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
Happed in Mist
June Tabor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And in all but one, a friendly gaze, a ghost of gladness by my side
With horse and plough, I marched with pride of the purest kind
Then a blink of light and it's Flanders field and the end of time
Through the flash and cannon roar, I saw my Christine's smiling eyes
And with no more thought of blood or shell, I made my way to hold her near
But truth and honour's henchmen found me leaving here
But in his eyes flew snipe and curlew, and in his nose blew moistened air
In his mind the wood the king stole, that robbed the land and laid it bare
But in his heart his lover's memory, singing on their wedding night
Where once the parks flowed thick with corn, that sullen tune is with him now
Happed in mist, the king's own rifles, ready, aim
The flowers of the forest are a' we'ed awa'
The song "Happed in Mist" by June Tabor is a poignant tribute to the soldiers who fought in World War I, with a particular focus on one soldier's memories of his time in the conflict. The first line of the song establishes a sense of disorientation and confusion, with the singer feeling that the past 25 years have been shrouded in mist. However, there is a glimmer of warmth in the memory of a friendly presence by his side, except for one event which has cast a shadow over his recollections.
The following lines describe the singer's experiences on the front lines, where he felt a sense of pride in his service, only to be abruptly confronted with the horrors of war in Flanders Field. Despite this, his thoughts turn to his love, Christine, and he is able to find solace in the memory of her smile. However, he is ultimately punished for his desertion, with the song suggesting that he was driven to madness by the trauma he experienced in battle.
The final stanza of the song paints a picture of a soldier who has been deeply scarred by his experiences. He sees the beauty in nature, with the flying snipe and curlew, but he is also haunted by memories of the land that has been ravaged by war. The final lines of the song, "The flowers of the forest are a' we'ed awa'", are a reference to a traditional Scottish lament for the soldiers who were killed in the Battle of Flodden in 1513, but they also serve as a reminder of the devastation that is wrought by war.
Line by Line Meaning
Happed in mist these twenty-five eventful years seem to me now
These past twenty-five years feel like a memory wrapped in fog to me.
And in all but one, a friendly gaze, a ghost of gladness by my side
For everything that has happened in those years, except one, I had a comforting presence of joy beside me.
With horse and plough, I marched with pride of the purest kind
I worked hard and felt proud of my labor, which gave me genuine satisfaction.
Then a blink of light and it's Flanders field and the end of time
Suddenly, everything changed, and I found myself in Flanders field, where everything felt like the end of the world.
Through the flash and cannon roar, I saw my Christine's smiling eyes
Despite all the chaos and noise of war, I could see my dear Christine's joyful face.
And with no more thought of blood or shell, I made my way to hold her near
My only focus was to hold my beloved Christine, and everything else faded away.
But truth and honour's henchmen found me leaving here
However, I was soon reminded of my duty to truth and honor and was not allowed to leave the battlefield.
A madman's rave, a coward's grave for the volunteer
I was sent to my death like a maniac or a coward, despite being a volunteer and fighting for my country.
But in his eyes flew snipe and curlew, and in his nose blew moistened air
Despite the brutality of war, the soldier could appreciate the beauty of nature around him.
In his mind the wood the king stole, that robbed the land and laid it bare
He remembers the greed of the king who destroyed the land by stealing the forest.
But in his heart his lover's memory, singing on their wedding night
Despite all the ugliness around him, he holds on tightly to the memory of his loved one and their beautiful wedding night.
Where once the parks flowed thick with corn, that sullen tune is with him now
He remembers the parks being filled with corn, but now he can only hear a melancholic tune.
Happed in mist, the king's own rifles, ready, aim
In the foggy distance, the king's rifle-bearing soldiers are seen taking aim.
The flowers of the forest are a' we'ed awa'
The brave soldiers who are now dead or wounded are compared to the flowers that have been mowed down and lost forever.
Contributed by Jake D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
4 Eyed Animation
one of my favorite June Tabor songs...amazing story telling
Chris S
Amazing song writer and sad that he is no longer with us. I've listened to his version and it is full of passion but June takes it to another level for me with her outstanding vocal and way of getting right inside a song
4 Eyed Animation
well songs sung by JT...she has great interpretations
Ray Nichol
Was not her song, written by Michael Marra, credit where its due.