Nottamun Town
Fairport Convention Lyrics


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In Nottamun Town not a soul would look up,
Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
To show me the way to fair Nottamun Town.

Met the King and the Queen, and a company more
Come a-walking behind and a-riding before
Come a stark naked drummer a-beating the drum
With his hands on his bosom, come marching along.

Sat down on a hard, hot cold frozen stone,
Ten thousand stood 'round me, yet I was alone
Took my hat in my hands for to keep my head warm,
Ten thousand got drownded that never was born.

In Nottamun Town not a soul would look up,
Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,




Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
To show me the way to fair Nottamun Town.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Fairport Convention's "Nottamun Town" describe a journey to a town where no one pays attention to the singer's presence. The opening stanza repeats the phrase "not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down" to reinforce the idea that the people of Nottamun Town are indifferent or oblivious to the singer's presence. The singer is seeking directions to "fair Nottamun Town," but nobody is willing to help him.


The following stanza describes the singer's encounter with the King and Queen, who are accompanied by a company of people on foot and horseback. A drummer appears, beating his drum while standing naked with his hands on his chest. This imagery could be interpreted in many ways, but one possibility is that the naked drummer represents a form of rebellion or unpredictability that disrupts the order and respectability of the King and Queen.


The final stanza describes the singer's sense of isolation despite being surrounded by thousands of people. He sits on a hard, cold stone to keep warm and is left to his own devices to figure out how to get to Nottamun Town. The final line, "ten thousand got drownded that never was born," is enigmatic and difficult to interpret. It could reflect the singer's sense of isolation and despair, or it could be a metaphor for something else entirely.


Line by Line Meaning

In Nottamun Town not a soul would look up,
In Nottamun Town, nobody wanted to make eye contact with me.


Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
No one showed me any attention at all.


Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
Still, not one person would acknowledge my presence whatsoever.


To show me the way to fair Nottamun Town.
I was hoping someone would give me directions to Nottamun Town, but no one would pay me any attention.


Met the King and the Queen, and a company more
Despite my initial lack of success, I eventually ran into a group that included the royalty of the town.


Come a-walking behind and a-riding before
They were escorted by many people on foot and horseback.


Come a stark naked drummer a-beating the drum
Among their strange company was a completely naked drummer who was still playing his instrument.


With his hands on his bosom, come marching along.
He was moving his body to the rhythm of his own drumming as he continued to march forward.


Sat down on a hard, hot cold frozen stone,
Despite my continued efforts to find someone to help me, I eventually found myself alone and sitting uncomfortably on a stone that was both hot and cold at the same time.


Ten thousand stood 'round me, yet I was alone
In spite of the large crowd that had formed around me, I still felt completely isolated and disconnected from them.


Took my hat in my hands for to keep my head warm,
Trying to find some solace from the harsh environment, I used my hat to warm my head.


Ten thousand got drownded that never was born.
Despite my own discomfort and feelings of loneliness, I realized that there were many people who never even had the chance to experience life and all of its ups and downs.


In Nottamun Town not a soul would look up,
Once again, I found myself back at the beginning with no one willing to acknowledge me or help me in any way.


Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
It seemed as though I had somehow become invisible to everyone around me.


Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
No matter how hard I tried, I simply could not get anyone to pay attention to me or show me any kindness in this strange and unforgiving town.


To show me the way to fair Nottamun Town.
Even after all of my struggles and attempts to find help or direction, I was no closer to finding what I was searching for than when I had first arrived in Nottamun Town.




Lyrics © ESTATE OF JEAN RITCHIE PICKOW, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CAMPBELL, TRADITIONAL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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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...

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