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.
Now Be Thankful
Fairport Convention Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In crystal waters I'll be bound
Cold as stone, weary to the sounds upon the wheel
Now be thankful for good things below
Now be thankful to your maker
For the rose, the red rose blooms for all to know
In burning irons I'll be bound
Fierce as fire weary to the sounds upon the wheel
Now be thankful for good things below
Now be thankful to your maker
For the rose, the red rose blooms for all to know
When the stone is grown too cold to kneel
In crystal waters I'll be bound
Cold as stone, weary to the sounds upon the wheel
Now be thankful for good things below
Now be thankful to your maker
For the rose, the red rose blooms for all to know
Fairport Convention's Now Be Thankful uses vivid imagery to convey a sense of resignation and exhaustion to the listener. The song begins with the image of the stone being too cold to kneel upon, suggesting a sense of physical and emotional weariness. The line "in crystal waters I'll be bound" evokes an idea of being trapped or stuck, unable to move forward or change one's circumstances.
The imagery of the burning iron and fierce fire in the second verse suggests a sense of being consumed or overwhelmed by external forces, and feeling powerless to resist. The repetition of the line "weary to the sounds upon the wheel" in both verses reinforces this sense of being trapped or stuck in a cycle of pain or suffering.
However, the chorus offers a glimmer of hope in the form of gratitude. The lines "Now be thankful for good things below, Now be thankful to your maker, For the rose, the red rose blooms for all to know" suggest that even in the midst of hardship, there are still things to be grateful for and beauty to be found in the world. The line about the red rose blooming for all to know suggests a sense of connection and shared experience, reminding us that we are not alone in our struggles.
Overall, Now Be Thankful is a powerful meditation on the human experience of pain and resilience, and the importance of finding gratitude even in the darkest of times.
Line by Line Meaning
When the stone is grown too cold to kneel
When you feel like the world around you is becoming too difficult to handle
In crystal waters I'll be bound
You will find comfort in clear and pure surroundings
Cold as stone, weary to the sounds upon the wheel
Drained and burdened by the everyday challenges of life
Now be thankful for good things below
Take a moment to give thanks for the positive aspects of your life
Now be thankful to your maker
Express gratitude to the higher power that you believe in
For the rose, the red rose blooms for all to know
Remember that there is beauty and joy to be found in life, for everyone to witness
When the fire is grown too fierce to breathe
When you feel like the challenges and struggles you face are becoming too much to bear
In burning irons I'll be bound
You may find yourself feeling trapped or constrained by your circumstances
Fierce as fire weary to the sounds upon the wheel
Depleted and exhausted by the unrelenting demands of life
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: THOMPSON SWARBRICK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nancy Benefiel
Oh to be 19 again, lying in the sun on a green field, listening to Fairport Convention. The closest thing to heaven I ever found.
ThighsofSteel Indeed
@Natalia Wieczorek the rich lived years Natalia.
Natalia Wieczorek
Me too! It's making me cry for lost years
john barleycorn
Sounds good to me!
Hoisin
Thanks for the upload. My favourite fairport song and beautifully sung by Swarbs here
Leonardo Dm
Masterpiece. and Richard Thompson is a genius
Toby Smith
One of the most beautiful songs ever written! 😊
wadefite
Swarb's voice is brilliant.
Elizabeth Hann
[29 March 2022] I can't get over this video. It's such a great, assured, confident performance of a beautiful (cold yet compelling) song, by a band in the first flush of its glory (if that makes any sense). I must confess, I also can't get over seeing footage of Richard Thompson when he was young and wore his hair long. Maybe it's just the lighting, or the quality of the color film-stock that this footage was filmed on, but Thompson looks so very wan and pale here, he looks as though he could be half-Hobbit, or even half-Elf. More pertinently, perhaps, he looks like someone who's locked himself up (in a tower? Or more likely in a garret) brooding on spiritual wisdom and pouring over ancient holy books and tomes of ancient song; he looks as though he only allowed himself out in the sunshine to play guitar for the band, you know what I mean? I suppose I must sound awfully silly, saying all this (I mean, I know it's not literally true), but I still can't help thinking it.
Elizabeth Hann
@MattyMetal [24 June 2022] Thank you so much for writing back to me. I'm so glad you liked what I wrote.
"Now Be Thankful" does, indeed, ooze alchemy. I'm so glad you can hear it. I think that Richard, in his younger days, had an alchemical air about him. a supra-rational or supernatural air, anyway. The air of a mystic. That's why I admire him.