From 1964, Andrews supported his nascent career as a singer/songwriter by working as a schoolteacher, before becoming a full-time professional musician in 1966.
Andrews has produced 15 successful albums singing his own songs, many of which have also been recorded by other artists.
His emotive The Soldier transmits the same quiet desperation of a soldier about to die "in conflict" as Wilfred Owen's Dulce Et Decorum Est, though in a very different setting. In fact, the contrast of a battlefield to a commonplace urban setting and the proximity of children makes the situation even more poignant and the waste of a young life even more tragic.
Hey Sandy on the album Writer of Songs is another description of the senseless loss of a young life in conflict. It is based on the death of a female student, Sandra Scheuer, who was shot by the Ohio National Guard at the Kent State University in the USA anti-war demonstration of 1970, although, unlike the Sandy of Andrews' song, the real student was not directly involved in the demonstration. The album version of the song is an unusual, but powerful, arrangement, in which the first verse is sung to the accompaniment of a solo double bass, played by Danny Thompson. The recording was never issued in America until Kent State University's commemorative cd released in 2005. It reached number 2 in the New Zealand chart in November 1972.In stark contrast, his Boothferry Bridge and Gift of a Brand New day reflect the contentment of the simple pleasures of everyday life.
Many of Harvey's supposedly 'unavailable' Albums (like Writer of Songs) can actually be ordered directly from his web site (just follow the 'music' link) http://www.harveyandrews.com/ .. sadly some of them really are out of print.
The Mallard
Harvey Andrews Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I still remember how we played together now,
You in the water and me on the Land.
I´d call and you´d follow me, People would smile at us,
Taking their Pictures of you in my Hand.
There in the City a Park we could stay in
A Pool you could swim and an Island for home.
Young ones each summer you raised to the water.
You were my beauty, my peace and my pleasure,
A friend I could come to as both of us aged.
Wild and not knowing that freedom´s a treasure,
The City´s a prison but you were uncaged.
So how could they leave you to live with your freedom,
To share time and silence with one quiet boy.
For all things of beauty they could not believe in,
They could not conceive so they had to destroy.
I saw them laughing and running together,
Clutching the red stones and chanting my name.
Jeering and joking they left me for ever
To search for the meaning to carry the shame.
For I found you broken, battered and bleeding,
Someone found me wandering late in the night.
And all I could ask him was how could it happen
And why should it happen and who I could fight?
My father came calling me, angry and frightened
And as I cried constantly he was afraid
Quietly telling me that I was growing
To live in the world as the world had been made.
But could I believe in the love he had promised,
The dream he had painted in which I could live.
If somebody smashes the love that you offer
There´s less that you show and there´s less you can give.
And I still remember how we played together now,
You in the water and me on the land.
But it´s been so hard not to carry the hatred
And try though I have, I still can´t understand.
In Harvey Andrews' song "The Mallard", the lyrics depict a relationship between the singer and a mallard duck. The singer recalls the enjoyable times they had together, with the duck in the water and the singer on the land. The people who witnessed them would smile and take pictures, as the singer felt a strong bond with the duck. They had a special place to stay, with a pool for the duck to swim in and an island for it to call home. The duck even raised young ones in the summer and stayed for the cold as they left on their own.
However, the singer's happy memories turn to grief and anger as they recall the duck being destroyed by people who could not appreciate its beauty and freedom. They saw the duck as uncaged in the city, while the city itself was a prison for them. The singer saw the people who killed the duck, jeering and chanting their name, leaving them to search for meaning and understanding in their actions. The singer was left with a feeling of hatred they could not shake, struggling to understand why such a senseless act could happen.
The song can be interpreted in a variety of ways, touching on issues of human nature, environmental concerns, and the cruelty that can come with the destruction of beauty. It can be seen as a reflection on the desire for freedom, the value of nature, and the impact of our actions on the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
I still remember how we played together now,
The singer remembers the happy times they shared with a duck in a city park.
You in the water and me on the Land.
The duck swam in the water while the singer played on land.
I'd call and you'd follow me, People would smile at us, Taking their Pictures of you in my Hand.
The duck would follow the singer's calls and people found their relationship cute and took pictures of the singer holding the duck.
There in the City a Park we could stay in A Pool you could swim and an Island for Home.
The two would spend their time in a city park where there was a pool for the duck to swim in and an island for it to call home.
Young ones each summer you raised to the water. Then stayed for the cold as they left you alone.
Every summer the duck raised its young ones by the water but then had to stay alone during the cold.
You were my beauty, my peace and my pleasure, A friend I could come to as both of us aged.
The duck was the singer's source of joy, peace, and companionship as they both grew older.
Wild and not knowing that freedom´s a treasure, The City´s a prison but you were uncaged.
The duck was wild and unaware of the value of freedom and even though they lived in the city, they were still free as opposed to the humans who were imprisoned by the city.
So how could they leave you to live with your freedom, To share time and silence with one quiet boy.
The artist questions how humans could allow the duck to live freely and enjoy their company but then destroy it.
For all things of beauty they could not believe in, They could not conceive so they had to destroy.
Humans could not understand or appreciate the beauty of the artist's relationship with the duck and so they had to destroy it.
I saw them laughing and running together, Clutching the red stones and chanting my name.
The humans who destroyed the duck were celebrating and mocking the artist by holding red stones and chanting their name.
Jeering and joking they left me for ever To search for the meaning to carry the shame.
The humans left the singer alone to deal with the shame and confusion of what had happened.
For I found you broken, battered and bleeding, Someone found me wandering late in the night.
The artist found the duck beaten and injured while wandering around late at night.
And all I could ask him was how could it happen And why should it happen and who I could fight?
The singer is confused and angry, wondering how and why someone could hurt the innocent duck and who they could fight to make it right.
My father came calling me, angry and frightened And as I cried constantly he was afraid.
The singer's father came to see them and was angry and scared as the singer cried constantly.
Quietly telling me that I was growing To live in the world as the world had been made.
The singer's father comforts them by telling them that the world was not a fair place and they must learn to live in it regardless.
But could I believe in the love he had promised, The dream he had painted in which I could live.
The artist questions whether they can still believe in the love and hope their father had promised them in a world where such a terrible thing could happen.
If somebody smashes the love that you offer There´s less that you show and there´s less you can give.
If someone destroys the love and kindness one offers, it becomes harder to continue to give and show that love.
And I still remember how we played together now, You in the water and me on the land.
The singer still fondly remembers their past with the duck.
But it´s been so hard not to carry the hatred And try though I have, I still can´t understand.
Despite trying to move on, the singer still struggles with the hatred they feel for those who hurt the duck and they cannot comprehend why such a terrible thing happened.
Contributed by Sophie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.