Arwen Arabella Hardy, known professionally as Bella Hardy, is an English c… Read Full Bio ↴Arwen Arabella Hardy, known professionally as Bella Hardy, is an English contemporary folk musician, singer and songwriter from Edale in Derbyshire. She performed in various line-ups as a teenager, including The Pack and Ola, and reached the final of the BBC Young Folk Awards in 2004, but it was the release of her debut solo album Night Visiting in 2007 which garnered her recognition at the forefront of modern folk music.

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..."

The Herring Girl
Bella Hardy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All you who look down on me with that judgement in your eyes
While the jury picks its fate for me I'd have you save your sighs
As a child with no family I was begging on the street

When great fortune came and made me a herring girl

I don't come from these islands, from England I have roamed
And born in Great Yarmouth, that is my native home

In Autumn when the girls all chased the fish down from the north
How I longed that I would one day be a herring girl

A young girl down from Aberdeen took sick and to her bed
I asked if there was work and down to Rhona I was led
Oh she smiled at the height of me, and said that I would do
And as a Packer I was joined to be a herring girl

This season started up in Scotland, I'd just turned sixteen
And Rhona she's the greatest gutter Stornoway has seen
At eighty fish a minute, and with Mary not much less
We three, we're famed as the best crew of herring girls

Last Saturday was dancing day, and the boys were in the town
We were packing up and cleaning up and heading for our room
When a stranger crept behind us in an ally round the back
Out to catch himself a couple of fresh herring girls

Oh so suddenly he's on us and he's knocked me to the ground
And he's pinned our Rhona by the throat so she couldn't make a sound
But from her apron pocket fell a knife so keen and sharp
I've taught that man the price of fishing for a herring girl

All you who look down on me with that judgement in your eyes
While the jury picks its fate for me I'd have you save your sighs

For I'd gladly do the same again to any man that tries
Test his luck, and take advantage of a herring girl

Overall Meaning

The Herring Girl is a poignant and powerful song by Bella Hardy which tells the story of a herring girl who is determined to protect herself and fellow women. The song begins with her addressing those who look down on her with judgment in their eyes, while she is about to undergo a trial. During her childhood, the herring girl had no family and had to beg on the streets. However, her fortune took a turn for the better when she was given the opportunity to become a herring girl. She talks about how she longed to be a part of the herring girls who chased fish down from the north during autumn.

The herring girl then tells her story of how she started as a Packer and worked with Rhona and Mary, who were the best crew of herring girls. They were famous for their speed and efficiency. However, one day when they were heading back to their room after packing and cleaning up on dancing day, a stranger tried to harm them. He knocked the herring girl down and pinned Rhona by the throat, but a knife fell out of Rhona's pocket. The herring girl used the knife to teach the man the price of fishing for a herring girl. She concludes the song by suggesting that she would do the same thing again if any man tries to take advantage of a herring girl.

Line by Line Meaning

All you who look down on me with that judgement in your eyes
Don't judge me based on my past, appearances can be deceiving

While the jury picks its fate for me I'd have you save your sighs
Don't pity me, I don't need your sympathy

As a child with no family I was begging on the street
I had a tough childhood, I was an orphan and had to beg for a living

When great fortune came and made me a herring girl
I got lucky and found work as a herring girl, which changed my life

I don't come from these islands, from England I have roamed
I'm not from here, I came to these islands from England

And born in Great Yarmouth, that is my native home
My birthplace is Great Yarmouth, that's where I come from

In Autumn when the girls all chased the fish down from the north
During autumn, the girls would follow the fish down from the north

How I longed that I would one day be a herring girl
I always wished to be a herring girl just like them

A young girl down from Aberdeen took sick and to her bed
A girl from Aberdeen fell ill and couldn't work

I asked if there was work and down to Rhona I was led
I asked if there was a job available and Rhona showed me the way

Oh she smiled at the height of me, and said that I would do
Rhona was pleased with my height and offered me the job

And as a Packer I was joined to be a herring girl
I became a Packer and joined the group of herring girls

This season started up in Scotland, I'd just turned sixteen
I started working in Scotland during this season when I was sixteen

And Rhona she's the greatest gutter Stornoway has seen
Rhona is the best gutter in Stornoway

At eighty fish a minute, and with Mary not much less
We are both very fast workers, we can pack eighty fish a minute

We three, we're famed as the best crew of herring girls
The three of us are renowned as the best herring girls

Last Saturday was dancing day, and the boys were in the town
It was dancing day last Saturday, and the boys were in town

We were packing up and cleaning up and heading for our room
We finished working and were going back to our room to rest

When a stranger crept behind us in an ally round the back
A stranger sneakily came up behind us in an alleyway

Out to catch himself a couple of fresh herring girls
He wanted to take advantage of us, just because we were herring girls

Oh so suddenly he's on us and he's knocked me to the ground
He attacked us out of nowhere and knocked me down

And he's pinned our Rhona by the throat so she couldn't make a sound
He grabbed Rhona by the throat and silenced her

But from her apron pocket fell a knife so keen and sharp
Luckily, Rhona had a sharp knife in her pocket which fell out

I've taught that man the price of fishing for a herring girl
I showed that man not to mess with us and that there are consequences for taking advantage of herring girls

For I'd gladly do the same again to any man that tries
I would defend myself and my fellow herring girls again, if necessary

Test his luck, and take advantage of a herring girl
Don't underestimate or take advantage of me just because I'm a herring girl

Contributed by Christopher K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS