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
Beauty and the Beast: An Anniversary
June Tabor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the roses are blooming again,
Their petals bright against the snow.
My father died last April.
My sisters no longer write
Except at the turning of the year,
Content with their fine houses and their grandchildren.
And walk slowly on the forest paths.
He is graying around the muzzle
And I have silver combs to match my hair.
I have no regrets. None.
Though -- sometimes I do wonder.
Sounds of children ...
Running across the marble halls,
Swinging from the branches of the roses
In the snow.
The lyrics of "Beauty and the Beast: An Anniversary" by June Tabor reflect the passage of time, the end of life, and the beauty that can be found in the simplest moments. The song opens with a description of winter and the blooming of the roses, which serves as a metaphor for the transient nature of life. The singer reflects on the death of her father and the distance between her and her sisters, who are content with their families and possessions. In contrast, the singer spends her days tending the garden and walking in the forest with her companion, Beast, who is also aging. The lyrics convey a sense of peaceful acceptance of aging and the passage of time, yet the singer does have moments of reflection, wondering what could have been with children running through the halls.
The imagery in "Beauty and the Beast: An Anniversary" is incredibly vivid and evocative, highlighting the beauty of nature, the passing of time, and the delicate balance between life and death. Through its use of metaphor and imagery, the song speaks to the human condition, inviting listeners to reflect on their own mortality and the beauty that can be found in life's small moments.
Line by Line Meaning
It is winter now,
The current season is winter.
And the roses are blooming again,
The roses are once again blooming, providing a strong contrast against the winter landscape.
Their petals bright against the snow.
The petals of the roses stand out and are particularly colorful against the surrounding snow.
My father died last April.
The artist's father passed away in April of an unspecified year.
My sisters no longer write
The artist's sisters no longer send letters.
Except at the turning of the year,
The only time the singer's sisters write is once a year, during the turning of the year.
Content with their fine houses and their grandchildren.
The sisters are satisfied with their comfortable homes and grandchildren.
Beast and I potter in the gardens
The artist and Beast spend time together in the gardens, possibly caring for the plants and enjoying each other's company.
And walk slowly on the forest paths.
They also take leisurely walks on forest paths together.
He is graying around the muzzle
Beast is showing signs of aging, including gray fur around his muzzle.
And I have silver combs to match my hair.
The singer has silver combs which coordinate with her hair color.
I have no regrets. None.
The artist has no regrets or misgivings about her life.
Though -- sometimes I do wonder.
Despite her satisfaction, she occasionally wonders about different possibilities.
Sounds of children ...
The singer hears the sounds of children playing.
Running across the marble halls,
The children's joyful play is occurring in grand, luxurious surroundings with marble floors.
Swinging from the branches of the roses
The children are swinging from the branches of the rose plants.
In the snow.
The children are also playing in the snow.
Contributed by Allison E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nav Ali
“That can’t be Ariel, she’s black”. Sams last words
WafflesAndPancakes
“Joy? Who’s that?”
escasoh3
LOL
*+:｡.｡Chik0o｡.｡:+*
I'm ur 700th like😎
Fire RB
STATE FARM BRADA😂
Kai Luca
i seriously have no clue how he’s not been canceled
ReyCreates
Sam is on a constant line of getting cancelled but nobody cares enough to actually cancel him. It is a type of chaotic energy that I am here for.
Grand Master Yoda
imagine having bad takes but people care so little about you they just ruin your comment section and move on
Hekla María Arnarsdottir
Sameee
unidentified_cat
Bro roasted all of them in the most casual way possible lmao