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.
Over the Next Hill
Fairport Convention Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If your wheels are burning up the miles,
And your wearing down shoe leather,
And your face is frozen in a smile,
And the road goes on forever.
Forever, forever,
Over the next hill,
Maybe there's good weather.
If your flying over table top,
Eyes wide with wine and wonder,
Or lazy counting kangaroos,
In the dingle days down under.
Down Under, Down Under,
In Dingle days down under.
Over the next hill,
Theres no more rain or thunder.
Though you chose the open road when you were willing
To sing and dance and take the tamborine and the shilling
All the secret tricks and footsteps you were learning
But once the stone begins to roll its not the turning.
Like a rolling stone
With no direction home
Though you chose the open road when you were willing
To sing and dance and take the tamborine and the shilling
All the secret tricks and footsteps you were learning
But once the stone begins to roll its not the turning.
Like a rolling stone
With no direction home
If your pacing in some dresing room
Where there's no fresh paint or windows,
O your strutting on some dusty stage
Wondering where the time goes.
The time goes, The time goes
Wodering where the time goes.
Over the next hill,
They say there will be rainbows
Oh Rainbows Rainbows
Somewhere over rainbows
Over the next hill
Who knows where the time goes
The lyrics to "Over the Next Hill" by Fairport Convention paint a picture of the endless journey of life, and the uncertainty that comes with it. The song is written in a way that can be interpreted in many ways, but it seems to be about the journey through life, and the emotions that come with it. The first verse speaks to the idea of constant movement, always moving forward, despite the obstacles and struggles. The second verse speaks to the wonder and beauty that can be found in the journey, whether it's through exploration or leisure. The third verse speaks to the idea of life as a performance, with the singer pacing in a dressing room or strutting on stage, wondering where the time has gone. The chorus ties it all together, with the idea that no matter how long the journey is, there's always something more up ahead.
The song seems to be a reflection on the inevitability of the journey of life. It's about the freedom of setting out on an adventure, but also about the challenges and struggles that come with it. Through it all, the singer seems to be searching for something more, something bigger, something that transcends the daily struggles of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Forever Forever the road goes on Forever
No matter how much you travel, your journey never ends.
If your wheels are burning up the miles,
If you're traveling fast on wheels and clocking miles,
And your wearing down shoe leather,
And if you're walking long distances wearing down your shoes
And your face is frozen in a smile,
And if you've got a broad smile on your face,
And the road goes on forever.
Your journey never ends as the road just keeps going on.
Over the next hill,
Just around the corner,
Maybe there's good weather.
There might be better weather on the other side of the hill.
If your flying over table top,
If you're soaring over a plateau,
Eyes wide with wine and wonder,
Feeling amazed and wondrous with wide eyes.
Or lazy counting kangaroos,
Or lying around observing kangaroos
In the dingle days down under.
Back in the olden days in Australia's small wooded valley.
Down Under, Down Under,
In Australia, it was like this,
Over the next hill,
Right over there,
Theres no more rain or thunder.
There's no more bad weather to bother you.
Though you chose the open road when you were willing
You picked the path of adventure when you were excited
To sing and dance and take the tamborine and the shilling
To play music, dance and earn a living
All the secret tricks and footsteps you were learning
All the covert lessons and footsteps you picked up
But once the stone begins to roll its not the turning.
Once you start a transformation or journey, you can't go back to how it was before
Like a rolling stone
Like a tumbleweed
With no direction home
Not having a destination.
If your pacing in some dresing room
If you're pacing in a dressing room
Where there's no fresh paint or windows,
A small room with old paint and no windows
O your strutting on some dusty stage
Standing tall on some dusty stage
Wondering where the time goes.
Wondering where all the time has gone.
The time goes, The time goes
Time passes and flies away
Wodering where the time goes.
Thinking about how time flies.
Over the next hill,
Just beyond the hill,
They say there will be rainbows
People say there are rainbows waiting for us.
Oh Rainbows Rainbows
Oh, how beautiful rainbows are
Somewhere over rainbows
Over the rainbow somewhere
Over the next hill
Standing on the next hill
Who knows where the time goes
Nobody knows where the time goes, it flies too fast.
Contributed by Maria J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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...