They released one Ep, E.P.onymous in October 2004, and five albums, Burlesque in October 2006, Matachin in October 2008, Hedonism in October 2010, Broadside in October 2012 and Revival in June 2014.
http://www.bellowhead.co.uk/releases.html
They announced in 2015 that the 2016 tour would be the last.
www.bellowhead.co.uk/home/item/142-thats-all-folks.html
Band Members ...
Jon Boden - lead vocals and fiddle
John Spiers - melodeon & concertina
Benji Kirkpatrick - bouzouki, guitar, mandolin, tenor banjo
Paul Sartin - Fiddle, oboe and vocals
Rachael McShane - Cello, fiddle, vocals
Ed Neuhauser - Sousaphone, Helicon & Tuba
Pete Flood - percussion
Andy Mellon - trumpet & flugelhorn
Brendan Kelly - soprano & tenor saxes, bass clarinet
Justin Thurgur - trombone
Sam Sweeney - Fiddle, Bagpipes
www.bellowhead.co.uk/band.html
Prickle-eye Bush
Bellowhead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That pricks my heart for sore
And if ever I get out of this Prickle Eye Bush
Then I never will get in it any more
Oh hangman, stay your hand
Stay it for a while
For I think I see my mother coming over yonder stile
Oh mother, have you brought me gold?
Or silver to set me free?
For to save my body from the cold, cold ground
And my neck from the gallows tree
Oh no, I have not brought you gold
Or silver to set you free
For to save your body from the cold, cold ground
And your neck from the gallows tree
Oh the Prickle Eye Bush
That pricks my heart for sore
Oh and if ever I get out of this Prickle Eye Bush
Then I never will get in it any more
Hangman, stay your hand
Stay it for a while
For I think I see my sister coming over yonder stile
Oh sister, have you brought me gold?
Or silver to set me free?
For to save my body from the cold, cold ground
And my neck from the gallows tree
Oh no, I have not brought you gold
Or silver to set you free
For to save your body from the cold, cold ground
And your neck from the gallows tree
Oh the Prickle Eye Bush
That pricks my heart for sore
Oh and if ever I get out of this Prickle Eye Bush
Then I never will get in it any more
Hangman, stay your hand
Stay it for a while
For I think I see my own true love coming over yonder stile
Oh true love, have you brought me gold?
Or silver to set me free?
For to save my body from the cold, cold ground
And my neck from the gallows tree
Oh yes, I have brought you gold
Oh, and silver to set you free
For to save your body from the cold, cold ground
And your neck from the gallows tree
Oh the Prickle Eye Bush
That pricks my heart for sore
Oh and now that I'm out of this Prickle Eye Bush
Then I never will get in it any more
Oh and now that I'm out of this Prickle Eye Bush
Then I never will get in it any more
The Prickle-eye Bush is a traditional English folk song that tells the story of a condemned man who is lamenting his fate. The prickly bush refers to the pain in his heart caused by his impending hanging, and he asks the hangman to stay his hand. He then sees his mother, sister, and true love approaching, and each time he asks if they have brought gold or silver to set him free. Only his true love has brought the money needed, and with her help, he can escape the Prickle-eye Bush and avoid the hangman's noose.
The lyrics of the song capture the desperation of a man facing certain death and the hope he feels when he realizes that someone cares enough to help him. The repeated refrain of "Oh the Prickle Eye Bush that pricks my heart for sore" highlights the captivity that the man feels, the burden of the prickly bush mirroring the weight on his heart.
The song has been interpreted in a number of different ways, including as a commentary on poverty and the power structures that keep the poor in their place, or as a representation of the universal experience of facing death, whether it be a physical death or a metaphorical one.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the Prickle Eye Bush
The painful and dangerous situation that the singer finds themselves in
That pricks my heart for sore
Causing great emotional and physical pain
And if ever I get out of this Prickle Eye Bush
The singer wants to escape this situation
Then I never will get in it any more
The artist wants to avoid ever being in this situation again
Hangman, stay your hand
The artist is pleading for mercy
Stay it for a while
The singer is begging for more time to find a way out of their situation
For I think I see my mother coming over yonder stile
The singer believes they have a chance of being saved
Oh mother, have you brought me gold?
The artist hopes that their mother has come to offer them money to escape
Or silver to set me free?
The artist hopes that their mother has come to pay for their release
For to save my body from the cold, cold ground
The artist fears for their life and is seeking a way to avoid death
And my neck from the gallows tree
The singer fears execution by hanging
Oh the Prickle Eye Bush
The painful and dangerous situation that the artist finds themselves in
Hangman, stay your hand
The singer is pleading for mercy
Stay it for a while
The singer is begging for more time to find a way out of their situation
For I think I see my sister coming over yonder stile
The singer remains hopeful that they will be saved
Oh sister, have you brought me gold?
The artist is desperate for any help to escape
Oh and if ever I get out of this Prickle Eye Bush
The artist's strong desire to escape their dangerous situation
Oh true love, have you brought me gold?
The singer is desperate and hoping that their true love will offer help to escape
Oh yes, I have brought you gold
The singer's true love is offering them money to escape
Oh and now that I'm out of this Prickle Eye Bush
The artist's relief at finally escaping their dangerous situation
Then I never will get in it any more
The artist's determination to never find themselves in such a situation again
Contributed by Liliana S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ian Harris
Oh the Prickle Eye Bush
That pricks my heart for sore
And if ever I get out of this Prickle Eye Bush
Then I never will get in it any more
Oh hangman, stay your hand
Stay it for a while
For I think I see my mother coming over yonder stile
Oh mother, have you brought me gold?
Or silver to set me free?
For to save my body from the cold, cold ground
And my neck from the gallows tree
Oh no, I have not brought you gold
Or silver to set you free
For to save your body from the cold, cold ground
And your neck from the gallows tree
Oh the Prickle Eye Bush
That pricks my heart for sore
Oh and if ever I get out of this Prickle Eye Bush
Then I never will get in it any more
Hangman, stay your hand
Stay it for a while
For I think I see my sister coming over yonder stile
Oh sister, have you brought me gold?
Or silver to set me free?
For to save my body from the cold, cold ground
And my neck from the gallows tree
Oh no, I have not brought you gold
Or silver to set you free
For to save your body from the cold, cold ground
And your neck from the gallows tree
Oh the Prickle Eye Bush
That pricks my heart for sore
Oh and if ever I get out of this Prickle Eye Bush
Then I never will get in it any more
Hangman, stay your hand
Stay it for a while
For I think I see my own true love coming over yonder stile
Oh true love, have you brought me gold?
Or silver to set me free?
For to save my body from the cold, cold ground
And my neck from the gallows tree
Oh yes, I have brought you gold
Oh, and silver to set you free
For to save your body from the cold, cold ground
And your neck from the gallows tree
Oh the Prickle Eye Bush
That pricks my heart for sore
Oh and now that I'm out of this Prickle Eye Bush
Then I never will get in it any more
Oh and now that I'm out of this Prickle Eye Bush
Then I never will get in it any more
Moonstone
Absolutely fabulous. They exude such energy.
CliveChip
Got the long awaited DVD - this is a great trailer. A must have for anyone who has experienced one of their amazing live shows.
verityandstu
Heard Spiers and Boden do this tune at a little village festival gig a few years ago, both in scruffy t-shirts like they hadst been a-pulled through an hedge backwardf. Blew the socks off every man woman and child in the room. I doff my cap to these fine fine people.
bruce deane
wonderfully joyful version ... love it to bits
KittyStarlight
Me too. 🎵🎶🎵
KittyStarlight
The joy at the end is the best. ⭐🌟⭐
Sasha Lubetkin
What a rollicking, brilliant interpretation of traditional English folk. I've only just discovered Bellowhead - and they're disbanding. Better late then never, I suppose. Must buy some CDS.
So what Man
Sasha Lubetkin it's a lot of band members to keep together! but don't forget the beauty of folk music, the songs and influences to old standards goes back in the melting pot of the collective song pool for all folkies to dip into.
oneoflokis
At least I discovered them a few years before they disbanded! Never made it to a concert of their though. ☹️
oneoflokis
@So what Man Indeed!! 👍