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
O My Luve's Like a Red Red Rose
June Tabor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's newly sprung in June
O my luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly played in tune
As fair art thou my bonnie lass
So deep in love am I
And I will luve thee still my dear
Till a' the seas gang dry my dear
And the rocks melt wi' the sun
And I will luve thee still my dear
While the sands o' life shall run
And fare thee weel my only luve
And fare thee weel a while
And I will come again my luve
Tho' it were ten thousand mile
The lyrics of June Tabor's song O My Luve's Like a Red Red Rose are a lyrical expression of a deep and enduring love. The poetic imagery utilized in the lyrics offer a vivid portrayal of the singer’s feelings toward their beloved. The metaphorical use of a red red rose is an apt way to describe the beauty and freshness of that love. The first two lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the song, highlighting the beauty and wonder of love.
The following lines further emphasize this concept by comparing the subject of the love to a sweet melody that is enjoyed. The distinct imagery presented in the lyrics of the song allow the listener to fully appreciate the depth of the singer’s affection for the person they love.
The repetition of "I will luve thee still my dear" throughout the song underscores the promise made by the singer to love their beloved until the end of time. The lyrics reference the vastness of the seas and the transience of the sands of life to drive that point home.
Overall, the lyrics of this song are a poetic and meaningful expression of love that anyone in love can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
O my luve's like a red red rose
My love is as beautiful and fresh as a red rose that has just bloomed in the month of June
That's newly sprung in June
Just like the newly bloomed rose in the month of June, my love is also new and fresh
O my luve's like the melodie
My love is as melodious and sweet as the perfect music played in tune
That's sweetly played in tune
Similar to the music that is played melodiously, my love is melodious and sweet as well
As fair art thou my bonnie lass
My beautiful beloved, you are as fair and alluring as the spring season
So deep in love am I
I am immensely and passionately in love with you
And I will luve thee still my dear
My love for you will continue to grow stronger with every passing moment
Till a' the seas gang dry
My love for you will last until the day all the seas run dry
Till the rocks melt wi' the sun
My love for you will endure until the rocks melt away in the heat of the sun
And fare thee weel my only luve
Goodbye, my one and only love
And fare thee weel a while
Goodbye for now, let us part for a little while
And I will come again my luve
I promise to come back to you, my love
Tho' it were ten thousand mile
Even if I had to travel thousands and thousands of miles, I would come back to you
Contributed by Ava L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.