Like their peers The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and Jefferson Airplane they were blessed with several considerable individual talents and produced music that -at least initially- was eclectic, as well as exploratory. This side of the band may best be heard on Heyday, a collection of tracks broadcast by the BBC. The move to a more British form of folk rock came primarily as a result of the enthusiasm of bassist Ashley Hutchings and producer Joe Boyd. Original singer Judy Dyble was replaced on their second LP What We Did On Our Holidays by Sandy Denny, an experienced folk singer and excellent composer in her own right. Fiddle virtuoso Dave Swarbrick joined, initially as sessioneer, on their third, Unhalfbricking. That LP has arguably their first two bona fide masterpieces. One is their version of the Sandy Denny song, Who Knows Where the Time Goes, popularized by Judy Collins, but characterised on their version by a perfect balance between Denny's vocals and the exquisite support of the group as a whole, and lead guitarist Richard Thompson in particular. The other is A Sailor's Life, the first to demonstrate the potential power of folk rock, the song exploding in an improvised and sophisticated instrumental coda that reaches beyond the words through the impassioned interplay of the whole band, led by the virtuosity of Thompson and Swarbrick in particular. Thompson also soon showed that he could create his own distinctive songs, notably the anthemic Meet on the Ledge, on Holidays.
The following LP Liege and Lief is perhaps Fairport's finest hour. Liege and Lief is generally remembered for its virtuoso versions of traditional folk songs but it also contains beautiful originals by Thompson and Denny. However the next, Full House -deliberately rockier in tone- has its particular gems, most notably Sloth, for its extended guitar/ fiddle duel and Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman, a perfect expression of Thompson's mordant humour; along with the sleeve notes, surely amongst the strangest and funniest ever.
The band continued with a series of personnel changes and albums, all with at least some high points, until it was temporarily disbanded in 1979, but played annual reunion concerts until it reformed in 1985. Since then, it has enjoyed stability and continues to tour and record regularly.
In part, the continuing success of Fairport Convention is due to the annual music festival it organizes. Cropredy Festival has been held every year since 1974 near Cropredy, a village five miles north of Banbury, Oxfordshire and can attract upwards of 20,000 fans.
In 2002 the band was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. In 2006 Radio 2 listeners voted their 1969 album Liege & Lief as the Most Influential Folk Album of All Time. A mass reunion of living Fairport members performed at the ceremony.
FAREWELL
Fairport Convention Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You lonely travelers all
The cold north wind will blow again
The winding road does call
And will you never return to see
Your bruised and beaten sons?
"Oh, I would, I would, if welcome I were
And will you never cut the cloth
Or drink the light to be?
And can you never swear a year
To any one of we?
"No, I will never cut the cloth
Or drink the light to be
But I'll swear a year to one who lies
Asleep along side of me"
Farewell, farewell to you who would hear
You lonely travelers all
The cold north wind will blow again
The winding road does call
Fairport Convention's "Farewell, Farewell" is a song about a traveller saying goodbye to his fellow travellers. The song is written in the first person and is addressed to those who would listen. The opening lines express a sense of melancholy as the singer acknowledges that the travellers are all alone, and they will be blown away by the cold wind of the north. The winding road is a metaphor for life, and it calls out to all travellers to keep moving forward in their journey.
The second stanza addresses the traveller's dilemma: he asks if he will ever return to see his bruised and beaten sons. His answer to that is melancholic as he says he would if he were welcomed; however, he is not welcome, and therefore, he will not be returning. In the third stanza, the singer asks if he will ever cut the cloth, which means to make a living, or drink the light to be, which is a metaphor for finding happiness. To this he replies that he will never cut the cloth or drink the light, but he will swear a year to anyone who lies asleep beside him.
The final stanza repeats the opening lines, and the singer bids farewell to all the lonely travellers as the winding road continues to call out to them, reminding them that their journey is not over yet. The overall tone of the song is a mixture of sadness, longing, and resignation, as the singer acknowledges that his journey is lonely and difficult, but he knows that he has to keep moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Farewell, farewell to you who would hear
Goodbye to those who are willing to listen
You lonely travelers all
You lonely travelers who are seeking something more
The cold north wind will blow again
Life will continue to be difficult and hard
The winding road does call
Life's journey will continue to go on
And will you never return to see
Will you never come back and visit
Your bruised and beaten sons?
Your worn and battered children?
"Oh, I would, I would, if welcome I were
"Yes, I would, but only if I'm wanted
For they loathe me, every one"
Because they all hate me"
And will you never cut the cloth
And will you never make your own clothes
Or drink the light to be?
Or enjoy a simple pleasure in life
And can you never swear a year
And can you never commit to someone for a year
To any one of we?
To any one of us here
"No, I will never cut the cloth
"No, I will never make my own clothes
Or drink the light to be
Or enjoy a simple pleasure in life
But I'll swear a year to one who lies
But I'll commit to someone who is sleeping next to me
Asleep along side of me"
Sound asleep next to me"
Farewell, farewell to you who would hear
Goodbye to those who are willing to listen
You lonely travelers all
You lonely travelers who are seeking something more
The cold north wind will blow again
Life will continue to be difficult and hard
The winding road does call
Life's journey will continue to go on
Lyrics © WARP MUSIC LIMITED, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Nicholas Talbot, Richard Thompson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ronno
on Book Song
Beautiful song, even if I can't understand what's going on: she's reading a book, he's writing one (and playing) .. I wanted it to be abouth former FC singer Judy Dyble , who would knit on stage if she wasn't singing. The girlfriend theory makes some sense, but if Ian said it was about his daughter...