Born… Read Full Bio ↴Eliza Carthy (b. 1975) is an English folk singer and violinist.
Born on 23rd August 1975, she is the daughter of legendary English folk musicians singer/guitarist Martin Carthy and singer Norma Waterson. She formed The Waterdaughters with her mother, aunt (Lal Waterson), and cousin Maria Knight in 1989. She has subsequently worked with Nancy Kerr, and also with her parents as Waterson:Carthy, in addition to her own solo work.
She has twice been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize for UK album of the year: in 1998 for Red Rice, and again in 2003 for Anglicana. In 2003 Carthy swept the boards at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, winning Folk Singer of the Year, Best Album (for Anglicana), and Best Traditional Track (for "Worcester City").
In 2004 she was part of Oysterband's Big Session, a collaboration with numerous folk artists. They produced an album The Big Session Volume One, and the group as a whole were awarded Best Group at the Folk Awards in 2005.
Worcester City
Eliza Carthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And now the truth to you I'll tell;
She by her servantman was courted,
Who often told her he loved her well.
She loved him true, but at a distance;
He did not think to be very fond.
"Now for your convict and in constant lovers
By a young master, this fair young damsel
Was invited to a ball, you know.
This wicked young man he followed after
And soon prepared for her overthrow.
As she was dancing all with another
Jealousy it filled his mind;
Then to destroy his own true lover
This wicked young man he was inclined.
Oh, quickly he prepared some poison,
He mixed it with a glass of wine,
And gave it to his own true lover;
She drank it with a most fearful mind.
A little after this fair young damsel,
"Now take me home, my dear," said she
"For the liquor that you have lately gave me
Has made me very ill indeed."
As they was walking along together,
He then unto her did say,
"I gave you poison all in your liquor,
All for to take your sweet life away."
"And I have drunk of the same, my jewel,
I hope to die as well as thee."
So in each other's arms they died;
And young men, beware of jealousy.
The lyrics to Eliza Carthy's song Worcester City tells the tragic story of a young woman who is loved by a servant man. While she loves him back, he does not seem to be very fond. The woman is then invited to a ball by a young master, and the servant man follows her, filled with jealousy. The servant man then prepares a glass of wine mixed with poison and gives it to the woman. She drinks it with fear filling her mind. Soon after drinking the poison, she realizes what happened and as they walk home, the servant man confesses to her. Once they both realize that they have drunk the poison, they die in each other's arms.
The lyrics of the song highlight the danger of jealousy and how it can lead to destructive and deadly consequences. It tells the tragic story of how love can turn into obsession and ultimately lead to the death of those involved. It warns young men to be wary of jealousy and to control their emotions before they cause harm to themselves or others.
Overall, Eliza Carthy's song Worcester City is a powerful and moving cautionary tale that serves as a reminder of the dangerous effects of unchecked jealousy.
Line by Line Meaning
In Worcester City there lived a damsel
This story begins in Worcester City where a woman lived
And now the truth to you I'll tell;
The singer is about to reveal what really happened to this woman
She by her servantman was courted,
The woman was courted by her servant, who expressed his love to her
Who often told her he loved her well.
The servant frequently told the woman of his strong love for her
She loved him true, but at a distance;
The woman loved the servant sincerely, but their relationship was distant
He did not think to be very fond.
The servant was not sure if he felt the same way towards the woman
"Now for your convict and in constant lovers
The singer advises the woman to end her relationship with her unfaithful and unreliable lover
I pray you'll end your sweet tender love."
The artist hopes that the woman will stop loving her unworthy lover
By a young master, this fair young damsel
The woman was invited to a ball by a young man who was of higher social status than her
Was invited to a ball, you know.
The woman was invited to attend a ball, and it is assumed that the listener is aware of this event
This wicked young man he followed after
The young man who invited the woman to the ball followed her
And soon prepared for her overthrow.
The young man plotted to ruin the woman's life
As she was dancing all with another
The woman was dancing with another man
Jealousy it filled his mind;
The young man was filled with jealousy
Then to destroy his own true lover
The young man decided to kill his own lover
This wicked young man he was inclined.
The young man had a strong inclination towards evil actions
Oh, quickly he prepared some poison,
The young man quickly prepared some poison
He mixed it with a glass of wine,
The young man mixed the poison with a glass of wine
And gave it to his own true lover;
The young man gave the poisoned drink to his own lover
She drank it with a most fearful mind.
The woman drank the poisoned wine with great fear and apprehension
A little after this fair young damsel,
Shortly after drinking the poisoned wine, the woman
"Now take me home, my dear," said she
The woman requested to be taken home by the young man
"For the liquor that you have lately gave me
The woman admitted that she drank the poisoned drink given to her by the young man
Has made me very ill indeed."
The woman was feeling very ill because of the poison she drank
As they was walking along together,
While they were walking together
He then unto her did say,
The young man said to her
"I gave you poison all in your liquor,
The young man admitted that he poisoned the woman's drink
All for to take your sweet life away."
The young man wanted to kill the woman with the poison he gave her
"And I have drunk of the same, my jewel,
The young man confessed that he also drank the same poisoned drink as the woman
I hope to die as well as thee."
The young man hoped to die together with the woman
So in each other's arms they died;
The woman and the young man died in each other's arms
And young men, beware of jealousy.
The artist advises young men to be careful of jealousy, which can lead to destructive behaviors
Contributed by Tristan T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Hans Fried
Powerful yet still with frailty. Wonderful song from great album issued on Topic in 2002.
Paul Muwadeeb
This was the song that made me fall in love with Eliza.
bru price
qualitings!
Darrell Butler
Up the city