Tabor's earliest public performances were at the Heart of England Folk Club (at the Fox and Vivian pub) in Leamington Spa in the mid 1960s. In the late 1960s an appearance at the Sidmouth Folk Festival led to folk club bookings and she contributed to various records. One of her earliest recordings was in 1972 on an anthology called Stagfolk Live. She also featured on Rosie Hardman's Firebird (1972) and The First Folk Review Record (1974). At the time she was singing purely traditional unaccompanied material but in 1976 she collaborated with Maddy Prior on the Silly Sisters album and tour, with a full band that included Nic Jones. It provided the launching pad that same year (1976) for her first album in her own right, Airs and Graces. She later joined again with Prior, this time using the name Silly Sisters for their duo. Starting in 1977 Martin Simpson joined her in the recording studio for three albums before he moved to America in 1987. (Simpson has returned from America to be a guest guitarist on albums in the 2000s.) After his departure, she started working closely with pianist Huw Warren.
In 1990, Tabor recorded an album with the folk-rock band OysterBand entitled Freedom and Rain. She went on tour with OysterBand, and the Rykodisc label published a limited-run promotional live album the following year. Many of her current fans first discovered her through this tour and album with the OysterBand. In 1992 Elvis Costello wrote "All This Useless Beauty" specifically for Tabor, and she recorded it on Angel Tiger.
Since then her solo albums have included:
A Quiet Eye (1999)
Rosa Mundi (2001)
An Echo of Hooves (2003)
At the Wood's Heart (2005)
Apples (2007)
Ashore (2011)
Ragged Kingdom is a 2011 album by June Tabor & Oysterband.
Since 2006, Tabor has also been working with Huw Warren and Iain Ballamy as Quercus.
Website: www.junetabor.co.uk
All Our Trades Are Gone
June Tabor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of the summer and the month of May
The year is old and it is raining
Will you think before you turn away?
For you left us sitting here
While the years were passing
Now all our trades have gone
Your working day is passing slowly
And you're thinking of the evening time
We are running wild through your city
All your working days have passed us by
For you left us sitting here
While the years were passing
Now all our trades have gone
We are moved on, always moved on
Oh, the night is passing slowly
And the weary city slips away
We are sitting here in the shadows
You've forgotten for another day
For you left us sitting here
While the years were passing
Now all our trades have gone
We are moved on, always moved on
Oh, the city in the morning
Oh, the summer and the month of May
The year is old and it is raining
Will you think before you turn away?
For you left us sitting here
While the years were passing
Now all our trades have gone
We are moved on, always moved on
Now all our trades have gone
We are moved on, always moved on
Always moved on
Always moved on
Always moved on
The song "All Our Trades Are Gone" by June Tabor reflects on the changing times and the passing of old ways. The opening lines set the scene, where the singer sits with someone on a rainy day in May, urging them to pause before leaving. The song expresses the sense of displacement and loss felt by people who have been left behind as their way of life is replaced by new ways. The song is a plea to remember the past and honor the legacy left behind by those who came before us.
In the second verse, the singer emphasizes the contrast between two different ways of life. The older generation has been left behind, while the younger generation is running wild through the city. The third verse paints a bleak picture of the city at night, where the singer is sitting in shadows, forgotten for another day. The refrain repeats the regretful sentiment of being left behind and forced to move on from something that was once an integral part of life.
One interpretation of the song is that it is about the displacement and loss felt by workers in the UK as jobs were lost due to automation, globalization, and other economic factors. As industries declined, workers were left behind and forced to find new ways to make a living. The song also speaks to a broader sense of dislocation and the disenchantment of a society that has lost touch with its roots.
Line by Line Meaning
We will sit here in the morning
We will sit and wait, hoping for better things.
Of the summer and the month of May
We are present in this moment during a time of growth and renewal.
The year is old and it is raining
We are enduring a time of decline and suffering.
Will you think before you turn away?
Can you spare a moment to consider our plight before choosing to ignore us?
For you left us sitting here
You abandoned us in our time of need.
While the years were passing
As time went on, we were left behind.
Now all our trades have gone
Our skills and livelihoods are no longer valued or useful.
We are moved on, always moved on
We have been forced to keep moving forward, searching for some way to survive.
Your working day is passing slowly
You are going about your day, taking your stability for granted.
And you're thinking of the evening time
You are focused on the comforts of your future, not the struggles of your present.
We are running wild through your city
We are struggling to survive in the margins while you go about your day-to-day life.
All your working days have passed us by
You have left us behind as you moved up the economic ladder.
Oh, the night is passing slowly
Time is dragging on as we struggle to find a place to rest.
And the weary city slips away
The city drifts into the background as we continue our restless journey.
We are sitting here in the shadows
We are often overlooked and forgotten by society.
You've forgotten for another day
Yet again, you have failed to acknowledge the struggles we face.
Oh, the city in the morning
Another day begins, full of possibilities and opportunities for some, yet none for us.
Now all our trades have gone
Our once-valued skills are now obsolete and useless in today's society.
We are moved on, always moved on
We are forced to keep moving forward, never staying in one place for too long.
Always moved on
We are constantly searching for a sense of purpose and a place where we belong.
Contributed by Brayden F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@paulkamill2119
This is a terrible condemnation of our society and our attitude to "otherness". What a magnificent song, sung by a wonderful voice. Quite a performer!
@biennetje
sublime live version! thx <3
@BarnabyWalters
Wow - that's fabulous!
@bromptonmixture
What a FORMIDABLE woman!
@JimDixon55104
ALL OUR TRADES ARE GONE
(Written by Mick Fitzgerald)
1. We will sit here in the morning
Of the summer and the month of May.
The year is old and it is raining.
Will you think before you turn away?
CHORUS: For you left us sitting here
While the years were passing.
Now all our trades have gone.
We are moved on, always moved on.
2. Your working day is passing slowly
And you're thinking of the evening time.
We are running wild through your city.
All your working days have passed us by.
3. Oh the night is passing slowly
And the weary city slips away.
We are sitting here in the shadows.
You've forgotten for another day.
4. Oh, the city in the morning!
Oh, the summer and the month of May!
The year is old and it is raining.
Will you think before you turn away?