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.
Poor Will And The Jolly Hangman
Fairport Convention Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
His pleasure is that you should rise
He's the judge and the jury
At the jester's assize
Poor Will on the gallows tree
Never a cruel word did say
Oh that a young man
Run to me mother of anyone's child
And tell me the revelry planned
Judges and barristers, clerks at the law
His show is the best in the land
Here's a toast to the Jolly Hangman
He'll hang you the best that he can
Here's a toast to the Jolly
No purse for a champion
No true love come over the stile
The debt of a poor man
He'll pay in awhile
Poor ladies, poor gentleman
Born of a sorry degree
Will you laugh for the hangman
When he comes for his fee?
Run to me mother of anyone's child
And tell me the revelry planned
Judges and barristers, clerks at the law
His show is the best in the land
Here's a toast to the Jolly Hangman
He'll hang you the best that he can
Here's a toast to the Jolly
Rise for the hangman
His pleasure is that you should rise
He's the judge and the jury
At the jester's assize
The lyrics to Fairport Convention's "Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman" paint a dark picture of life in days gone by. The song is a commentary on the justice system of the time and the power wielded by those in positions of authority. The opening lines implore the listener to rise for the hangman, an ominous figure who takes pleasure in his grim task. He is both judge and jury at the jester's assize, suggesting that justice is nothing more than a cruel joke. Poor Will, the man on the gallows tree, is a young man who didn't utter a word of malice his entire life. The song mourns the fact that someone so young and innocent could be treated so harshly.
The song goes on to describe a world in which revelry is planned around the hangman’s show, which is the best in the land. Judges, barristers, and clerks at the law are all seen to be in attendance, suggesting that the justice system is more of a spectacle than anything else. The chorus repeats the phrase "here's a toast to the Jolly Hangman," a reference to the fact that the hangman was often seen as a jovial figure who took pleasure in his work. The final verse asks the listener to consider whether they would laugh for the hangman when he comes for his fee, and serves as a stark reminder of the power dynamics at play in the world described in the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Won't you rise for the hangman
Please stand up for the hangman
His pleasure is that you should rise
The hangman wants you to stand as it provides joy to him
He's the judge and the jury
He is both the judge and the jury in this context
At the jester's assize
The hangman is administering justice to the fool
Poor Will on the gallows tree
Will is unfortunate to be hanged
Never a cruel word did say
Despite his situation Will showed no hatred towards his executors
Oh that a young man
It's sad that a young person especially a man should be hung
Should be treated this way
It's unfortunate for Will to be punished so severely
Run to me mother of anyone's child
Come to me mom of anyone's offspring
And tell me the revelry planned
Enlighten me on the upcoming entertainment
Judges and barristers, clerks at the law
Legal practitioners, judges and attorney clerks
His show is the best in the land
His performance of executions is the best around
Here's a toast to the Jolly Hangman
A tribute to the happy executioner
He'll hang you the best that he can
He will make certain that his executions are accurate
No purse for a champion
A victor does not receive a money reward in this situation
No true love come over the stile
Nobody comes over the line to show their love
The debt of a poor man
Unfortunate folks pay an interest in a twisted way
He'll pay in awhile
The poor man is likely to be punished for it later
Poor ladies, poor gentleman
Poor women, poor men
Born of a sorry degree
They stem from a poor background
Will you laugh for the hangman
Will you find his entertainment amusing?
When he comes for his fee?
When he shows to be paid for his work?
Rise for the hangman
Stand to acknowledge the presence of the executioner
His pleasure is that you should rise
It is the hangman's desire that you stand on his arrival
He's the judge and the jury
He is judge and executioner
At the jester's assize
He punishes the foolish court jester
Contributed by Nolan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
95thFoot
This is their best album, followed by Angel Delight. never quite got the Sandy Denny fascination. To each his own, but instrumentally and lyrically this is the band at their best.
Gyula Dudas
This track was dropped from the original conception of the Full House album.... 😢 maybe because they felt the House was too full. Now the album is about 35 min long. Thank you Richard Thompson. You do your best guitar part ever in your life and you are not satisfied with it. Congratulation!!!!!
Richard Sax
British folk rock @ its best!
Tony Fabrizio
Il più grande gruppo folk rock inglese
Jack
My God this is brilliant. Thanks for putting it on Tube, because I only have the vinyl copy! You don't hear many seventeen year olds saying that, but I'm a rarity.
Alan Breck
26 now...
james triarsi
@Alan Breck So good live in NYC
The Boz
So this is a Fairport song? I tried hard to find it under Richard's solo stuff, now I see why I couldn't. :) Always loved this track. I got it on tape first, from a friend. Thats why i didn't know which album it was from.
William Feagin
It was originally deleted from the final album sequence, at the last minute, because RT was unhappy with his guitar solo. It made its first appearance on LP on his compilation (guitar, vocal) in 1976, then later on the Fairport Convention anthology Meet on the Ledge: The Classic Years 1967-1975 in 1999. The 2001 remaster of Full House restored the originally planned sequence.
Keith Keller
Thanks as the "Fairport Confusion" discography is well, confusing.......