Armstrong moved with her family to Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, as a young child. She began singing in a group with her brother singing Elvis Presley and Little Richard numbers, and in 1957 joined the Stort Valley Skiffle Group which a few years later changed its name to the Ceilidh Singers as its repertoire moved towards folk music. The group founded the Hoddesdon Folk Club.
In 1963 she began working with Louis Killen and performing solo, then in 1964 she joined The Critics Group under Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger. In 1965 sang at the Edinburgh Festival "Poets In Public", with John Betjeman, Stevie Smith and Ted Hughes. Her first recording, in 1965, was at the invitation of Bert Lloyd who as director of Topic Records was putting together a recording of erotic songs with Anne Briggs, released as The Bird in the Bush.
In the mid-1970s Armstrong pioneered workshops based on traditional styles of singing. But she also was a member of the Feminist Improvising Group (FIG), co-founded in 1977 by vocalist Maggie Nicols, bassoonist Lindsay Cooper, keybordist Cathy Williams, cellist and bassist Georgina Born and trumpeter Corinne Liensol and collaborated within the accomplished FIG after 1978 also with free jazz pianist (and partly percussion playing) Irène Schweizer, saxophonist (and film maker) Sally Potter, trombonist and violist Annemarie Roelofs, flutist and saxophonist Angèle Veltmeijer and saxophonist and guitarist Françoise Dupety. In 2018, she was awarded a Gold Badge Award from the English Folk Dance and Song Society for outstanding contributions to folk music.
She worked as a singer in the folk scene and the women's movement, and she was a trainer in social and youth work. Involved with folk and political songs starting in the 1950s, she has also performed and/or recorded with, amongst others, Blowzabella, the Mike Westbrook Band, Henry Cow, Ken Hyder's Talisker, John Kirkpatrick, Brian Pearson, Leon Rosselson, Dave Van Ronk and Maddy Prior.
In 2018, she was awarded a Gold Badge Award from the English Folk Dance and Song Society for outstanding contributions to folk music.
In 2019, she helped form a new band Green Ribbons with Alasdair Roberts (musician), Jinnwoo and Burd Ellen. In July 2019, the band released their self-titled debut album consisting of purely unaccompanied singing through Matiere Memoir Records.
The Female Drummer
Frankie Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if they let me have a drum I'll be a drummer too
To rush into the battlefield with a broadsword in my hand
To hear the cannon rattle and the music play so grand
And the music play so grand, and the music play so grand
To hear the cannon rattle and the music play so grand
When I was a young girl at the age of sixteen
The officer who enlisted me said, You are a fine young man
I think you'll make a drummer, so just step this way, young man
They led me to my office, they let me off to bed
And lying by a soldier's side I never was afraid
And taking off my old red coat I oftimes used to smile
To think myself a drummer, yet a female all the while
My waist long and slender, my fingers neat and small
And very soon they taught me how to play the best of all
I played upon the kettle drum as other drummers played
I played upon my kettle drum and I'll beat the drum again
They sent me off to London to be guard o'er the Tower
And there I would have been until this very day and hour
But a young girl fell in love with me, she found I was a maid
She went straightway to my officer, my secret betrayed
My officer he sent for me to see if it was true
But I all for to beat him said I already knew
There's a pension award for you, he smiled and he said
It's a pity we should lose you, such a drummer as you made
So fare you well, my officer, you have been kind to me
And fare you well, my comrades, you ne'er forgot shall be
And should the British Army fall short of any men
I'll put on my hat and feather and I'll beat the drum again
"The Female Drummer" by Frankie Armstrong is a song that tells the story of a young girl who has always dreamed of being a drummer. She enlists in the army, hoping to be able to play the drums in the battlefield. The officer who enlists her believes she is a young man and assigns her to be a drummer. She is able to keep up the ruse and becomes one of the best drummers in the army, all the while hiding her gender. Eventually, she is found out, and although her secret could have led to her being discharged, her officer recognizes her excellent drumming skills and awards her a pension instead.
The song speaks to the idea of gender stereotypes and the limitations that society places on individuals, especially in the context of war, where traditionally men have been warriors and women have been tasked with supporting roles. The singer in the song defies these stereotypes and lives her dream, even if she has to hide her gender to do so. It also speaks to the power of recognition and the importance of skill over gender or appearance.
Line by Line Meaning
I listed in the army in uniform quite new
I joined the army as a young girl, dressed in new uniforms
And if they let me have a drum I'll be a drummer too
I wanted to become a drummer in the army
To rush into the battlefield with a broadsword in my hand
I was eager to fight in the front line, with a sword on my hand
To hear the cannon rattle and the music play so grand
I was excited to hear the loud noises of cannons and the sounds of the band
And the music play so grand, and the music play so grand
I really enjoyed the sound of the band playing in the background
When I was a young girl at the age of sixteen
I was just a young girl of sixteen years old when I joined the army
From my home I ran away to go and serve the Queen
I left my home and family to serve the queen and my country
The officer who enlisted me said, You are a fine young man
The officer who recruited me thought I was a young man
I think you'll make a drummer, so just step this way, young man
He believed that I had the talent to become a drummer, and so he asked me to follow him
They led me to my office, they let me off to bed
I was taken to my quarters and given a bed to sleep in
And lying by a soldier's side I never was afraid
Even though I was sleeping next to a male soldier, I never felt afraid
And taking off my old red coat I oftimes used to smile
I often smiled when I took off my red coat because I knew I was a female drummer
To think myself a drummer, yet a female all the while
Although I was a female, I still managed to become a good drummer
My waist long and slender, my fingers neat and small
I had a slim waist and dainty fingers, which made me well-suited to drumming
And very soon they taught me how to play the best of all
I quickly learned to play the drums better than anyone else
I played upon the kettle drum as other drummers played
I played the kettle drum just like any other drummer
I played upon my kettle drum and I'll beat the drum again
I loved playing the drum and was happy to do it again and again
They sent me off to London to be guard o'er the Tower
I was sent to London to guard the Tower of London
And there I would have been until this very day and hour
I would have stayed there until now if it wasn't for what happened next
But a young girl fell in love with me, she found I was a maid
Another girl fell in love with me and found out that I was a woman
She went straightway to my officer, my secret betrayed
She immediately went and told my officer about my gender
My officer he sent for me to see if it was true
My officer called me to see if the rumors about me being a woman were true
But I all for to beat him said I already knew
I admitted to my officer that I was a woman, but I didn't see it as a problem
There's a pension award for you, he smiled and he said
My officer was pleased with my service and offered me a pension
It's a pity we should lose you, such a drummer as you made
He was sorry to see me go because I was such a great drummer
So fare you well, my officer, you have been kind to me
I bid farewell to my officer, thanking him for being kind to me
And fare you well, my comrades, you ne'er forgot shall be
I also say goodbye to my fellow soldiers, knowing that I will never forget them
And should the British Army fall short of any men
If the British Army ever needs more soldiers
I'll put on my hat and feather and I'll beat the drum again
I'll happily put on my uniform and play the drums again
Contributed by Xavier W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.