O'Donovan and DiMario met at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts in spring of 2001. Former cellist Rushad Eggleston, who was studying at Berklee College of Music, and Liszt, a graduate student at MIT, were playing music together around the same time. When the four met that summer, they formed the band that would be Crooked Still. While its members finished school, Crooked Still played various Boston venues, growing in popularity and collecting favorable reviews from the local press, notably the Boston Globe, Northeast Performer, and the Boston Herald.
In 2004, the group was invited to perform at the Newport Folk Festival and Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, where their debut album, Hop High, was the top-selling CD. Following the success of this first festival appearance, Crooked Still went on to appear at concert halls, nightclubs, coffeehouses, and festivals in 23 states and several different countries. On August 22, 2006, they released their second CD, Shaken by a Low Sound.
In October 2007 the band announced that Eggleston would be leaving the group. Eggleston performed his last show with the band on November 18, 2007, at the Ironhorse in Northampton, Massachusetts. Cellist Tristan Clarridge and fiddler Brittany Haas joined the lineup in January 2008. The band released its first album with the new lineup, Still Crooked, in June 2008.
The Golden Vanity
Crooked Still Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The name of the ship was the Golden Vanity.
She sailed upon the low, the lonesome low
She sailed upon the lonesome sea
She had not been out many more weeks than three
When she was overtaken by the Turkish Revelry
Sailing on the low, the lonesome low
Then up spoke a little cabin boy
Saying "What will you give me if I will them destroy?"
If I sink her in the low, lonesome low
Sink her in the lonesome sea
"The man who them destroys", the captain then replied
"It's five thousand pounds and my daughter for your bride"
If you sink them in the low, lonesome low
Sink them in the lonesome sea
The boy smote his breast, and down jumped he
He swam until he came to the Turkish Revelry
Sailing on the low, lonesome low
Sailing on the lonesome sea
He had a little tool, made for the use
He bored nine holes in her hull all at once
He sank her in the low, lonesome low
He sank her in the lonesome ocean
He swam back to the ship, he beat upon the side
Crying "Captain pick me up, I'm waving with the tide"
"I'm sinking in the low, lonesome low
Sinking in the lonesome sea"
"I will not pick you up", the Captain then replied
"I'll shoot you, I'll drown you, I'll sink you in the tide
I'll sink you in the low, lonesome low,
Sink you in the lonesome sea"
"I'll sink you in the low, lonesome low
Sink you in the lonesome sea"
The Golden Vanity is a traditional English folk song that has been popularized by many artists, including Crooked Still. The song is about a little ship, called the Golden Vanity that sailed upon the sea. The ship had not been out more than three weeks when it was overtaken by the Turkish Revelry. Then a little cabin boy offers to destroy them for a hefty amount of money, and the captain offers him 5000 pounds and his daughter for his bride. The boy then smote his chest and jumped into the water, swimming towards the Turkish Revelry with a little tool made for the job. He then bores nine holes in her hull all at once, sinking her in the lonesome ocean. He then swims back to the Golden Vanity, but the captain refuses to pick him up and shoots him, drowning him in the sea.
The song has a lot of depth, but some people believe it to be a tale of morality, about how greed and betrayal can never triumph. The song highlights the boy's bravery and selflessness, risking his life to save the ship despite the captain's betrayal. The lyrics also shed light on human greed and the dark side of humanity, where people can put their materialistic interests above human life and values.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a little ship, and she sailed upon the sea
Once there was a small vessel that made a journey on the vast sea
The name of the ship was the Golden Vanity.
The ship was called the Golden Vanity.
She sailed upon the low, the lonesome low
The ship sailed through a low and empty part of the sea
She sailed upon the lonesome sea
The ship traveled on a lonely and quiet sea
She had not been out many more weeks than three
The ship was not sailing for three more weeks
When she was overtaken by the Turkish Revelry
The Golden Vanity was attacked by Turkish pirates
Sailing on the low, the lonesome low
The ship continued to travel through an empty part of the sea
She sailed upon the lonesome sea
The ship was still on a quiet sea
Then up spoke a little cabin boy
A young cabin boy then spoke up
Saying "What will you give me if I will them destroy?"
He asked, "What reward will I receive if I destroy the Turkish pirates?"
If I sink her in the low, lonesome low
The boy offered to sink the pirate ship in the empty sea
Sink her in the lonesome sea
The cabin boy suggested destroying the Turkish ship in the abandoned waters
"The man who them destroys", the captain then replied
The captain stated that whoever destroyed the pirates would win 5000 pounds and his daughter's hand in marriage
"It's five thousand pounds and my daughter for your bride"
The captain offered the reward of 5000 pounds and his daughter's hand in marriage to the person who destroyed the pirates
If you sink them in the low, lonesome low
The captain gave the condition that the pirates must be destroyed in the empty and desolate area of the ocean
Sink them in the lonesome sea
The cabin boy must destroy the Turkish pirates in the abandoned waters
The boy smote his breast, and down jumped he
The young boy hit his chest then leaped into the water
He swam until he came to the Turkish Revelry
He swam until he reached the Turkish pirate ship
Sailing on the low, lonesome low
The Turkish pirates were still in the empty waters
Sailing on the lonesome sea
The pirates' ship remained in the abandoned and dull sea
He had a little tool, made for the use
The boy had a small device with a specific purpose
He bored nine holes in her hull all at once
The boy made nine holes in the pirates' ship's body simultaneously
He sank her in the low, lonesome low
The boy destroyed the pirates' vessel in the void sea
He sank her in the lonesome ocean
The cabin boy sank the Turkish pirate ship in the abandoned and dull sea
He swam back to the ship, he beat upon the side
Afterward, the boy swam back to the Golden Vanity and knocked on her side
Crying "Captain pick me up, I'm waving with the tide"
He shouted, "Captain, please save me, I'm struggling in the current"
"I'm sinking in the low, lonesome low
He told the captain that he's drowning in the empty waters of the sea
Sinking in the lonesome sea"
The boy is going down in the abandoned and quiet ocean
"I will not pick you up", the Captain then replied
The captain refused to save the boy
"I'll shoot you, I'll drown you, I'll sink you in the tide
The captain threatened to either shoot, drown, or let him sink due to the risk he took
I'll sink you in the low, lonesome low,
The captain reiterated that he'll let the boy drown in the empty waters
Sink you in the lonesome sea"
The boy shall sink in the lonely and deserted ocean
Contributed by Amelia K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@davidrowe1605
I found these by accident over a year ago now and I can listen to them all the time without getting bored of listening to them
@matthewholuszko9147
Crooked Still is beyond fantastic.
@chillcapybaracitrus
This song always makes me feel better when I feel down. Besides the lyrics, the melody is so joyful.
@mohamud.l.ghazal2346
Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!
@lorenzotonelli7570
I was just looking for an english ballad on internet, I had a homework, and suddenly... THIS MASTERPIECE
@joshuadicks2954
This band needs more requisition, their music is amazing and there's never a time I don't want to listen to them.
@traviskarnes6825
This album was recorded amid a brutal Blizzard
@deiaspdrkhzlrqrciqob7334
text
@emilyemmons636
Some people sound good but they don't know what they're singing for...
What a waste of talent used to promote an evil agenda.
@traviskarnes6825
CS? Aofie is Irish Catholic and has done some of the best hymns and Gospel covers I've ever heard.