The band originally consisted of Martin Carthy (vocals, guitar, mandolin), John Kirkpatrick (vocals, accordion, concertina), Howard Evans (trumpet), Roger Williams (trombone), and Martin Brinsford (born 17 August 1944, in Gloucester, Gloucestershire) (harmonica, percussion, saxophone).
Carthy was a well-established musician at the band's formation, having been a member of Steeleye Span and The Watersons, as well as having had a successful solo career. Kirkpatrick had also played with Steeleye Span for a time and worked with Carthy in the Albion Country Band. The two formed an occasional trio with Evans after all three appeared on Carthy's albums Because It's There (1979) and Out of the Cut (1982). Brass Monkey was formed with the addition of Williams and Brinsford after initially being billed as The Martin Carthy Band.
In 1984, after recording Brass Monkey's first album, Williams was replaced by Richard Cheetham (born 29 January 1957, in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire). The band recorded two albums: Brass Monkey (1983) and See How it Runs (1986). Both albums consisted primarily of traditional songs and tunes—later reissued on a single CD under the title The Complete Brass Monkey (1993). Unable to reconcile the schedules of its various members, the band reluctantly broke up in 1987.
In 1997 Brass Monkey reunited for a tour, then recorded a third album, Sound and Rumour. It was followed in 2001 by Going and Staying, on which both Williams and Cheetham appeared, and in 2004 by Flame of Fire, on which the band reverted to its original lineup. All five of Brass Monkey's albums were released on Topic Records.
Despite Evans's death in 2006, the band decided to continue to perform. Brass Monkey debuted its four-piece lineup with a short set at a Watersons family show at the Royal Albert Hall on 12 May 2007. Carthy, Evans, and Kirkpatrick were guests on Loudon Wainwright III's album "More Love Songs."
2) Motown group, also known as hot brass monkey.
Sweet Water
You Keep Me Hangin' On
3) For the funky New Orleans band see, brass monkey brass band.
limbo
Brass Monkey Lyrics
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And if e'er I get rich it's a wonder,
I've spent all my money on girls and strong beer,
What riches I had are all plundered.
Field after field off to market I sent,
Till the land was all gone and the money was spent,
My heart was so hard that I never did repent,
And that's what put me into Limbo.
Oh once I could run while the others did lie,
Strut like a crow in the gutter,
The people all said that saw me passing by,
There goes Mr. Fop in a flutter;
To the top and top-gallant I hoisted my sails,
With a flimsy cravat and a wig with three tails,
Oh, now I am ready to gnaw my own nails,
Drink the cold water of Limbo.
Oh I had an Uncle, he lived in the West,
And he heard of my sad disaster,
Poor soul! After that he could never take rest,
Oh, his sorrows came faster and faster;
He came to the gaol to see my sad case,
And as soon as I saw him I knew his old face,
And I stood gazing at him like one in disgrace,
And I wished myself safe out of Limbo.
Jack, if I should set you once more on your legs,
And put you in credit and fashion,
Oh! will you lay off all those rakish old ways,
Try for to govern your passion?
Oh Uncle, says I, if you will set me free,
I surely will always be ruled by thee,
And I'll labour my bones for the good of my soul,
See myself miles out of Limbo.
Then out of his purse he pulled three thousand pounds,
He counted it up in bright guineas,
And when I was free of those prison's gates,
Oh, I went to see Peggy and Jeannie;
In my old ragged clothes they knew nought of my gold,
And they all turned me out in the wet and the cold,
You'd a-laughed for to hear how those hussies did scold,
The night they let me out of Limbo.
The lyrics to Brass Monkey's song "Limbo" tell the story of a man who is down on his luck after squandering his wealth on vices, namely women and alcohol. He describes himself as a "brisk lad" who never repented his hard-heartedness as he spent field after field on market goods until he was left with nothing. The singer of the song once lived in grandeur with fine clothes and a good reputation, but now he finds himself in Limbo, a state of uncertainty and suffering.
Despite his predicament, the singer still dreams of a better future. He tells the story of his Uncle who had sympathy for his plight and came to visit him while he was in jail. The Uncle offered to set him free and put him back in credit and fashion if he would change his rakish old ways and govern his passion. The singer agrees and vows to labor for the good of his soul and get himself miles out of Limbo.
The song has a melancholic tone, and the story is one of a man who is trying to redeem himself after throwing his life away on frivolous pursuits. The lyrics illustrate the consequences of excess and how it can lead to ruin.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a brisk lad and my fortune is bad,
I am a young man who moves quickly through life, but I have had a lot of bad luck with money.
And if e'er I get rich it's a wonder,
It would be a miracle if I ever became wealthy.
I've spent all my money on girls and strong beer,
I wasted all my money on frivolous things like women and alcohol.
What riches I had are all plundered.
I have taken or used up all the money and valuables I had.
Field after field off to market I sent,
I sold off all my land, bit by bit, to make money.
Till the land was all gone and the money was spent,
Eventually, I had sold all my land and spent all my money.
My heart was so hard that I never did repent,
I was so stubborn that I never felt sorry or regretful about my actions.
And that's what put me into Limbo.
My poor choices and lack of remorse led me to end up in a difficult situation.
Oh once I could run while the others did lie,
I used to be able to move around freely, while others stayed in one place.
Strut like a crow in the gutter,
I walked arrogantly and showily, like a bird in a dirty, rundown area.
The people all said that saw me passing by,
The onlookers commented on me as I walked by.
There goes Mr. Fop in a flutter;
They referred to me as a vain, foolish man who was easily excited.
To the top and top-gallant I hoisted my sails,
I tried to go as high as I could, socially and financially.
With a flimsy cravat and a wig with three tails,
I dressed flamboyantly, with a thin necktie and a wig that had three pieces hanging down from it.
Oh, now I am ready to gnaw my own nails,
I am so stressed and upset that I would bite my own nails.
Drink the cold water of Limbo.
I am stuck in a miserable place, where I have to suffer and wait for my situation to improve.
Oh I had an Uncle, he lived in the West,
I had an uncle who lived far away to the west.
And he heard of my sad disaster,
He found out about the difficult situation I was in.
Poor soul! After that he could never take rest,
He was so distressed about my situation that he could never find peace of mind.
Oh, his sorrows came faster and faster;
The more he thought about my situation, the more sad and worried he became.
He came to the gaol to see my sad case,
He came to the prison to visit me and see how I was doing.
And as soon as I saw him I knew his old face,
I recognized my uncle's face right away when I saw him.
And I stood gazing at him like one in disgrace,
I felt ashamed and embarrassed to see him, because I had failed so badly.
And I wished myself safe out of Limbo.
I wished I could get out of my difficult situation and see my uncle under better circumstances.
Jack, if I should set you once more on your legs,
My Uncle said to me, 'Jack, if I could help you to recover from this situation...'
And put you in credit and fashion,
My Uncle would help me become credit-worthy and fashionable again.
Oh! will you lay off all those rakish old ways,
He asked me if I would change my wild and reckless behavior.
Try for to govern your passion?
Would I try to control my desires and impulses?
Oh Uncle, says I, if you will set me free,
I replied to my Uncle that I was willing to accept his help, if he would bail me out of prison.
I surely will always be ruled by thee,
I promised him that I would always obey and follow his instructions.
And I'll labour my bones for the good of my soul,
I pledged to work very hard to improve myself and become a better person.
See myself miles out of Limbo.
I envisioned myself being far away from my current situation in a better future.
Then out of his purse he pulled three thousand pounds,
My Uncle gave me a huge amount of money, three thousand pounds in coins, to help me start over.
He counted it up in bright guineas,
He counted the money out loud and separated it into gold coins.
And when I was free of those prison's gates,
After my Uncle paid my bail, I was released from prison.
Oh, I went to see Peggy and Jeannie;
I went to visit two women I knew named Peggy and Jeannie.
In my old ragged clothes they knew nought of my gold,
I was still wearing my old, dirty clothes, and the women didn't realize I had a lot of money now.
And they all turned me out in the wet and the cold,
They kicked me out of their home and left me to suffer outside in bad weather.
You'd a-laughed for to hear how those hussies did scold,
They scolded me and yelled at me, and someone watching might have found it amusing.
The night they let me out of Limbo.
After leaving prison, I realized that I still had many problems to deal with and sorrows to overcome before I could truly leave my difficulties behind and start fresh.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GRAHAM WARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind