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
The Hand Weaver And The Factory Maid
Bellowhead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fell in love with a factory maid
And if I could her favour gain
I'd sit beside her and weave by steam
My father to me scornful said
"How could you fancy a factory maid?
"When you could have girls both fine and gay
"All dressed like unto the Queen of May?"
As for your fine girls, I do not care
If I could but enjoy my dear
I'd sit in the factory all the day
And she and I'd keep our shuttles in play
I went to my lover's window last night
She says the moon was shining bright
And such a light came from her clothes
Like the morning star when it first arose
I went to my love's bedroom door
Where I had been oft times before
But I could not speak nor yet get in
To the pleasant bed where my love lay in
The pleasant bed where my love lay in
The pleasant bed where my love lay in
How can you say call it a pleasant bed
When naught lies there but a factory maid?
A factory maid although she be
Blessed be the man who enjoys she
Pleasant thoughts ran in my mind
As I turned down her sheets so fine
And see her two breasts standing so
Like two white hills all covered in snow
I turned down the milk-white sheet
To view her body, so fair and neat
And underneath I did espy
Two pillars of the finest ivory
Beneath those pillars a fountain lay
Which my poor wand'ring eye betrayed
But of all the fountains e'er to be found
I could have wished myself there drowned
Instrumental
The loom goes click, and the loom goes clack
the shuttle flies forward and then flies back
The weaver's so bent that he's like to crack
Where are the girls? I'll tell you plain
The girls have all gone to weave by steam
And if you would find them, you must rise at dawn
And trudge to the mill in the early morn.
The Hand Weaver and the Factory Maid is a traditional British folk song that tells the story of a hand weaver who falls in love with a factory maid. The weaver wishes to gain her favour so that he can sit beside her and weave by steam. However, his father is scornful of his love for a factory maid, and suggests that he could have girls who are “fine and gay,” and dressed like the Queen of May. The weaver responds that he does not care for these girls, and would rather spend his time in the factory with his beloved.
The weaver visits his lover's window one night, and sees her clothes shining in the moonlight like the morning star when it first arose. He attempts to enter her bedroom but is unable to, and reflects on her body and beauty. He imagines her breasts as two white hills covered in snow and wishes to drown in the fountain beneath them. The song ends with an instrumental section and a description of the mill, where the girls have gone to weave by steam.
The song speaks to the changing social and economic landscape of Britain during the Industrial Revolution, as well as the tensions between the old and new ways of life. It also highlights the power dynamics between the hand weaver and the factory worker, as well as the themes of love and desire.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a hand weaver, to my trade
I am a skilled manual weaver by profession
I fell in love with a factory maid
I became romantically interested in a woman who works in the factory
And if I could her favour gain
If I could only win her affection
I'd sit beside her and weave by steam
I'd love to work next to her in the factory using the latest weaving technology
My father to me scornful said
My father disapproved and showed contempt towards my love interest
"How could you fancy a factory maid?
"Why would you choose to be enamored with a working-class woman?
"When you could have girls both fine and gay
"When you could have any lady of high class and beauty?
As for your fine girls, I do not care
I don't have any interest in ladies of high breeding and social status
If I could but enjoy my dear
All I want is to be with my love
I'd sit in the factory all the day
I'd be content to spend my days working with my beloved in the factory
And she and I'd keep our shuttles in play
We'd work together on our looms using the shuttlecock
I went to my lover's window last night
I went to meet up with my love at her window at night
She says the moon was shining bright
She tells me the moon was giving off a gleaming light
And such a light came from her clothes
Her attire shone brilliantly in the moonlight
Like the morning star when it first arose
Her clothes were radiant like the appearance of the morning star
I went to my love's bedroom door
I made my way to visit my love's chamber door
Where I had been oft times before
This was a familiar place I've visited many times before
But I could not speak nor yet get in
I was unable to talk or even gain entry into her room
To the pleasant bed where my love lay in
Where my love was sleeping peacefully in her comfy bed
How can you say call it a pleasant bed
How dare you refer to it as a comfortable bed
When naught lies there but a factory maid?
When all that lies there is a woman of lower class who works in the factory?
A factory maid although she be
Though she may be a woman of humble profession
Blessed be the man who enjoys she
Lucky be the man who is able to have her company and affection
Pleasant thoughts ran in my mind
My thoughts of her were delightful and gratifying
As I turned down her sheets so fine
As I lowered her silky sheets ever so gently
And see her two breasts standing so
As I beheld her shapely, perky breasts
Like two white hills all covered in snow
They were similar to two snowy peaks
I turned down the milk-white sheet
I uncovered the white, pristine sheet
To view her body, so fair and neat
To gaze upon her exquisite, finely-proportioned figure
And underneath I did espy
I was able to take a glance further down
Two pillars of the finest ivory
I saw two impeccable ivory pillars
Beneath those pillars a fountain lay
Nestled between them was a fountain of excitement
Which my poor wand'ring eye betrayed
My eyes were drawn to it with little restraint
But of all the fountains e'er to be found
Of all the sources of excitement one could find
I could have wished myself there drowned
I would have preferred to lose myself in its depths rather than be elsewhere
The loom goes click, and the loom goes clack
The sound of the loom's operation goes click and clack
the shuttle flies forward and then flies back
The shuttlecock flies forward and backward with each pass
The weaver's so bent that he's like to crack
The weaver is so hunched over that he almost breaks
Where are the girls? I'll tell you plain
Where are the girls? I'll tell you straight up
The girls have all gone to weave by steam
The female weavers have all shifted to machine looms powered by steam
And if you would find them, you must rise at dawn
If you want to find them, you have to wake up very early in the morning and go to the factory
And trudge to the mill in the early morn.
And work at the factory throughout the entire day.
Contributed by Miles J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.