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..."
Walk It With You
Bella Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come over the gate
The night's lost behind
The day's come to late
Love came like a shadow
Love came like a storm
Love left here in silence
Love left with the dawn
This isn't your story
It's just a subplot
These things try to catch us
If we're ready or not
On life's lonely road
Happy endings are few
Let go of your fears
I'll walk it with you
Cold evening sun
Why won't you die
On this burnt out
Endless grey empty sky
Oh say Mr. Blackbird
Sat silent alone
With eyes fixed on nowhere
Won't you fly, fly away home
This isn't your story
It's just a subplot
These things try to catch us
If we're ready or not
On life's lonely road
Happy endings are few
Let go of your fears
I'll walk it with you
Bella Hardy's song "Walk It with You" is a powerful and poignant ballad that touches on the complexities of love, loss, and companionship. The first stanza presents the image of a blue morning sun coming over the gate, signifying a new day, and a sense of loss for the night that has just passed. The lyrics suggest that love, like the morning sun, can appear suddenly – like a shadow or a storm – and then vanish just as quickly, leaving silence and a sense of emptiness in its wake. This can be interpreted as an allusion to the ephemeral nature of love and relationships, which can be beautiful and transformative but also transient and unpredictable.
The refrain of the song (and the title) "I'll walk it with you" is a comforting reminder that we are not alone in our journey through life, which can be full of uncertainty, pain, and suffering. The lyrics suggest that life's road is lonely and that happy endings can be few and far between, but the singer promises to be a constant companion, despite the hardships that may come their way. The second stanza presents a contrast to the first, with the "cold evening sun" refusing to die on an "endless gray empty sky". This juxtaposition creates a sense of despair and hopelessness, emphasized by the image of the blackbird sitting silently and alone, fixed on nowhere. The stanza ends with a plea for the bird to "fly away home", indicating a longing for escape and a desire for something more.
In summary, "Walk It with You" is a song that explores the themes of love, loss, companionship, and the hardships of life. The lyrics offer a reminder that we are not alone in our journey, and even though life can be difficult and unpredictable, we can find comfort in the presence of those we love.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue morning sun
The sun has risen, but it feels melancholic and subdued.
Come over the gate
The sun rises in the distance, beyond the gate.
The night's lost behind
The dark and mysterious night has come to an end.
The day's come too late
It's too late for the day to really make up for the long and heavy night.
Love came like a shadow
Love crept up on her, unexpectedly and unnoticed.
Love came like a storm
Love hit her with a force powerful and overwhelming.
Love left here in silence
Love left as quietly as it came, without a word.
Love left with the dawn
Love left at daybreak, leaving her alone again.
This isn't your story
The story she's telling isn't necessarily her own - it could be anyone's.
It's just a subplot
The story she's telling is just a small part of something bigger.
These things try to catch us
Life has a way of throwing obstacles in our path.
If we're ready or not
Sometimes we're ready for these things, and other times we're not.
On life's lonely road
Life can be a lonely journey at times.
Happy endings are few
Not every story has a happy ending.
Let go of your fears
Don't let fear hold you back.
I'll walk it with you
I'll be there to support and guide you through the journey of life.
Cold evening sun
The sun is setting, and it feels cold and distant.
Why won't you die
It seems like the sun just won't disappear.
On this burnt out
The sky feels like it's already burnt out, leaving nothing but emptiness.
Endless grey empty sky
The sky is expansive and lonely, seeming to go on forever.
Oh say Mr. Blackbird
She addresses a blackbird, symbolizing a messenger of death or bad luck.
Sat silent alone
The blackbird sits still and silent, as if waiting for something to happen.
With eyes fixed on nowhere
The blackbird appears to be staring off into the distance, unseeing.
Won't you fly, fly away home
She pleads with the blackbird to leave and fly away, hoping to dispel any bad omens.
Contributed by Peyton A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@strangedean
Beautiful song