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.
Meet on the Ledge
Fairport Convention Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or finding better words" these ideas never lasted long
The way is up along the road, the air is growing thin
Too many friends who tried, blown off this mountain with the wind
Meet on the ledge, we're gonna meet on the ledge
When my time is up, I'm gonna see all my friends
If you really mean it, it all comes around again
Yet now I see, I'm all alone, but that's the only way to be
You'll have your chance again, then you can do the work for me
Meet on the ledge, we're gonna meet on the ledge
When my time is up, I'm gonna see all my friends
Meet on the ledge, we're gonna meet on the ledge
If you really mean it, it all comes around again
Meet on the ledge, we're gonna meet on the ledge
When my time is up, I'm gonna see all my friends
Meet on the ledge, we're gonna meet on the ledge
If you really mean it, it all comes around again
Fairport Convention’s song “Meet on the Ledge” was written by the band’s lead vocalist, Richard Thompson, in the early 1970s. The song’s introspective lyrics express the passing of time and the band’s experiences facing the realities of life. The opening verses reflect on the band’s early days and the ambition they held of making great music, but how the ideals often “never lasted long.” The song also touches on the loss of friends along life’s path, the struggle of the individual journey, and eventually coming to terms with being alone, knowing that eventually one can be with friends again.
The repeated refrain “Meet on the ledge” means that despite everything that happens in life, friends will always come together, even if they have to do so at a “ledge,” a place that represents coming to terms with one's own mortality. The song is characterized by its hopeful, almost spiritual message that in the end, life is always worth living, and that, even amid hardship and loss, there is always a place to turn to and someone to share it with.
Line by Line Meaning
We used to say "there'd come the day, we'd all be making songs
Or finding better words" these ideas never lasted long
We used to dream about a future where we would all create beautiful music and poetry, but these dreams never seemed to stick around for long.
The way is up along the road, the air is growing thin
Too many friends who tried, blown off this mountain with the wind
The path to success is steep and difficult, and many who try to make it end up failing and falling away.
Meet on the ledge, we're gonna meet on the ledge
When my time is up, I'm gonna see all my friends
Meet on the ledge, we're gonna to meet on the ledge
If you really mean it, it all comes around again
Let's promise to meet up with each other at the end of our journey, and if we truly mean it, we'll be reunited in the next life.
Yet now I see, I'm all alone, but that's the only way to be
You'll have your chance again, then you can do the work for me
Right now, I'm alone on my own path, but that's okay. You'll have your chance to succeed too, and when you do, you can help me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Richard John Thompson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AFaceintheCrowd01
I hear this and see myself in 1969 at age 13, bunking off school and bustling around Ladbroke Grove, seeing my breath in the freezing morning cold, smell of patchouli oil and incense in the little shops and stalls, long hair and peasant dresses, lump of black hash kept in cigarette pack foil, ramshackle flats, blanket covering the front window, a broken-down couch to sit on, tea in chipped mugs, and always music. Always the music.
@TreVader1378
Yes I remember those days well, once the fog of time has cleared, and I smile, remembering the ones we loved and lost along the way. Oh and the huge biftas passed around, and another on the go, before the first has been put out.
@kupus6622
Ladbrokes grove ? Didn't know Roy did ye , had odd eyes
@stonemarten1400
Groovy man, love it!
@spursgog835
Sandy Denny was simply the best female vocalist that the UK ever produced. RIP
@markwelton9428
It's 53 years since I first switched on the radio and heard this song. And it's still as powerful as ever.
@Thurston86
1969? Wow! 🤘👽
@dandodge2188
Check out Greta Van Fleets cover of this great song. .....Peace
@jennyrenaud2411
@dandodge2188 God I love this song 🎵 GVF is so awesome.
@marynovak5800
@Thurston86 she didn't meet with Robert plant and the band Led Zeppelin until 1970, or 71