Herbert "Bert" Jansch (3 November 1943 – 5 October 2011) was a Scottish fol… Read Full Bio ↴Herbert "Bert" Jansch (3 November 1943 – 5 October 2011) was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle.
He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter. He recorded at least 25 albums and toured extensively from the 1960s to the 21st century.
Jansch was a leading figure in the British folk music revival of the 1960s, touring folk clubs and recording several solo albums, as well as collaborating with other musicians such as John Renbourn and Anne Briggs. In 1968, he co-founded the band Pentangle, touring and recording with them until their break-up in 1972. He then took a few years' break from music, returning in the late 1970s to work on a series of projects with other musicians. He joined a reformed Pentangle in the early 1980s and remained with them as they evolved through various changes of personnel until 1995. Until his death, Jansch continued to work as a solo artist.
Jansch's work influenced such artists as Al Stewart, Paul Simon, Johnny Marr, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Bernard Butler, Jimmy Page, Nick Drake, Graham Coxon, Donovan, Neil Young, Fleet Foxes, Devendra Banhart, Neil Halstead, and Roy Harper.
Jansch received two Lifetime Achievement Awards at the BBC Folk Awards: one, in 2001, for his solo achievements and the other, in 2007, as a member of Pentangle.
Herbert Jansch was born at Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow in 1943, the descendant of a family originally from Hamburg, Germany who settled in Scotland during the Victorian era. The family name is pronounced /ˈjænʃ/ yansh by almost everyone except Jansch himself. He and some close members of his family pronounce it /ˈdʒænʃ/ jansh.
Jansch was brought up in the residential area of Edinburgh known as West Pilton, where he attended Pennywell Primary School and Ainslie Park Secondary School. As a teenager, he acquired a guitar and started visiting a local folk club ("The Howff") run by Roy Guest. There, he met Archie Fisher and Jill Doyle (Davey Graham's half-sister), who introduced him to the music of Big Bill Broonzy, Pete Seeger, Brownie McGhee and Woody Guthrie. He also met and shared a flat with Robin Williamson, who remained a friend when Jansch later moved to London.
After leaving school, Jansch took a job as a nurseryman, then in August 1960, he gave this up, with the intention of being a full-time musician. He appointed himself as an unofficial caretaker at The Howff and, as well as sleeping there, he may have received some pay to supplement his income as a novice performer who did not own his own guitar. He spent the next two years playing one-night stands in British folk clubs. This was a musical apprenticeship that exposed him to a range of influences, including Martin Carthy and Ian Campbell, but especially Anne Briggs, from whom he learned some of the songs (such as "Blackwaterside" and "Reynardine") that would later feature strongly in his recording career.
Between 1963 and 1965, Jansch travelled around Europe and beyond, hitch-hiking from place to place and living on earnings from busking and casual musical performances in bars and cafes. Before leaving Glasgow, he married a 16-year-old girl, Lynda Campbell. It was a marriage of convenience which allowed her to travel with him as she was too young to have her own passport. They split up after a few months and Jansch was eventually repatriated to Britain after catching dysentery in Tangiers.
Jansch moved to London where, in the mid-1960s, there was a burgeoning interest in folk music. There, he met the engineer and producer, Bill Leader, at whose home they made a recording of Jansch's music on a reel-to-reel tape recorder. Leader sold the tape for £100 to Transatlantic Records, who produced an album directly from it. The album Bert Jansch was released in 1965 and went on to sell 150,000 copies. It included Jansch's protest song "Do You Hear Me Now" which was brought to the attention of the pop music mainstream later that year by the singer Donovan, who covered it on his Universal Soldier EP, which reached No. 1 in the UK EP chart and No. 27 in the singles chart. Also included in Jansch's first album was his song "Needle of Death", a stark anti-drugs lament written after a friend died of a heroin overdose.
In his early career, Jansch was sometimes characterized as a British Bob Dylan. During this period, Jansch described his musical influences as "the only three people that I've ever copied were Big Bill Broonzy, Davy Graham and Archie Fisher". Jansch followed his first album with two more, produced in quick succession: It Don't Bother Me and Jack Orion — which contained his first recording of "Blackwaterside", later to be taken up by Jimmy Page and recorded by Led Zeppelin as "Black Mountain Side". Jansch says: "The accompaniment was nicked by a well-known member of one of the most famous rock bands, who used it, unchanged, on one of their records." Transatlantic took legal advice about the alleged copyright infringement and were advised that there was "a distinct possibility that Bert might win an action against Page". Ultimately, Transatlantic were dubious about the costs involved in taking on Led Zeppelin in the courts, and half the costs would have had to be paid by Jansch personally, which he simply could not afford, so the case was never pursued. The arrangement and recording of Jack Orion was greatly influenced by Jansch's friend, singer Anne Briggs.
In London, Jansch met up with other innovative acoustic guitar players, including John Renbourn (with whom he shared a flat in Kilburn), Davey Graham, Wizz Jones, Roy Harper and Paul Simon. They would all meet and play in various London music clubs, including the Troubadour, in Old Brompton Road, and Les Cousins club in Greek Street, Soho. Renbourn and Jansch frequently played together, developing their own intricate interplay between the two guitars, often referred to as 'Folk baroque'.
In 1966, they recorded the Bert and John album together, featuring much of this material. Late in 1967 they tired of the all-nighters at Les Cousins and became the resident musicians at a music venue set up by Bruce Dunnett, a Scottish entrepreneur, at the Horseshoe pub (now defunct) at 264-267 Tottenham Court Road. This became the haunt of a number of musicians, including the singer Sandy Denny. Another singer, Jacqui McShee began performing with the two guitarists and, with the addition of Danny Thompson (string bass) and Terry Cox (drums), they formed the group, Pentangle. The venue evolved into a jazz club, but by then the group had moved on.
On 19 October 1968, Jansch married Heather Sewell. At the time, she was an art student and had been the girlfriend of Roy Harper. She inspired several of Jansch's songs and instrumentals: the most obvious is "Miss Heather Rosemary Sewell", from his 1968 album, Birthday Blues, but Jansch says that, despite the name, "M'Lady Nancy" (from the 1971 Rosemary Lane album) was also written for her. As Heather Jansch she has become a well-known sculptor.
Pentangle's first major concert was at the Royal Festival Hall, in 1967, and their first album was released in the following year. Pentangle embarked on a demanding schedule of touring the world and recording and, during this period, Jansch largely gave up solo performances. He did, however, continue to record, releasing Rosemary Lane in 1971. The tracks, for this album were recorded on a portable tape recorder by Bill Leader at Jansch's cottage in Ticehurst, Sussex — a process which took several months, with Jansch only working when he was in the right mood.
Pentangle reached their highest point of commercial success with the release of their Basket Of Light album in 1969. The single, Light Flight, taken from the album became popular through its use as theme music for a TV drama series Take Three Girls for which the band also provided incidental music. In 1970, at the peak of their popularity, they recorded a soundtrack for the film Tam Lin, made at least 12 television appearances, and undertook tours of the UK (including the Isle of Wight Festival) and America (including a concert at the Carnegie Hall). However, their fourth album, Cruel Sister, released in October 1970, was a commercial disaster. This was an album of traditional songs that included a 20-minute long version of Jack Orion, a song that Jansch and Renbourn had recorded previously as a duo on Jansch's Jack Orion album.
Pentangle recorded two further albums, but the strains of touring and of working together as a band were taking their toll. Then Pentangle withdrew from their record company, Transatlantic, in a bitter dispute regarding royalties. The final album of the original incarnation of Pentangle was Solomon's Seal released by Warner Brothers/Reprise in 1972. Colin Harper describes it as "a record of people's weariness, but also the product of a unit whose members were still among the best players, writers and musical interpreters of their day". Pentangle split up in January 1973, and Jansch and his wife bought a farm near Lampeter, in Wales, and withdrew temporarily from the concert circuit. After two years as a farmer, Jansch left his wife and family and returned to music (although Jansch and his wife would not be formally divorced until 1988).
In 1977, he recorded the album A Rare Conundrum with a new set of musicians: Mike Piggott, Rod Clements and Pick Withers. He then formed the band Conundrum with the addition of Martin Jenkins (violin) and Nigel Smith (bass). They spent six months touring Australia, Japan and the United States. With the end of the tour, Conundrum parted company and Jansch spent six months in the United States, where he recorded the Heartbreak album with Albert Lee.
Jansch toured Scandinavia, working as a duo with Martin Jenkins and, based on ideas they developed, recorded the Avocet album (initially released in Denmark). Jansch rates this as amongst his own favourites from his own recordings. On returning to England, he set up Bert Jansch's Guitar Shop at 220, New King's Road, Fulham. The shop specialised in hand-built acoustic guitars but was not a commercial success and closed after two years.
In 1980, an Italian promoter encouraged the original Pentangle to reform for a tour and a new album. The reunion started badly, with Terry Cox being injured in a car accident, resulting in the band's debuting at the Cambridge Folk Festival as a four-piece Pentangle. They managed to complete a tour of Italy (with Cox in a wheelchair) and Australia, before Renbourn left the band in 1983. There then followed a series of personnel changes, including Mike Piggott replacing John Renbourn from 1983 to 1987 and recording Open the Door and In the Round, but ultimately leaving Jansch and McShee as the only original members. The final incarnation consisting of Jansch, McShee, Nigel Portman Smith (keyboards), Peter Kirtley (guitar and vocals) and Gerry Conway (drums) survived from 1987 to 1995 and recorded three albums: Think of Tomorrow, One More Road and Live 1994. As a solo artist in the mid-1980s, he often appeared on Vivian Stanshall and Ki Longfellow-Stanshall's showboat, the Old Profanity Showboat, in Bristol's Floating Harbour.
He had always been a heavy drinker, but in 1987 he fell ill while working with Rod Clements and Marty Craggs, and was rushed to hospital, where he was told that he was "as seriously ill as you can be without dying" and that he had a choice of "giving up alcohol or simply giving up". He chose the former option: Colin Harper states that "There can be no doubt that Bert's creativity, reliability, energy, commitment and quality of performance were all rescued dramatically by the decision to quit boozing". Jansch and Clements continued the work they had started before Jansch's illness, resulting in the 1988 Leather Launderette album.
Bert was the prime mover in the Acoustic Routes film, first broadcast by the BBC in 1992. It shows him revisiting his old haunts and reminiscing with guests such as Al Stewart, Anne Briggs, John Renbourn, and Davy Graham.
From 1995, Jansch appeared frequently at the 12 Bar Club in Denmark Street, London.[60] One of his live sets there was recorded direct to Digital Audio Tape (DAT) by Jansch's then manager, Alan King, and was released as the Live at the 12 Bar: an official bootleg album in 1996. In 2002 Jansch, Bernard Butler and Johnny "Guitar" Hodge performed live together at the Jazz Cafe, London. Bernard Butler had also appeared on Bert's 2002 album Edge of a Dream featuring, amongst others, Ralph McTell and guitarist Paul Wassif. The instrumental "Black Cat Blues", featuring Paul Wassif, appeared on the 2003 film Calendar Girls, and Wassif became a frequent sideman at Bert's live shows. In 2003, Jansch celebrated his 60th birthday with a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. The BBC organised a concert for Jansch and various guests at the church of St Luke Old Street, which was televised on BBC Four.
In 2005, Jansch teamed up again with one of his early influences, Davey Graham, for a small number of concerts in England and Scotland.[66] His concert tour had to be postponed, owing to illness, and Jansch underwent major heart surgery in late 2005. By 2006 he had recovered and was playing concerts again. Jansch's album The Black Swan (his first for four years) was released on Sanctuary on 18 September 2006, featuring Beth Orton and Devendra Banhart on tracks "Katie Cruel", "When the Sun Comes Up", and "Watch the Stars", amongst other guests. In 2007, he featured on Babyshambles album, Shotter's Nation, playing acoustic guitar in the song "The Lost Art of Murder". After recording, he accompanied Babyshambles' lead singer Pete Doherty on several acoustic gigs, and performed on the Pete and Carl Reunion Gig, where ex-Libertines and Dirty Pretty Things singer Carl Barat joined Doherty on stage.
In 2009 he played a concert at the London Jazz Cafe to celebrate the release of three of his older albums (LA Turnaround, Santa Barbara Honeymoon and A Rare Conundrum) on CD format. However, later that year, due to an unexpected illness, he had to cancel a 22-date North American tour that was due to start on 26 June. Jansch's website reported: "Bert is very sorry to be missing the tour, and apologises to all the fans who were hoping to see him. He is looking forward to rescheduling as soon as possible."
Jansch opened for Neil Young on his Twisted Road solo tour in the US and Canada, starting on 18 May 2010. He also performed at Eric Clapton's Crossroads festival in June 2010. These were Jansch's first shows since his illness. One of Bert's last recording sessions was with Eric Clapton for Paul Wassif's 2011 album Looking Up Feeling Down. In 2011, a few reunion gigs took place with Pentangle, including performances at the Glastonbury Festival and one last final concert at the Royal Festival Hall, London, which was also Jansch's last ever public performance.
Jansch died on 5 October 2011, aged 67, at a hospice in Hampstead after a long battle with lung cancer.
He is buried in Highgate Cemetery.
In 2001 Jansch received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, and on 5 June 2006, he received the MOJO Merit Award at the Mojo Honours List ceremony, based on "an expanded career that still continues to be inspirational". The award was presented by Beth Orton and Roy Harper. Rolling Stone ranked Jansch as #94 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of all Time in 2003.
In January 2007, the five original members of Pentangle (including Jansch) were given a Lifetime Achievement award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. The award was presented by Sir David Attenborough. Producer John Leonard said "Pentangle were one of the most influential groups of the late 20th century and it would be wrong for the awards not to recognise what an impact they had on the music scene." Pentangle played together for the event, for the first time in more than two decades, and their performance was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on Wednesday, 7 February 2007. In 2007, Jansch was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music by Edinburgh Napier University, "in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the UK music industry".
Bert Jansch's musical influences included Big Bill Broonzy and Brownie McGhee, whom Jansch first saw playing at The Howff in 1960 and, much later, claimed that he'd "still be a gardener" if he hadn't encountered McGhee and his music. Jansch was also strongly influenced by the British folk music tradition, particularly by Anne Briggs[86] and, to a lesser extent, A.L. Lloyd. Other influences included jazz (notably Charles Mingus), early music (John Renbourn and Julian Bream) and other contemporary singer-songwriters — especially Clive Palmer. The other major influence was Davey Graham who, himself, brought together an eclectic mixture of musical styles. Also, in his formative years, Jansch had busked his way through Europe to Morocco, picking up musical ideas and rhythms from many sources. From these influences, he distilled his own individual guitar style.
Some of his songs feature a basic clawhammer style of right-hand playing but these are often distinguished by unusual chord voicings or by chords with added notes. An example of this is his song "Needle of Death", which features a simple picking style but several of the chords are decorated with added ninths. Characteristically, the ninths are not the highest note of the chord, but appear in the middle of the arpeggiated finger-picking, creating a "lumpiness" to the sound.
Another characteristic feature was his ability to hold a chord in the lower strings whilst bending an upper string—often bending up from a semitone below a chord note. These can be heard clearly on songs such as "Reynardine" where the bends are from the diminished fifth to the perfect fifth. Jansch often fitted the accompaniment to the natural rhythm of the words of his songs, rather than playing a consistent rhythm throughout. This can lead to occasional bars appearing in unusual time signatures. For example, his version of the Ewan MacColl song "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", unlike most other covers of that song, switches from 4/4 time to 3/4 and 5/4.[94] A similar disregard for conventional time signatures is found in several of his collaborative compositions with Pentangle: for instance, "Light Flight" from the Basket of Light album includes sections in 5/8, 7/8 and 6/4 time.
Through the development of Pentangle, Jansch played a number of instruments: banjo, Appalachian dulcimer, recorder and concertina—on rare occasions he has even been known to play electric guitar. However, it is his acoustic guitar playing that was most notable.
Jansch's first guitar was home-made from a kit but when he left school and started work, he bought a Höfner cello-style guitar. Soon he traded this in for a Zenith which was marketed as the "Lonnie Donegan guitar" and which Jansch played in the folk clubs in the early 1960s. His first album was reputedly recorded using a Martin 00028 borrowed from Martin Carthy. Pictures of Jansch in the middle 1960s show him playing a variety of models, including Martin and Epiphone guitars. He had a guitar hand-built by John Bailey, which was used for most of the Pentangle recordings but was eventually stolen.
Jansch later played two six-string guitars built by the Coventry-based luthier, Rob Armstrong, one of which appears on the front and back covers of the 1980 Shanachie release, Best of Bert Jansch. He then had a contract with Yamaha, who provided him with an FG1500 which he played, along with a Yamaha LL11 1970s jumbo guitar.[104] Jansch's relationship with Yamaha continued and they presented him with an acoustic guitar with gold trim and abalone inlay for his 60th birthday although, valued at about £3000, Jansch was quoted as saying that it is too good for stage use. Jansch was a well-known Fylde guitar player.
Jansch's music, and particularly his acoustic guitar playing, have influenced a range of well-known musicians. His first album (Bert Jansch, 1965) was much admired, with Jimmy Page saying "At one point, I was absolutely obsessed with Bert Jansch. When I first heard that LP, I couldn't believe it. It was so far ahead of what everyone else was doing. No one in America could touch that." The same debut album included Jansch's version of the Davy Graham instrumental "Angie". This was a favourite of Mike Oldfield, who practised acoustic guitar alone as a child, and was then heavily influenced by Jansch's style. The title of the instrumental inspired Oldfield to call his first band (with sister Sally) The Sallyangie.
Jansch's version of "Angie" inspired Paul Simon's recording of the piece, which was retitled "Anji" and appeared on the Simon & Garfunkel album Sounds of Silence. From the same era, Neil Young is quoted as saying, "As much of a great guitar player as Jimi [Hendrix] was, Bert Jansch is the same thing for acoustic guitar...and my favourite." Nick Drake and Donovan were both admirers of Jansch: both recorded covers of his songs and Donovan went on to dedicate two of his own songs to Jansch; "Bert's Blues" appeared on his Sunshine Superman LP, and "House of Jansch" on his fourth album Mellow Yellow. Other tributes included Gordon Giltrap's album Janschology (2000) which has two tunes by Jansch, plus two others that show his influence. Further afield, the Japanese acoustic guitar player Tsuneo Imahori is known to have been heavily influenced by Jansch
He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter. He recorded at least 25 albums and toured extensively from the 1960s to the 21st century.
Jansch was a leading figure in the British folk music revival of the 1960s, touring folk clubs and recording several solo albums, as well as collaborating with other musicians such as John Renbourn and Anne Briggs. In 1968, he co-founded the band Pentangle, touring and recording with them until their break-up in 1972. He then took a few years' break from music, returning in the late 1970s to work on a series of projects with other musicians. He joined a reformed Pentangle in the early 1980s and remained with them as they evolved through various changes of personnel until 1995. Until his death, Jansch continued to work as a solo artist.
Jansch's work influenced such artists as Al Stewart, Paul Simon, Johnny Marr, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Bernard Butler, Jimmy Page, Nick Drake, Graham Coxon, Donovan, Neil Young, Fleet Foxes, Devendra Banhart, Neil Halstead, and Roy Harper.
Jansch received two Lifetime Achievement Awards at the BBC Folk Awards: one, in 2001, for his solo achievements and the other, in 2007, as a member of Pentangle.
Herbert Jansch was born at Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow in 1943, the descendant of a family originally from Hamburg, Germany who settled in Scotland during the Victorian era. The family name is pronounced /ˈjænʃ/ yansh by almost everyone except Jansch himself. He and some close members of his family pronounce it /ˈdʒænʃ/ jansh.
Jansch was brought up in the residential area of Edinburgh known as West Pilton, where he attended Pennywell Primary School and Ainslie Park Secondary School. As a teenager, he acquired a guitar and started visiting a local folk club ("The Howff") run by Roy Guest. There, he met Archie Fisher and Jill Doyle (Davey Graham's half-sister), who introduced him to the music of Big Bill Broonzy, Pete Seeger, Brownie McGhee and Woody Guthrie. He also met and shared a flat with Robin Williamson, who remained a friend when Jansch later moved to London.
After leaving school, Jansch took a job as a nurseryman, then in August 1960, he gave this up, with the intention of being a full-time musician. He appointed himself as an unofficial caretaker at The Howff and, as well as sleeping there, he may have received some pay to supplement his income as a novice performer who did not own his own guitar. He spent the next two years playing one-night stands in British folk clubs. This was a musical apprenticeship that exposed him to a range of influences, including Martin Carthy and Ian Campbell, but especially Anne Briggs, from whom he learned some of the songs (such as "Blackwaterside" and "Reynardine") that would later feature strongly in his recording career.
Between 1963 and 1965, Jansch travelled around Europe and beyond, hitch-hiking from place to place and living on earnings from busking and casual musical performances in bars and cafes. Before leaving Glasgow, he married a 16-year-old girl, Lynda Campbell. It was a marriage of convenience which allowed her to travel with him as she was too young to have her own passport. They split up after a few months and Jansch was eventually repatriated to Britain after catching dysentery in Tangiers.
Jansch moved to London where, in the mid-1960s, there was a burgeoning interest in folk music. There, he met the engineer and producer, Bill Leader, at whose home they made a recording of Jansch's music on a reel-to-reel tape recorder. Leader sold the tape for £100 to Transatlantic Records, who produced an album directly from it. The album Bert Jansch was released in 1965 and went on to sell 150,000 copies. It included Jansch's protest song "Do You Hear Me Now" which was brought to the attention of the pop music mainstream later that year by the singer Donovan, who covered it on his Universal Soldier EP, which reached No. 1 in the UK EP chart and No. 27 in the singles chart. Also included in Jansch's first album was his song "Needle of Death", a stark anti-drugs lament written after a friend died of a heroin overdose.
In his early career, Jansch was sometimes characterized as a British Bob Dylan. During this period, Jansch described his musical influences as "the only three people that I've ever copied were Big Bill Broonzy, Davy Graham and Archie Fisher". Jansch followed his first album with two more, produced in quick succession: It Don't Bother Me and Jack Orion — which contained his first recording of "Blackwaterside", later to be taken up by Jimmy Page and recorded by Led Zeppelin as "Black Mountain Side". Jansch says: "The accompaniment was nicked by a well-known member of one of the most famous rock bands, who used it, unchanged, on one of their records." Transatlantic took legal advice about the alleged copyright infringement and were advised that there was "a distinct possibility that Bert might win an action against Page". Ultimately, Transatlantic were dubious about the costs involved in taking on Led Zeppelin in the courts, and half the costs would have had to be paid by Jansch personally, which he simply could not afford, so the case was never pursued. The arrangement and recording of Jack Orion was greatly influenced by Jansch's friend, singer Anne Briggs.
In London, Jansch met up with other innovative acoustic guitar players, including John Renbourn (with whom he shared a flat in Kilburn), Davey Graham, Wizz Jones, Roy Harper and Paul Simon. They would all meet and play in various London music clubs, including the Troubadour, in Old Brompton Road, and Les Cousins club in Greek Street, Soho. Renbourn and Jansch frequently played together, developing their own intricate interplay between the two guitars, often referred to as 'Folk baroque'.
In 1966, they recorded the Bert and John album together, featuring much of this material. Late in 1967 they tired of the all-nighters at Les Cousins and became the resident musicians at a music venue set up by Bruce Dunnett, a Scottish entrepreneur, at the Horseshoe pub (now defunct) at 264-267 Tottenham Court Road. This became the haunt of a number of musicians, including the singer Sandy Denny. Another singer, Jacqui McShee began performing with the two guitarists and, with the addition of Danny Thompson (string bass) and Terry Cox (drums), they formed the group, Pentangle. The venue evolved into a jazz club, but by then the group had moved on.
On 19 October 1968, Jansch married Heather Sewell. At the time, she was an art student and had been the girlfriend of Roy Harper. She inspired several of Jansch's songs and instrumentals: the most obvious is "Miss Heather Rosemary Sewell", from his 1968 album, Birthday Blues, but Jansch says that, despite the name, "M'Lady Nancy" (from the 1971 Rosemary Lane album) was also written for her. As Heather Jansch she has become a well-known sculptor.
Pentangle's first major concert was at the Royal Festival Hall, in 1967, and their first album was released in the following year. Pentangle embarked on a demanding schedule of touring the world and recording and, during this period, Jansch largely gave up solo performances. He did, however, continue to record, releasing Rosemary Lane in 1971. The tracks, for this album were recorded on a portable tape recorder by Bill Leader at Jansch's cottage in Ticehurst, Sussex — a process which took several months, with Jansch only working when he was in the right mood.
Pentangle reached their highest point of commercial success with the release of their Basket Of Light album in 1969. The single, Light Flight, taken from the album became popular through its use as theme music for a TV drama series Take Three Girls for which the band also provided incidental music. In 1970, at the peak of their popularity, they recorded a soundtrack for the film Tam Lin, made at least 12 television appearances, and undertook tours of the UK (including the Isle of Wight Festival) and America (including a concert at the Carnegie Hall). However, their fourth album, Cruel Sister, released in October 1970, was a commercial disaster. This was an album of traditional songs that included a 20-minute long version of Jack Orion, a song that Jansch and Renbourn had recorded previously as a duo on Jansch's Jack Orion album.
Pentangle recorded two further albums, but the strains of touring and of working together as a band were taking their toll. Then Pentangle withdrew from their record company, Transatlantic, in a bitter dispute regarding royalties. The final album of the original incarnation of Pentangle was Solomon's Seal released by Warner Brothers/Reprise in 1972. Colin Harper describes it as "a record of people's weariness, but also the product of a unit whose members were still among the best players, writers and musical interpreters of their day". Pentangle split up in January 1973, and Jansch and his wife bought a farm near Lampeter, in Wales, and withdrew temporarily from the concert circuit. After two years as a farmer, Jansch left his wife and family and returned to music (although Jansch and his wife would not be formally divorced until 1988).
In 1977, he recorded the album A Rare Conundrum with a new set of musicians: Mike Piggott, Rod Clements and Pick Withers. He then formed the band Conundrum with the addition of Martin Jenkins (violin) and Nigel Smith (bass). They spent six months touring Australia, Japan and the United States. With the end of the tour, Conundrum parted company and Jansch spent six months in the United States, where he recorded the Heartbreak album with Albert Lee.
Jansch toured Scandinavia, working as a duo with Martin Jenkins and, based on ideas they developed, recorded the Avocet album (initially released in Denmark). Jansch rates this as amongst his own favourites from his own recordings. On returning to England, he set up Bert Jansch's Guitar Shop at 220, New King's Road, Fulham. The shop specialised in hand-built acoustic guitars but was not a commercial success and closed after two years.
In 1980, an Italian promoter encouraged the original Pentangle to reform for a tour and a new album. The reunion started badly, with Terry Cox being injured in a car accident, resulting in the band's debuting at the Cambridge Folk Festival as a four-piece Pentangle. They managed to complete a tour of Italy (with Cox in a wheelchair) and Australia, before Renbourn left the band in 1983. There then followed a series of personnel changes, including Mike Piggott replacing John Renbourn from 1983 to 1987 and recording Open the Door and In the Round, but ultimately leaving Jansch and McShee as the only original members. The final incarnation consisting of Jansch, McShee, Nigel Portman Smith (keyboards), Peter Kirtley (guitar and vocals) and Gerry Conway (drums) survived from 1987 to 1995 and recorded three albums: Think of Tomorrow, One More Road and Live 1994. As a solo artist in the mid-1980s, he often appeared on Vivian Stanshall and Ki Longfellow-Stanshall's showboat, the Old Profanity Showboat, in Bristol's Floating Harbour.
He had always been a heavy drinker, but in 1987 he fell ill while working with Rod Clements and Marty Craggs, and was rushed to hospital, where he was told that he was "as seriously ill as you can be without dying" and that he had a choice of "giving up alcohol or simply giving up". He chose the former option: Colin Harper states that "There can be no doubt that Bert's creativity, reliability, energy, commitment and quality of performance were all rescued dramatically by the decision to quit boozing". Jansch and Clements continued the work they had started before Jansch's illness, resulting in the 1988 Leather Launderette album.
Bert was the prime mover in the Acoustic Routes film, first broadcast by the BBC in 1992. It shows him revisiting his old haunts and reminiscing with guests such as Al Stewart, Anne Briggs, John Renbourn, and Davy Graham.
From 1995, Jansch appeared frequently at the 12 Bar Club in Denmark Street, London.[60] One of his live sets there was recorded direct to Digital Audio Tape (DAT) by Jansch's then manager, Alan King, and was released as the Live at the 12 Bar: an official bootleg album in 1996. In 2002 Jansch, Bernard Butler and Johnny "Guitar" Hodge performed live together at the Jazz Cafe, London. Bernard Butler had also appeared on Bert's 2002 album Edge of a Dream featuring, amongst others, Ralph McTell and guitarist Paul Wassif. The instrumental "Black Cat Blues", featuring Paul Wassif, appeared on the 2003 film Calendar Girls, and Wassif became a frequent sideman at Bert's live shows. In 2003, Jansch celebrated his 60th birthday with a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. The BBC organised a concert for Jansch and various guests at the church of St Luke Old Street, which was televised on BBC Four.
In 2005, Jansch teamed up again with one of his early influences, Davey Graham, for a small number of concerts in England and Scotland.[66] His concert tour had to be postponed, owing to illness, and Jansch underwent major heart surgery in late 2005. By 2006 he had recovered and was playing concerts again. Jansch's album The Black Swan (his first for four years) was released on Sanctuary on 18 September 2006, featuring Beth Orton and Devendra Banhart on tracks "Katie Cruel", "When the Sun Comes Up", and "Watch the Stars", amongst other guests. In 2007, he featured on Babyshambles album, Shotter's Nation, playing acoustic guitar in the song "The Lost Art of Murder". After recording, he accompanied Babyshambles' lead singer Pete Doherty on several acoustic gigs, and performed on the Pete and Carl Reunion Gig, where ex-Libertines and Dirty Pretty Things singer Carl Barat joined Doherty on stage.
In 2009 he played a concert at the London Jazz Cafe to celebrate the release of three of his older albums (LA Turnaround, Santa Barbara Honeymoon and A Rare Conundrum) on CD format. However, later that year, due to an unexpected illness, he had to cancel a 22-date North American tour that was due to start on 26 June. Jansch's website reported: "Bert is very sorry to be missing the tour, and apologises to all the fans who were hoping to see him. He is looking forward to rescheduling as soon as possible."
Jansch opened for Neil Young on his Twisted Road solo tour in the US and Canada, starting on 18 May 2010. He also performed at Eric Clapton's Crossroads festival in June 2010. These were Jansch's first shows since his illness. One of Bert's last recording sessions was with Eric Clapton for Paul Wassif's 2011 album Looking Up Feeling Down. In 2011, a few reunion gigs took place with Pentangle, including performances at the Glastonbury Festival and one last final concert at the Royal Festival Hall, London, which was also Jansch's last ever public performance.
Jansch died on 5 October 2011, aged 67, at a hospice in Hampstead after a long battle with lung cancer.
He is buried in Highgate Cemetery.
In 2001 Jansch received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, and on 5 June 2006, he received the MOJO Merit Award at the Mojo Honours List ceremony, based on "an expanded career that still continues to be inspirational". The award was presented by Beth Orton and Roy Harper. Rolling Stone ranked Jansch as #94 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of all Time in 2003.
In January 2007, the five original members of Pentangle (including Jansch) were given a Lifetime Achievement award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. The award was presented by Sir David Attenborough. Producer John Leonard said "Pentangle were one of the most influential groups of the late 20th century and it would be wrong for the awards not to recognise what an impact they had on the music scene." Pentangle played together for the event, for the first time in more than two decades, and their performance was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on Wednesday, 7 February 2007. In 2007, Jansch was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music by Edinburgh Napier University, "in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the UK music industry".
Bert Jansch's musical influences included Big Bill Broonzy and Brownie McGhee, whom Jansch first saw playing at The Howff in 1960 and, much later, claimed that he'd "still be a gardener" if he hadn't encountered McGhee and his music. Jansch was also strongly influenced by the British folk music tradition, particularly by Anne Briggs[86] and, to a lesser extent, A.L. Lloyd. Other influences included jazz (notably Charles Mingus), early music (John Renbourn and Julian Bream) and other contemporary singer-songwriters — especially Clive Palmer. The other major influence was Davey Graham who, himself, brought together an eclectic mixture of musical styles. Also, in his formative years, Jansch had busked his way through Europe to Morocco, picking up musical ideas and rhythms from many sources. From these influences, he distilled his own individual guitar style.
Some of his songs feature a basic clawhammer style of right-hand playing but these are often distinguished by unusual chord voicings or by chords with added notes. An example of this is his song "Needle of Death", which features a simple picking style but several of the chords are decorated with added ninths. Characteristically, the ninths are not the highest note of the chord, but appear in the middle of the arpeggiated finger-picking, creating a "lumpiness" to the sound.
Another characteristic feature was his ability to hold a chord in the lower strings whilst bending an upper string—often bending up from a semitone below a chord note. These can be heard clearly on songs such as "Reynardine" where the bends are from the diminished fifth to the perfect fifth. Jansch often fitted the accompaniment to the natural rhythm of the words of his songs, rather than playing a consistent rhythm throughout. This can lead to occasional bars appearing in unusual time signatures. For example, his version of the Ewan MacColl song "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", unlike most other covers of that song, switches from 4/4 time to 3/4 and 5/4.[94] A similar disregard for conventional time signatures is found in several of his collaborative compositions with Pentangle: for instance, "Light Flight" from the Basket of Light album includes sections in 5/8, 7/8 and 6/4 time.
Through the development of Pentangle, Jansch played a number of instruments: banjo, Appalachian dulcimer, recorder and concertina—on rare occasions he has even been known to play electric guitar. However, it is his acoustic guitar playing that was most notable.
Jansch's first guitar was home-made from a kit but when he left school and started work, he bought a Höfner cello-style guitar. Soon he traded this in for a Zenith which was marketed as the "Lonnie Donegan guitar" and which Jansch played in the folk clubs in the early 1960s. His first album was reputedly recorded using a Martin 00028 borrowed from Martin Carthy. Pictures of Jansch in the middle 1960s show him playing a variety of models, including Martin and Epiphone guitars. He had a guitar hand-built by John Bailey, which was used for most of the Pentangle recordings but was eventually stolen.
Jansch later played two six-string guitars built by the Coventry-based luthier, Rob Armstrong, one of which appears on the front and back covers of the 1980 Shanachie release, Best of Bert Jansch. He then had a contract with Yamaha, who provided him with an FG1500 which he played, along with a Yamaha LL11 1970s jumbo guitar.[104] Jansch's relationship with Yamaha continued and they presented him with an acoustic guitar with gold trim and abalone inlay for his 60th birthday although, valued at about £3000, Jansch was quoted as saying that it is too good for stage use. Jansch was a well-known Fylde guitar player.
Jansch's music, and particularly his acoustic guitar playing, have influenced a range of well-known musicians. His first album (Bert Jansch, 1965) was much admired, with Jimmy Page saying "At one point, I was absolutely obsessed with Bert Jansch. When I first heard that LP, I couldn't believe it. It was so far ahead of what everyone else was doing. No one in America could touch that." The same debut album included Jansch's version of the Davy Graham instrumental "Angie". This was a favourite of Mike Oldfield, who practised acoustic guitar alone as a child, and was then heavily influenced by Jansch's style. The title of the instrumental inspired Oldfield to call his first band (with sister Sally) The Sallyangie.
Jansch's version of "Angie" inspired Paul Simon's recording of the piece, which was retitled "Anji" and appeared on the Simon & Garfunkel album Sounds of Silence. From the same era, Neil Young is quoted as saying, "As much of a great guitar player as Jimi [Hendrix] was, Bert Jansch is the same thing for acoustic guitar...and my favourite." Nick Drake and Donovan were both admirers of Jansch: both recorded covers of his songs and Donovan went on to dedicate two of his own songs to Jansch; "Bert's Blues" appeared on his Sunshine Superman LP, and "House of Jansch" on his fourth album Mellow Yellow. Other tributes included Gordon Giltrap's album Janschology (2000) which has two tunes by Jansch, plus two others that show his influence. Further afield, the Japanese acoustic guitar player Tsuneo Imahori is known to have been heavily influenced by Jansch
Promised Land
Bert Jansch Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Promised Land' by these artists:
A.M.P. 花が咲いているよ色とりどりの花が 夢見るならどうぞ気が遠くなるから 雨を降らせましょう 何日も絶やさずに でもあなたもど…
Affliction I hate the world but you defend them and be…
Allan Johnnie I left my home in Norfolk Virginia California on my mind I…
Andrew Duhon Sometimes a forefather Is a poor mother With nothing but dre…
Angels & Agony Beneath the burning sun I stand Believing all plans were so…
Ani DiFranco You're taking up lots of space Your shit is everywhere…
Annalise Since you're away there is nothing to hold me Love for…
Anthriel Adventurer I am, like any other man I'd like to be…
ARK STORM 彼の手の中の嘔吐 you know? 傷跡だらけのクロエ you know？ 両性具有の女神 you know? 愛を知…
Avantasia/Jørn Lande Hey redeemer Now what's become on me taken in by promise awa…
Bananarama Lock me up in a room somewhere Get me out…
Banghra - Lidia: Nothing's gonna change your bright light, is the m…
Ben Wagner She had travelled far Armed with seven nations Harmed in man…
Berry (Chuck) I left my home in Norfolk Virginia California on my mind I…
Billy Newton-Davis Take me to the river Take me to the show Take me…
Blckkiddcpt Under dog yeah I came from the bottom Ground up…
Blutengel we are sailing on the ocean of hate we feel a…
Bobby Caldwell We've been searchin' up and down this weary country Worn ou…
Brandyn Burnette Guess I come from a broken home Will I still live…
Bruce & the E Street Band Springsteen On a rattlesnake speedway in the Utah desert I pick up…
Cast From the banks of the north sea And down across this…
Chuck Berry I left my home in Norfolk Virginia California on my mind I…
Chuck Berry [The Roxy 1982] I left my home in Norfolk Virginia California on my mind I…
Cold Cave There's no resting for the wicked Imagine how tired I am I…
Colin Devlin Falling through the clouds again Waking from a dream Reality…
Crowder Feat. Tedashii Who has the power over slavery's hand? Who has the power…
Crystal Ball I′m running away There's no way out I can′t escape From my r…
Culture You called us out Out of the darkness Out of the dust…
Cursed You bought their lines and you staked their trail, Followed…
Custard Violent despair can't break the rules of glory We see our…
D-Block/S-Te-Fan It's Fay'd Zeds Yeah, listen (mhh) I dunno about soul ties '…
Dale Hawkins I left my home in norfolk virginia, California on my mind. C…
Dare I can see the promised land Of my broken dream There's a…
Dave Edmunds I left my home in Norfolk Virginia, California on my…
David Rovics Life could've been different You think I don't know I coul…
Dennis Brown Whoa, well now Hey, whoa, well The promised land Going to t…
Direct Hit! Tell your sons and your daughters we'll reach the promi…
Dreamtide Through deserts of pain, through oceans of rain set out…
DreamTone Look me in the eyes tell me what you see…
Edan Out of the dungeon, a brain pain I came To sell…
Edge Of Forever PROMISED LAND (Del Vecchio) We walked acroos the woods…
Elvis Presley I left my home in Norfolk Virginia California on my mind I…
Elvis Presley J.D. Sumner & The Stamps It's Fay'd Zeds Yeah, listen (mhh) I dunno about soul ties '…
Fee I'm going to the Promised Land Everybody come on and take…
FM Ooh-ooh-ooh... If you've ever loved somebody But got not…
Freddy Weller I left my home in Norfolk Virginia California on my…
G-Swing They promised land to our people we got lied to The…
G.A.M.E. so we'll get to the promised land 長旅終えた列車の 二人がふと目覚める ユラリ風が立ち…
God's Flaw The king has spoken His word is law Silencing all who would…
Grateful Dead I left my home in Norfolk Virginia, California on my…
Grateful Dead feat. Branford Marsalis I left my home in Norfolk Virginia, California on my mind St…
Green Peter Written by m.d. green. The sun is shining the children smi…
Hassy In the howling wind comes pain and starts to fall…
Heavenly [Vers 1] Somewhere there is a land made of the highest mou…
i.o feat.月子 so we'll get to the promised land 長旅終えた列車の 二人がふと目覚める ユラリ風が立ち…
In Strict Confidence The same dream every night the dream of distant lands wher…
Ivy Flindt Explore the unknown I won’t I’ll leave it all to you Your pr…
J. Welbon Left my home in Norfolk, Virginia, California on my mind. S…
Jackson Browne & Bruce Springsteen On a rattlesnake speedway in the Utah desert I pick up…
James Taylor Left my home in Norfolk, Virginia, California on my mind. St…
Jerry Lee Lewis I left my home in Norfolk Virginia, California on my mind. S…
Jimmi Simpson & Ally Sheedy I′m here Beside you I'll guide you Just extend to me your ha…
Joe McCready She said I like the way you sing I said are…
Joe Smooth Brothers, sisters One day we will be free From fighting, vio…
John Lindberg Trio I left my home in Norfolk Virginia California on my mind I…
John Lucas Love will bring you to your knees To sow the seeds…
Johnnie Allan I left my home in Norfolk Virginia California on my mind I…
Johnny Rivers Berry I left my home in Norfolk, Virginia California on my …
Joy Ike My father says I cannot marry you Says he forbids me Says…
Joy Jones O It's a hard knock life I know Trying to maintain, trying…
Julian Cope I'm out in my walking shoes I'm walking to my promised…
Justin Hayward They came from nowhere, with nowhere else to go, They…
Kanye West Now what y'all finna hear is an update On what we…
Kingdom Culture Worship You called us out Out of the darkness Out of the dust…
Kiss of the Gypsy When young and full of dreams, and everything was in…
L'Arc~en~Ciel 「花が咲いているよ 色とりどりの花が」 夢見るならどうぞ 気が遠くなるから 「雨を降らせましょう 何日も絶やさずに」 で…
Lacrimosa Now it seems To appear to us Now we touch the ground Arrivin…
Lauren Milne Come Lord take my hand And take me to the promised…
Les Humphries Singers We'll fly you to the promised land The promised land. We'll…
Lillian Axe Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord…
Lily Kershaw I gave you my body It wasn't enough And now all I…
lord 13 Looking for a pearl in a desert mile Seeking for the…
Lou Fellingham Once I was dead to You and I could not…
Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys I haven't found an illusion that works for me I haven't…
L’Arc〜en〜Ciel 「花が咲いているよ 色とりどりの花が」 夢見るならどうぞ 気が遠くなるから 「雨を降らせましょう 何日も絶やさずに」 で…
m.o.v.e so we'll get to the promised land nagatabi oeta ressha no…
M.W.N.A. feat. Caroline so we'll get to the promised land 長旅終えた列車の 二人がふと目覚める ユラリ風が立ち…
Mad At The World When the world is making me insane, I hide inside…
Majek Fashek We are going to the Promised Land, to the Promised…
Malik Yusef Now what y'all finna hear is an update On what we…
Malik Yusef Kanye West & Adam Levine Now whatcha finna hear is an update On what we been…
MANSHN I don′t care if you've forget me I just want that…
Mary's Blood Promised Land - Mary′s Blood 塞ぎ込んだ地下室 息が詰まる毎日 独り何もできずに 弱さに流さ…
Michael G. Ronstadt Title: Promised Land Words & Music By: Michael G. Ronstadt …
Michael Hedges This is the promised land On this mountain I stand Read th…
Mike Nawrocki We didn't have a lot of fun in the desert We…
Mike Zito And Friends I left my home in Norfolk Virginia California on my mind I…
Modest Attraction Lyrics: Christian Liljegren, Mick Nordström & Å.R. Liljeg…
Mos Def I left my home in Norfolk Virginia California on my mind I…
N.o.r.M. so we'll get to the promised land 長旅終えた列車の 二人がふと目覚める ユラリ風が立ち…
N.R.G. They promised land to our people we got lied to The…
Nightcore I know you love me I know you'll lead me up…
Omi I guess it's time that I run far away I recognise…
Osanna We'll take out children by the hand And lead them to…
Paddy Casey I'm sure not feelin' tough Sure not feeling tall Sure that y…
Palehørse Out with the lie You're dead inside This sickness grows,…
Pänzer Fight for your nation Fight for a myth Let my faith be…
Papermoon Driving all the way down to New Orleans Singing songs noone…
PARADISE & GRACE A heavenly city, our celestial home Where You dwell eternall…
Paris Prax feat. Joe Smooth Brothers, Sisters One Day we will be free From Fighting, Vio…
Pater Iltis No one told me this or that And no one told…
Pau PROMISED LAND. Take it back, relax. I don't know how…
Paul and Brenda Neal Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah Brothers, sisters, one day we'll…
Peasant's King Woah woah woah woah Slow down i'm on my knees i'm take me no…
Peter Green Written by m.d. green. The sun is shining the children smi…
Pink Cream 69 When I look across this broken land And try to understand Wh…
Polkov Everything I am, is a mirror These days the darkness kicks…
Pothead Cause You Want Everything And You Get What You Want And…
Prax Paris feat Joe Smooth Brothers, Sisters One Day we will be free From Fighting, Vio…
Primal Fear In time of greed and jealousy When clouds fulfill the sky …
Psych: The Musical Cast I'm here Beside you I'll guide you Just extend to me your ha…
Queensryche Watching the sand fall, listening for the knock Upon my door…
Queensryche/Queensrяche Watching the sand fall, listening for the knock Upon my doo…
Reamonn Look me in the eyes tell me what you see…
Riot Yeah yeah burning up the night that was early afternoon…
Robert Oh baby, can't eat can't sleep Can't understand a love…
Roby Duke Through many years You and I had come A long way Lord Togeth…
Roy Cousins and the Royals When you find yourself without light When you find yourself …
Sagi-Rei Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah Brothers, sisters, one day we'll…
Saint Loco When I walk through the valley of the shadow of…
Samael Opening the circle avoiding the loop Linking patterns in a …
Sanctus Real We didn't have a lot of fun in the desert We…
Satellite Empire feat. Silby Chosen, golden My tongue is bitter, but my mind's open Breat…
Semler Well I don't know who you think I am But I…
Shasha Marley Am going to my promised land, would you like to…
Silent Force I have but, only one thing to say Not in the…
Skeletal Family It felt like we'd been here a thousand years ago When…
SMOOTH Joe Brothers, Sisters One Day we will be free From Fighting, Vio…
SoulChillaz Da, da, da, da, da, da... Da, da, da, da, da,…
Squirrels with Lightsabers Lying in my bed, my bed The shadows haunting me Fire in…
starwolf Here we are, looking at the promised land I'm wide awak…
Stephen Day I'm just a man that was promised some land but…
Steve Towson (Steve Towson) You've got to get out of your bored rooms …
Tamaki Nami Sagashiteru bokura wa itsu datte Yume ga nemuru ano basho wo…
The Band I left my home in Norfolk, Virginia California on my mind I…
The Black Sorrows I left my home in Norfolk Virginia California on my mind S…
The Clarks It's my decision, I'm gonna be the man Smash the television…
The Crabb Family i don't have the answers to the questions in this…
The Dead Pull yourself up off the street, Bull, throw some water…
The Game Sometimes I wonder Man, how long is it gon' be for…
The Green Written by m.d. green. The sun is shining the children smi…
The Hollies Where where is the promised land Where where is the…
The Milk Carton Kids Every now and then I'm gonna make you cry You won't rememb…
The Raven Age Still awaiting the promised land Scared to face what lies ah…
The Rocker After years of slavery God relased me from Egypth Crossing t…
The Royals When you find yourself without light When you find yourself …
The Steel Wheels I′m gonna climb up on that highest mountain I'm gonna climb…
The Style Council Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah Brothers, sisters, one day we'll…
The Tiger Lillies I don't know why we're singing Nobody hears I don't know why…
TobyMac Head down as I punch this clock The hours roll, they…
Today Is The Day How could you ever do such shit what the hell is…
tribl You were not hiding But I couldn't find You If I'm being…
UA TEA I've go back in town I've seen an old man tired I've…
V.A. so we'll get to the promised land 長旅終えた列車の 二人がふと目覚める ユラリ風が立ち…
Veggie Tales We didn't have a lot of fun in the desert We…
Veggie Tales: Veggie Tunes Vol. 2 I left my home in Norfolk Virginia, California on my mind. …
VeggieTales We didn't have a lot of fun in the desert We…
Vesuvius Aw, look at you Cleveland! Put your hands together for this…
W.A.S.P. I left my home in Norfolk, Virginia California on my mind …
World Peace surrogate reality, falsehood amplified the elders of zion ca…
Yanga Nobody's perfect why do we try so hard To feel worthy,…
Yanga feat. Amanda Black & Soweto Gospel Choir Hay ye Hay ye Hay yelelele mama ye Hay ye Hay ye Nobody's p…
Zach Williams I left my ball and chain behind me Every burden, every…
一穂 夢と刹那を抱いて 君と歩いていく リアルな現実と かなわない夢、希望 運命がいたずらに僕を 引きずり込んでいる 見えない…
玉置成実 探してる 僕らはいつだって 夢が眠るあの場所を 悲しみもいつかは思い出にきっと変えていけるよ Looking up th…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Bert Jansch:
4. I Have No Time I have no time to spend with you You talk…
A Dream A Dream A Dream A Dream, a dream, a dream is all I have…
A Little Sweet Sunshine Like a high stepping pony strutting and prancing Ah she's s…
A Man I'd Rather Be Now I wish I was a dog Lazin' about all day With…
A Woman Like You I don't believe I've seen A woman like you anywhere And I…
Angie [Instrumental]…
anti apartheid I listen to the words that whisper in my ear I've…
Anti-Apartheid i listen to the words that whisper in my ear i've…
As the Day Grows Longer Now Oh, when will you be free My pretty little girl To come…
Back Home I got a wish, I got a yearning to be…
Bird Song See how the golden bird tries to fly. He is so…
Black Water Side One morning fair I took he air Down by blackwater side Twa…
Blackwaterside One morning fair I took he air Down by blackwater side Twas…
Blackwaterslide There were three brothers in merry Scotland In merry Scotlan…
Blues Green are your eyes In the morning, when you arise Don't y…
Blues Run the Game Catch a boat to England, baby, Maybe to Spain, Wherever I ha…
Bright Sunny Morning On a bright sunny morning In downtown New York People are ru…
Bruton Town In Bruton town there lived a farmer Who had two sons…
Caledonia Last night as I lay sleeping A dream, it came to…
Careless Love Love, oh love, oh careless love You've fly through my head…
Carnival I see your face in every place I′ll be goin' I…
Cluck Old Hen My old hen, she's a good ol' hen She lays eggs…
Cold Mountain Cold mountains they are all around me Cold waters rolling do…
Come Back Baby Please come back baby, please don't go For the way I…
Come Back Baby (Live) Come back baby Please do not go How much I love you You…
Come Sing Me a Happy Song to Prove We All Can Get Along the Lumpy Bumpy Long and Dusty Road I wish that I was a star moving in Your dark…
Courting Blues Green are your eyes In the morning, when you arise…
Crimson Moon Crimson moon, in the early morning Blue black sky, tell me…
Cruel Sister There lived a lady by the North Sea shore (Lay the…
Curragh Of Kildare Sevgidən oxuyar yüzü biri mənimlə yarışa bilməz Bakınım ən g…
Do You Hear Me Freedom fighters speak with your tongues Sing with the migh…
Do You Hear Me Now? Freedom fighters speak with your tongues Sing with the mig…
Don't Pity Me When sadness fills your heart And sorrow hides the longing t…
Dragonfly Dragonfly, shines with the colours of the river Where shadow…
Dreams of Love A troubled wind has chilled my heart Killed our love right…
Finches [Instrumental]…
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face The first time ever I saw your face, I thought the…
Fresh As A Sweet Sunday Morning Like a high stepping pony strutting and prancing Ah she's s…
Go Your Way My Love Drawing water from the well, spilling over on the grass, w…
Go Your Way My Love (2015 Remaster) Drawing water from the well, spilling over on the grass, wal…
Going Home Driving through the wind and rain Got my baby beside me…
Hallelujah I Love Her So Let me tell you 'bout a boy (girl) I know. He(She)…
Harvest Your Thought of Love Your love was like a child upon a rockin' horse The…
Henry Martin There were three brothers in merry Scotland In merry Scotlan…
Hey Pretty Girl Blend Hey Pretty Girl Hey Pretty Girl! Hey Pretty Girl, I'm …
High Days I'm sorry if I failed you, for that I take…
I I have no time to spend with you You talk…
If Don't Bother Me When sadness fills your heart And sorrow hides the longing t…
If I Were a Carpenter If I were a carpenter And you were a lady Would you…
In My Mind Trouble in mind, I'm blue But I won't be blue always, 'Cause…
In The Black Mid-Winter In the bleak midwinter Long, long ago Earth stood hard as ir…
In Your Mind Trouble in mind, I'm blue But I won't be blue always, 'Cause…
It Don When sadness fills your heart And sorrow hides the longing t…
Jack Orion Jack O'Rion was the finest fiddler ever fiddled on the…
Just a Dream A-walkin' along on a summer day When I met a man…
Katie Cruel When I first came to town, They called me the roving…
Let Me Sing Nie patrząc na mnie trzymasz dłoń Przeczuwam czego możesz ch…
Light Flight Let's get away, you say, find a better place, Miles and…
Looking For A Home When you're feeling lonesome I'll tell you what you do Pick …
Lord Franklin It was homeward bound one night on the deep Swinging in…
Love Is Teasing Hey girl, oh how your love is strong Weaves a tumble-in'…
Moonshine Hearken to the sweet leaves That dance so merrily I wish t…
Morning Brings Peace of Mind First sounds of the day So beautiful to hear In the clear…
My Donald My Donald he works on the sea Where the waves they…
My Pocket's Empty Like a high stepping pony strutting and prancing Ah she's s…
Needle of Death When sadness fills your heart And sorrow hides the longing t…
Neptune While walking along on a rocky sea shore On a wild,…
Nottamun Town In fair Nottamun town, not a soul would look up Not…
October Song I'll sing you this October song There's no song before it Th…
Of Love And Lullaby So early in the spring A flower dances in my heart Where…
Oh How Your Love Is Strong Hey girl, oh how your love is strong Weaves a tumble-in'…
Oh My Babe Oh, my babe Oh, my baby, oh my babe Oh, my baby,…
Oh My Father Oh my father, where can you be? Do you travel the…
On The Edge Of A Dream Rock baby rock In your cradle serene Rock baby rock All is n…
Once I Had A Sweetheart Once I had a sweetheart and now I have none Once…
One For Jo It's one for Jo Don't let your man go He's a dreamer…
Poison I once thought I did know all about it Since the…
Rambling Ask me why a rambler ain't got no home Ask me…
Rambling's Going to Be the Death of Me Ask me why a rambler aint got no home Ask me…
Rambling's Gonna Be The Death Ask me why a rambler ain't got no home Ask me…
Reynardine One morning as I rambled among the spring time I overheard…
Ring-A-Ding Bird Oh ring-a-ding Oh ring-a-ding Little bird Oh ring-a-ding Oh …
Rosemary Lane When I was in service in Rosemary Lane I won the…
Running Runnin' runnin' from home Breakin' ties that you'd grown Ca…
Sally Go Round The Roses Sally go round the roses (Sally go round the roses) Sally…
She Moved Through the Fair My young love said to me, My mother won't mind And my…
Singing the Blues I never felt more like singing the blues I never thought…
Soho Come walk the streets of crime And colour bright the corners…
Song Fare thee well, little lady Trains are carrying me One and a…
Stone Monkey Put on your cloud stepping shoes, and dance Shake off the…
Strolling Down The Highway Strolling down the highway I'm gonna get there my way Dusk t…
Summer Heat In the still breathless summer heat Ain't nothing movin' on …
Sylvie As Sylvie was walking down by the riverside As Sylvie was…
Tell Me What Is True Love Tell me, what is true love? Tell me, how shall I…
The Banks O'sicily The pipie is dozy, the pipie is fey He wullnae come…
The Black Swan Traveling on space highway, Three long years to this day. …
The Bright New Year Hello mother dear I hope you are well and happy today I…
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face The first time ever I saw your face, I thought the…
The Gardener I should have told him that I needed him When I…
The January Man Oh the January man he walks abroad in woolen coat…
The Mountain Streams With my dog and gun through the blooming heather To seek…
The Ornament Tree O Bonny Portmore you shine where you stand And the more…
The Rambling Boys of Pleasure You rambling boys of pleasure Lend an ear unto these words…
The River Bank Sitting on the river bank Watching the water flow Sittíng …
The Road Tae Dundee Cold winter was howlin' o'er moorland or mountain And wild w…
The Time Has Come There comes a time babe when we've gotta go Our time…
The Waggoner's Lad Traditional Oh hard is the fortune of all womankind They're…
There Comes a Time There comes a time babe when we've gotta go Our time…
Three Dreamers Under the archway across the cold courtyard Up the stone st…
Toy Balloon I'm a toy balloon on a windy day Let go the…
Train Song Fare thee well, little lady Trains are carrying me One and a…
Travellin Man I'm a travelling man, a-moving You name it I've been there A…
Travelling man I'm a travelling man, a-moving You name it I've been there …
Tree Song I wish I had a photograph To let you see the…
Trouble In Mind Trouble in mind, I'm blue But I won't be blue always, 'Cause…
Walk Quietly By Walk quietly by, he won't bother you He's a busy man,…
Walking This Road Have you ever been down That long and lonesome road Walking …
Wayward Child There lay a dying sailor weeping So far he'd wandered from…
Weeping Willow Blues That weeping willow, That mourning dove Said that weeping wi…
When the Circus Comes to Town The bear was dancing Jumpin' up and down, He clapped his han…
When the Sun Comes Up And the rain stops beating on my window pane When the…
Where Did My Life Go? Champagne it flows like water Cocaine like drifting snow E…
Wild Mountain Thyme Oh, the Summer time has come And the leaves are sweetly…
Wish My Baby Was Here Come back baby Please do not go How much I love you You…
Wishing Well Wishing Well Wilt thou water Hide my burden Until I return, …
Woman Like You I don't believe I've seen A woman like you anywhere And I…
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