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..."
True Hearted Girl
Bella Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I was on horseback at the break of the day
Wasn't I pretty when I rode from the city
And met with my downfall on the first day of May
Come mother, come father, and sit down beside me
Come sit down beside me and hear my sad case
For my poor heart it is breaking, and my head it is aching
Why couldn't he tell me before he disordered me
Why didn't he tell me his secret in time
For I could have bought pills, and the salts of white mercury
But now I am done for, and cut down in my prime
So beat the drum slowly, and play the pipes lowly
Play me a dead march as we come along
And lift my wretched body and lay me down easy
I'm a true hearted girl, never meant to do wrong
The song "True Hearted Girl" by Bella Hardy is a traditional ballad that describes a young woman's downfall due to being deceived by her lover. The lyrics paint a poignant picture of the singer's journey from the city to her ultimate demise. The first verse sets the scene of the horseback ride, which she believes was her most beautiful moment. However, the song soon takes a turn for the tragic when we find out that she has been abandoned by her lover and is now dying from some mysterious ailment.
In the second verse, the singer beseeches her mother and father to sit beside her and listen to her story. She reveals that her heart is breaking, and her head is aching due to the betrayal of her soldier. She asks why he didn't tell her his secrets and why he didn't give her a chance to save herself. The third verse reveals that the betrayal has led to her ultimate downfall. The singer has fallen ill and is beyond the point of no return. The final verse is a plea for a solemn death procession for the "true-hearted girl."
The lyrics of "True Hearted Girl" bring to light the painful consequences of deceit and miscommunication in romantic relationships. They also shed light on the societal expectations of women to be loyal and true-hearted, even in the face of betrayal.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was on horseback, wasn't I pretty
I remember the day when I rode a horse, under the blue sky, and felt beautiful
When I was on horseback at the break of the day
I enjoyed my horse riding when the sun was first coming up
Wasn't I pretty when I rode from the city
I looked attractive when I galloped from the crowded town
And met with my downfall on the first day of May
That was the ill-fated day when I encountered an unfortunate incident
Come mother, come father, and sit down beside me
Parents, please come here, and console me in my agony
Come sit down beside me and hear my sad case
Take a seat next to me, and listen patiently to my woeful story
For my poor heart it is breaking, and my head it is aching
Because of my lover's betrayal, my heart is shattered, and my mind is confused
And my soldier has left me in shame and disgrace
My beloved partner has abandoned me with humiliation and dishonor
Why couldn't he tell me before he disordered me
Why did he not let me know his intentions before he confused and ruined me
Why didn't he tell me his secret in time
Why did he conceal his secrets until it was too late
For I could have bought pills, and the salts of white mercury
I would have found a cure for my sufferings if he had told me earlier
But now I am done for, and cut down in my prime
Now I am destroyed, and ruined at the peak of my life
So beat the drum slowly, and play the pipes lowly
At my funeral, please play mournful music slowly and gently
Play me a dead march as we come along
As we walk to the graveyard, please play marching music for the dead
And lift my wretched body and lay me down easy
Gently lift my miserable corpse and place it down softly
I'm a true hearted girl, never meant to do wrong
Although I fell victim to love, I was always an honest and virtuous woman
Writer(s): Bella Hardy
Contributed by Samantha H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.