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 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
@markweintraub325
Now when I was at Devereux, Mr Iaconelli brought in a whole bunch of record albums, which were a lot of folk music albums. They were:
Bob Dylan.
The Jefferson Airplane.
Donovan.
Melanie.
Leonard Cohen.
David Bromberg.
Fairport Convention.
Peter, Paul and Mary.
John Denver.
Judy Collins.
Tom Paxton.
Tom Rush.
Joan Baez.
John Prine.
Steve Goodman.
The Kingston Trio.
Pete Seeger.
The Turtles.
The Mamas and the Papas.
The Byrds.
Jim Croce.
Gordon Lightfoot.
Don McLean.
Harry Nilsson.
Joni Mitchell.
James Taylor.
Steeleye Span.
Mimi and Richard Fariina.
Ian and Sylvia.
Jackie Washington.
Jonathan and Leigh.
The Rooftop Singers.
The Allen Ward Trio.
Neil Young.
Neil Diamond.
Jerry Jeff Walker.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
New Riders of the Purple Sage.
The Grateful Dead.
The Grassroots.
-Mark Weintraub.
@keesklompenhouwer5628
It was 1972 when I was first introduced to this miracle. Now, 48 years later, I am still deeply moved. Thank you Sandy, I will not forget your farewell.
@patrickjwhited6567
It's the same for me. I used to sit up late at night and record music from local FM stations, and I called them all bugging the for Fairport Convention. I met the band in a club here in Columbus, Ohio, Sandy was gone sad to say, but the core group was the same. This will sound weird, but taking a leak at the urinal next to the Richard Thompson was at is kind of a special moment in my life. :) Told you it would sound weird.. And wow, I just replied to a two year old post.. :) ANd I don't care!!
@nadimirluigi139
@@patrickjwhited6567 Nice story. I met Richard Thompson at long last here in England last August at the 50th year Full House celebration, in less curious circumstances than yours. Fairport has been amazing forever and being able to see them live playing the whole Full House album with Thompson, Nicol, Mattacks, Pegg and Chris Leslie is something that will stay with me forever...
@tobycoldecott3395
My dads song played at his funeral 😢
He was a massive folk/sandy/Fairport fan, always said when he played this he wanted it played at his funeral... miss you dad ❤️
@pacu9
Your dad had great taste. May he RIP
@williamjohnston6033
Makes me realise how much music moves us, you're dad had a good taste in music, enjoy his taste.
@LH-kr4od
When my own dad was in a coma and dying, in the summer just gone, I had time to sit with him for an hour and play his favourite tracks at his bedside. I think this one felt too "on the nose" as I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye, but I remember playing him "Who Knows Where The Time Goes?" When I went back into the waiting room, my family members said they'd also played that one to him. Lots of his favourite stuff I can barely listen to now, but Sandy's music is perfect for grief.
@peterbateman8018
Such a beautiful song, with deep lyrics and Sandy’s perfect voice. This song means so much to so many people, it’s just magic.
@barbarajaspersen8482
I sing many of her songs. I don't have her genius, but she is my guide, my friend, my inspiration, always steady there for me, a hand held in music. Has taught me so much.
@LH-kr4od
Same here ❤️