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.
Time Will Show The Wiser
Fairport Convention Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My mind keeps on telling me that this is no good
And my heart is aching, that tells me I should
But only time will show the wiser
I've fallen in love with a girl that's not mine
If I take her it will hurt him, a very best friend of mine
But I know that I need someone, to hold, to love
And my mind says I shouldn't but my heart says I should
And this is so confusing, it's tearing me apart
Time, it will show the wiser
Well, I wish someone would help me, this decision is mine
And my morals and emotions are hard to combine
And there is no easy way out to limit the time
That it takes till she finds out for the love that I hide
And I don't know which to go by, my mind or my heart
And this is so confusing, it's tearing me apart
Time, it will show the wiser
Time, it will show the wiser
Time, it will show the wiser
In Fairport Convention's "Time Will Show The Wiser," the singer is grappling with a moral dilemma that pits his heart against his mind. He is in love with a woman, but she is the girlfriend of his best friend. His mind tells him that pursuing this relationship would be wrong and hurtful, but his heart is yearning for her. He is torn between following his head and doing what is right, or following his heart and indulging his desires. He wishes someone would help him make the decision, but in the end, he knows that only time will reveal the right path.
The tension between the heart and mind is a common theme in literature and music, and this song highlights the difficulty of reconciling two opposing desires. The lyrics are emotive and speak to the universal struggle of navigating complex emotions and moral questions. The song's melody is hauntingly beautiful and melancholic, with the guitar and vocals evoking a sense of longing and uncertainty.
"Time Will Show The Wiser" was written by Ian Matthews, who was a member of Fairport Convention at the time. The song was included on the band's self-titled debut album in 1968. The album was well-received by critics and helped to establish Fairport Convention as a leading voice in the British folk-rock scene.
Line by Line Meaning
My mind keeps on telling me that this is no good
I know deep down that pursuing this relationship is not the right thing to do.
And my heart is aching, that tells me I should
Despite what my mind is saying, my heart wants me to go ahead and pursue this relationship.
But only time will show the wiser
Ultimately, only time will reveal whether this decision was the right one or not.
I've fallen in love with a girl that's not mine
I have developed romantic feelings for a woman who is already in a committed relationship.
If I take her it will hurt him, a very best friend of mine
If I act on these feelings and pursue a relationship with her, it will hurt my close friend who is in a relationship with her.
But I know that I need someone, to hold, to love
Despite the potential fallout, I feel an intense desire to be with someone and experience love and affection.
And my mind says I shouldn't but my heart says I should
There is a conflict between my logical reasoning, which is telling me not to pursue this relationship, and my emotional desires that are urging me to do so.
And I don't know which to go by, my mind or my heart
I am struggling to determine whether to follow my head or my heart in making this decision.
And this is so confusing, it's tearing me apart
The internal conflict and emotional turmoil caused by this decision is overwhelming and causing me great distress.
Well, I wish someone would help me, this decision is mine
Despite my confusion, I know that ultimately this is a decision that only I can make.
And my morals and emotions are hard to combine
The ethical considerations and emotional desires involved in this decision are difficult to reconcile and create tension.
And there is no easy way out to limit the time
There is no simple solution that can alleviate this conflict and the time it will take to resolve it.
That it takes till she finds out for the love that I hide
There is a risk that if I do not act on my feelings, the woman in question will never know how I feel about her.
Time, it will show the wiser
Again, only time can truly reveal the wisdom and consequences of this decision.
Time, it will show the wiser
The repetition of this line highlights the importance of patience and the belief that with time, things will become clearer.
Time, it will show the wiser
The final repetition of this line reinforces the idea that time is the key factor in determining the wisdom and outcome of this decision.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EMITT RHODES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DavidAndrewsPEC
Sorry for your loss. She was lovely. I encountered her in a forum some years ago.
One thread was about how members of the forum got into Fairport Convention. Her answer was one only she could give:
"I rang the front doorbell!"
Style, Judy!
You had a wonderful aunt, and a lot of people loved her.
@noradorapandora9579
My mind keeps on telling me that this is no good
And my heart is aching, that tells me I should
But only time will show the wiser
I've fallen in love with a girl that's not mine
If I take her, it will hurt him, a very best friend of mine
But I know that I need someone to hold, to love
And my mind says I shouldn't, but my heart says I should
And I don't know which to go by, my mind or my heart
And this is so confusing, it's tearing me apart
Time, it will show the wiser
Well, I wish someone would help me, this decision is mine
And my morals and emotions are hard to combine
And there is no easy way out to limit the time
That it takes till she finds out for the love that I hide
And I don't know which to go by, my mind or my heart
And this is so confusing, it's tearing me apart
Time, it will show the wiser
Time, it will show the wiser
Time, it will show the wiser
@LordAdamGalaxy
Goodbye to my beloved aunt. Judy. She, together with her husband, my Uncle Simon,( de la Bedoyere/ Stable) showed me, an eleven year-old in 1970, that there was a different way of living, what came to be called 'alternative'.They held parties at my parents' home in Wimbledon in the late Sixties: acid fuelled and entertained by the unreleased Sgt Pepper and Velvet Underground. Then chucked it in for chickens in Oxfordshire. Her lifestyle appealed but it was obviously naive, anachronistic. They gave me Hendrix, Ten Years After, The Floyd - powerful things for an English schoolboy. Thirty years later I too followed their path into rural obscurity and discovered the joy to be had from creativity for its own sake, from immersion in the natural cycle and cooking stews.
I''m not daft. Jude moved to the sticks when land was cheap and a generation later I made enough cash from advertising to escape London and a nervous breakdown. Few can follow. But I did. My wayward Aunt Jude and Uncle Simon had it right.
I have a lot to thank Jude for. The first word I keep for her is -gentle and the second is pastoral.
@marknorton1999
A lovely tribute to Judy, thank you. I’m 4 years older than you, and I look back on the sixties with a certain nostalgia, influenced as you were by my older brother and sister.
@adrianclark9540
Ahh, that's wonderful. So sorry for your loss, but what a role model! I'm glad she was able to get back into music later in life, with such great results, too.
@DavidAndrewsPEC
Sorry for your loss. She was lovely. I encountered her in a forum some years ago.
One thread was about how members of the forum got into Fairport Convention. Her answer was one only she could give:
"I rang the front doorbell!"
Style, Judy!
You had a wonderful aunt, and a lot of people loved her.
@ConradHeiney
thank you for this
@sylviabarnes1014
I saw Fairport Convention at Leeds University in about 1968. They were the support group but I can still remember the beautiful voice of the singer who I presume was Judy. I didn't see them live again until a few years ago at the St Ives festival. The early memories are the best.
@HMWaluigi
R.I.P. Judy Dyble... what a magnificent voice..
@picklewiickle.1583
never hered of her until now.
she sang is all.
@StarfieldRailway
She had one of the greatest voices I have ever heard.
@spiderpromos
Judy Dyble sadly left us on 12th July following a long illness borne with great courage. She was 71. Judy was one of the pioneers of the English folk rock scene in the 1960s - a founding member of Fairport Convention and vocalist with Trader Horne. She withdrew from the music scene in the early 1970s to concentrate on her family but returned in 1997 for Fairport's 30th anniversary reunion at Cropredy. It was wonderful to see her with them again. Further Fairport anniversary appearances followed. Judy then went on to make three excellent albums, the first one unofficially launched at London pub run at the time by my pal Dan Ogus. This began a revival of her music career, which included numerous guest appearances on albums by a host of artists. In 2017, Judy started working with Big Big Train’s multi-instrumentalist frontman David Longdon. Their album "Between A Breath And A Breath" will be released in September. Two songs from the sessions which won't be included on the album, "Crossbones" and "The Daguerreotype", will be released in the autumn (subsequent to the album release) as a tribute to Judy, and In accordance with Judy’s wishes the two tracks will be made available as free downloads, , but it would be appreciated if you could make a donation to Judy’s chosen charity, the Barley Greyhound Sanctuary. (www.barleykennels.co.uk)
I always looked forward to meeting Judy at Cropredy, walking her dogs on the field. As a fellow greyhound rescuer, we always talked about animal rescue, and never music... I shall miss those chats...R.I.P Judy x