The band expressed Denny's vision of the potential of folk rock to express complex meaning and deep personal emotion, using traditional ballad forms, but with the power of a rock band. Their self-titled first album (Fotheringay) was also only one of two albums, as they broke up a year later, in January 1971, while working on their second (recently released). The cause appears to have been personal difficulties, made worse by lack of success and thus income! Oddly for such talented musicians the band were widely reported to have been poor in live performance, which may well have also contributed to their short life as a band. Tracks later surfaced on her three-disc compilation.
The rhythm section was formed by Gerry Conway and Pat Donaldson, lauded by Denny as the best in the business. In the absence of Richard Thompson, who was prepared to tour with her, and act as session musician but wanted to follow his own career, lead guitar was taken by Jerry Donahue, whose transatlantic country roots and softer personality brought a different, less edgy feel to the music. However he was a skilled technician, with great feel, as he showed on their album, and later Fairport Convention records. The group was completed by rhythm guitarist and second lead vocalist Australian Trevor Lucas, whom Denny was to marry, and who also later accompanied her back into Fairport.
Fotheringay contains a majority of tracks by Sandy Denny, with one each by Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot and Trevor Lucas, as well as the atmospheric trad arr. Fotheringay, The Banks of the Nile.
In 2007 the BBC announced that Donahue would be attempting to complete the abandoned project (which he accomplished using previously unheard takes from the original archived tapes). Permission had finally been granted and the work was completed by summer of the following year. The resulting album, titled Fotheringay 2, was released by Fledg'ling Records on 29 September 2008.
I Don't Believe You
Fotheringay Lyrics
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With a tear in every room
All I want's the love you've promised
Beneath the halo moon
But you think I should be happy
With your money and your name
And hide myself in sorrows
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
And I dare not drown my sorrows
In the warm glow of your wine
You can't buy my love with money
For I never was that kind
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
And I dare not drown my sorrows
In the warm glow of your wine
You can't buy my love with money
For I never was that kind
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
The lyrics of Fotheringay's "I Don't Believe You" speak to a woman who rejects the material trappings of a wealthy partner in favor of the love he's promised her. She doesn't want his "lonely mansion with a tear in every room," but desires companionship and trust beneath the "halo moon." The man thinks that he can make her happy with his money and status, yet she is unwilling to play by his rules and hide her sorrows while he cheats on her. The songs uses the metaphor of "silver threads and golden needles," indicating that the superficial trappings and physical pleasures that come with wealth and status cannot fix the heartbreak and emotional damage caused by infidelity.
The song highlights the conflict between love and materialism, and the difficulty of reconciling them in relationships. The woman recognizes that love and trust are more important than the wealth and status that her partner offers. The lyrics are emotive and evoke a sense of longing and pain, imbuing the song with a melancholic quality. The chorus repeats the refrain that "silver threads and golden needles cannot mend this heart of mine," emphasizing the irreparable emotional damage caused by infidelity and straying from the values of love and trust.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want your lonely mansion
I don't desire to have your house which is so full of misery.
With a tear in every room
Your house is so sorrowful that every room has something to cry about.
All I want's the love you've promised
I yearn for the affection you swore to give me.
Beneath the halo moon
I want to share that love under the beauty of the moonlight.
But you think I should be happy
However, you believe I should be content.
With your money and your name
By possessing your wealth and reputation.
And hide myself in sorrows
By keeping my sadness to myself.
While you play your cheatin' game
As you deceive me with your dishonest activities.
Silver threads and golden needles
Neither threads of silver nor needles of gold have the power to repair my broken heart.
Cannot mend this heart of mine
No matter what I do, my heart will still be shattered.
And I dare not drown my sorrows
I can't get rid of my pain by drowning myself in your wine.
In the warm glow of your wine
Neither in the comforting warmth of your wine, nor anywhere else.
You can't buy my love with money
You won't receive my love despite the cash you have.
For I never was that kind
That's because; I never was the kind of person who sells her love for material things.
Silver threads and golden needles
Once again, there's no way that threads of silver or needles of gold can fix my aching heart.
Cannot mend this heart of mine
My heart can't be repaired and pieced together again.
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: Dick Reynolds, Jack Rhodes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Charlie Churchill
This is one of the most magnificent covers of any Bob Dylan song. Superb
Roger Ferns
Same riff as Cindy Incidentally...
marcelo fernandezvalet
i prefer Bob