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
False False
June Tabor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, when did you change your mind?
Ah, but since you′ve laid your love on another fair maid
I'm afraid that you′re no more mine
I was climbing to a tree that was too high for me
Asking for fruit where there weren't any grew
I've been lifting warm water out beneath cold clay
But I mean to climb up some higher, higher tree
And harry a white snowflake′s nest
And down shall I fall, ay, without any fear
To the arms that love me best
These lyrics are from the song False False by June Tabor, which is a traditional Scottish ballad. The lyrics speak of a person whose lover has been false to them, and they ask when their lover changed their mind. The singer acknowledges that their love has been given to another person and accepts that they are no longer theirs. The singer then explains that they have been struggling and trying to obtain something that was unattainable, much like asking for fruit where none grew. They have been rowing against the stream and lifting warm water from beneath cold clay. The singer, however, is determined to climb a tree even higher and try to reach a white snowflake's nest. The significance of this act is that falling from the tree is seen as a death, and the singer is ready to fall into the arms of the person who loves them best.
The song False False has been interpreted in different ways by different people. Some suggest that the singer's determination to climb higher and try harder is a metaphor for their pursuit of their lover, and that they will continue to do so, regardless of their unrequited affection. Others interpret the song as a portrayal of acceptance, suggesting that the singer has acknowledged the truth about their lover's infidelity and has moved on with their life. The lyrics "False, false have you been to me, my love" have often been seen as a statement about the treachery and deceit involved in love and relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
False, false have you been to me, my love
You have betrayed me, my love. You have been false to me.
Oh, when did you change your mind?
When did you decide to stop loving me?
Ah, but since you′ve laid your love on another fair maid
Since you have found a new love in another woman
I'm afraid that you′re no more mine
I am afraid that you no longer belong to me
I was climbing to a tree that was too high for me
I was reaching too high for something that was out of my reach
Asking for fruit where there weren't any grew
I was asking for something that was not there to be given
I've been lifting warm water out beneath cold clay
I have been trying to extract something that was hidden or inaccessible
And against the stream I was rowing
I was trying to go against the natural flow of things
But I mean to climb up some higher, higher tree
I plan to aim even higher and reach for something greater
And harry a white snowflake′s nest
I will search for something delicate and beautiful
And down shall I fall, ay, without any fear
Even if I fail, I will do so fearlessly
To the arms that love me best
Because I know that the ones who truly love me will catch me and support me
Writer(s): June Tabor, Huw Warren
Contributed by Sophia G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.