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
Four Loom Weaver
June Tabor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've nowt to eat and I′ve worn out m' clothes
M' clogs are all broken, and stockings I′ve none
Thee′d hardly gi's tuppence for all I′ve gotten on
Old Billy O' Bent, he were telling us long
We mayn′t had better times if I'd nobbut held m′ tongue
Well, I held m' tongue till I near lost m' breath
I'm a four loom weaver, as many a man knows
I′ve nowt to eat and I've worn out m′ clothes
Old Billy were right, but he ne'er were clemmed
He ne′er picked o'er in his liie
We held out for six weeks, thought each day were the last
We tarried and shifted till we were quite fast
We lived upon nettles while nettles were good
And Waterloo Porridge were best to us (as) food
Our Margaret declares, if hoo'd clothes to put on
Hoo′d go up t′ London and see the great man
And if things didn' alter when there hoo′d been
Hoo' swears hoo′d fight till there blood up to th' e′en
I'm a four loom weaver as many a man knows
I've nowt to eat and I′ve worn out m′ clothes
Stockings I've none, nor looms to weave on
I′ve woven m'sen to far end
The song Four Loom Weaver by June Tabor is a beautiful and poignant representation of the struggles endured by weavers in the early 19th century. The first verse describes the dire situation of the weaver with four looms, who has nothing to eat and is left with worn-out clothes. The second verse talks about Old Billy O' Bent, who warns the weaver of his dire situation and how he could have lived better if only he had held his tongue. The weaver acknowledges Billy's advice but laments that he will likely die of starvation soon.
The next verse talks about how the weavers have endured for six weeks, surviving on nettles and Waterloo Porridge. Margaret, a fellow weaver, declares that if she had clothes, she would go to London to see the great man and fight until things changed for the better. The final verse reiterates the harsh reality of the weaver's life, with no stockings or looms to weave on, weaving himself to the "far end".
The song speaks to the struggles endured by weavers during the Industrial Revolution, where they were often paid meager wages for their hard work. The situation was exacerbated by the power loom, which made it possible for one person to weave on multiple looms, rendering many workers redundant. The song also touches on the resilience and strength of the weavers, who continued to fight for their rights despite their dire circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a four loom weaver, as many a man knows
I am a skilled worker who operates four looms simultaneously, which is a widely known fact.
I've nowt to eat and I've worn out m' clothes
I have no food and my clothes are completely threadbare.
M' clogs are all broken, and stockings I've none
My shoes are all in disrepair, and I don't have any stockings left to wear.
Thee'd hardly gi's tuppence for all I've gotten on
My appearance is so shabby that you wouldn't give even a small sum of money for all of my clothing.
Old Billy O' Bent, he were telling us long
An elderly man named Billy O' Bent was discussing with us for some time.
We mayn′t had better times if I'd nobbut held m' tongue
If I had remained silent, our situation may not be any better.
Well, I held m' tongue till I near lost m' breath
I remained silent for so long that I almost lost my ability to speak.
And I feel in m' hear that I'II soon clem to death
I have a feeling in my heart that I will soon starve to death.
Old Billy were right, but he ne'er were clemmed
Billy O'Bent was right in his assessment, but he himself never experienced starvation.
He ne'er picked o'er in his liie
He never had to scavenge or beg for food in his entire life.
We held out for six weeks, thought each day were the last
We managed to survive for six weeks, believing that every day could be our last.
We tarried and shifted till we were quite fast
We adapted and persevered until we were nearly at a breaking point.
We lived upon nettles while nettles were good
We survived by consuming nettle plants while they were still edible.
And Waterloo Porridge were best to us (as) food
Waterloo Porridge was our best source of sustenance.
Our Margaret declares, if hoo'd clothes to put on
Margaret, one of us, declared that if she had decent clothing to wear,
Hoo'd go up t' London and see the great man
She would go to London to seek help from a powerful figure.
And if things didn' alter when there hoo'd been
If, after her visit to London, there was no improvement,
Hoo' swears hoo'd fight till there blood up to th' e'en
She would be willing to fight tooth and nail, to the point of shedding blood.
Stockings I've none, nor looms to weave on
I have no more stockings to wear, and I don't have any looms left to operate.
I've woven m'sen to far end
I have worked myself to the brink of exhaustion and destitution.
Writer(s): Madelaine Edith Prior, June Tabor
Contributed by Jasmine O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Grummash
It's a fine arrangement of a fine song...but by God it owes everything to this perfect pairing of two of the finest singers alive today.
Stewart Bain
Grummash i
Mei Chin Tan
I want too use this name
Paul Kamill
I couldn't agree more! I'd perhaps add Fay Hield, alive today, and Sandy Denny, sadly no longer with us!
hugatree10
I grew up on The Silly Sisters and listen them all the time. This performance brought tears to my eyes. This is remarkable.
stevearle Barr
Wow! that style of harmony singing is so stark, plaintive and powerful... with a lyric for the ages... it sends chills and they both sound sooo great together.
Thanx for posting.
Stewart Bain
stevearle i
바카라 노가다1
Putting the quality of the performance itself aside for a moment, just the aura these two women were throwing off as they did this was majestic. And as pretty as the rendering of the tune is on purely a sonic basis. the conviction inherent in their deliveries drives the lyrics home in a profound way. This is just so stellar it's insane.
donnybrooklads
Silly Sisters was great stuff - this is a magical performance
Larry C
two of traditional music's most amazing vocalists....I'll listen to anything they perform, together or with other bands