far gone from the strand
The ship has not gone far from the shore
When the cruel south wind so wickedly
Suddenly, the cruel south wind began to blow
Pushed that ship back to land
It pushed the ship back towards land
On the rocks by Bishop Corner
The ship crashed on the rocks near Bishop Corner
In the night she's caught and done
The ship crashed and was destroyed in the darkness
And there's neither sight nor sound left
There was no sight or sound remaining
With the breaking of the sun
As the sun rose
Oh your ship lies in the ocean
Your ship remains at the bottom of the sea
In a grave of velvet blue
It sank in the blue waters of the ocean
And I shall curse the stars love
I will blame the stars for what happened
As the waves wash over you
As the waves continue to crash over your ship
Seven hours she's lost in weeping
She cried uncontrollably for seven hours
‘Till to the cliff's edge she has gone
She went to the cliff's edge
But as she closed her eyes
As she was about to close her eyes
There came a whisper soft and strong
She heard a whisper that was both gentle and powerful
I would swim a thousand oceans
I would do anything to be with you
To bring you the flowers of May
I would bring you the flowers that represent our love
And I've fought the freezing waters grasp
I overcame the cold, deadly water to be with you
To beg you come away
To plead with you to come with me
In a cottage by the ocean
We are living in a charming home near the sea
There's a song of velvet blue
There's a beautiful song about the ocean's deep blue color
May you love, may you be loved
May you find love and happiness
And may the stars watch over you
May the stars always be with you
Contributed by Oliver A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.