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
Roseville Fair
June Tabor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the moon rose quiet in the sky
And the people gathered round as the band were tunin'
I can hear them now, 'Comin' Through The Rye'
She was dressed in blue and she looked so lovely
Just a gentle flower of a small town girl
And he took her by the hand and they danced to the music
And they danced all night to the fiddle and the banjo
Drifting tunes filled the air
So long ago now but I still remember
When we fell in love at the Roseville Fair
And they courted well and they courted dearly
Till the very next year at that self-same fair
When she caught him holding hands with some floozy
And she smashed his skull with a rosewood chair
And his head went clean through the middle of the banjo
She left them both well beyond repair
And the old fox said, "That's the way to treat a banjo"
And we danced all night at the Roseville Fair
And we couldn't believe the improvement in the music
Drifting tunes filled the air
And the old fox said, "Yip, that's the way to treat a banjo"
And we danced all night at the Roseville Fair
Yes, we danced all night at the Roseville Fair
June Tabor’s song “Roseville Fair” tells a story of love, betrayal, and revenge. The song begins with a serene night in which the stars and the moon rise quietly in the sky. People gather around to listen to the band tuning their instruments. As the band starts to play, the singer remembers a time when she fell in love at the Roseville Fair. She describes a girl dressed in blue and a man who takes her hand and dances with her. They dance all night to the music of the fiddle and the banjo, drifting tunes filling the air with romance.
However, their happiness comes to an abrupt end when the man is caught holding hands with another woman the following year at the same fair. The girl, filled with rage and jealousy, smashes his skull with a rosewood chair, which goes straight through the middle of the banjo. Despite the violence, the old fox commends the girl’s brutal treatment of the banjo, and the people continue dancing to the improved music all night at the Roseville Fair.
The song highlights the contrast between the peaceful beauty of the night and the chaos of a relationship gone wrong. The lyrics also demonstrate the power of music to bring people together and reflect the emotions of the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the night was clear and stars were shinin'
The night was dark, with shining stars clearly visible in the sky.
And the moon rose quiet in the sky
The moon rose silently alongside the stars.
And the people gathered round as the band were tunin'
People gathered around to listen to the band as they were tuning their instruments.
I can hear them now, 'Comin' Through The Rye'
The music played by the band was a rendition of the Scottish folk song 'Comin' Through The Rye'.
She was dressed in blue and she looked so lovely
A girl, dressed in blue, looked very attractive.
Just a gentle flower of a small town girl
The girl was a delicate and gentle example of a young woman raised in a small-town environment.
And he took her by the hand and they danced to the music
A man took the girl's hand, and they both danced together to the music.
With a simple smile she became his girl
The man and the girl developed a romantic attachment after sharing a dance and exchanging a smile.
And they danced all night to the fiddle and the banjo
The couple danced for a prolonged period to the accompaniment of a fiddle and a banjo.
Drifting tunes filled the air
Songs and melodies filled the surrounding atmosphere.
So long ago now but I still remember
Although considerable time has passed, the memory of the event is still fresh in the singer's mind.
When we fell in love at the Roseville Fair
The artist and his partner fell in love during a dance at the Roseville Fair.
And they courted well and they courted dearly
The couple had a prolonged and affectionate courtship period.
Till the very next year at that self-same fair
The couple continued their relationship and went back to the same fair the following year.
When she caught him holding hands with some floozy
The girl caught her partner holding hands with an untrustworthy and unfaithful person.
And she smashed his skull with a rosewood chair
As a result of her anger, the girl violently attacked her partner and caused significant damage to his head with a piece of furniture.
And his head went clean through the middle of the banjo
The force of the blow caused the man's head to penetrate and destroy the middle of the banjo.
She left them both well beyond repair
The attack caused considerable damage, rendering both the man and the banjo unusable.
And the old fox said, "That's the way to treat a banjo"
An experienced man, referred to as an 'old fox', commented on the attack, suggesting that the destruction of the banjo was justified.
And we danced all night at the Roseville Fair
Despite the preceding events, the artist and other fairgoers still danced all night to the music at the Roseville Fair.
And we couldn't believe the improvement in the music
After the destruction of the banjo, the music played by the band became noticeably better.
And the old fox said, "Yip, that's the way to treat a banjo"
The old fox reiterated his support for the destruction of the banjo, implying that the improved music was worth it.
Yes, we danced all night at the Roseville Fair
Despite the violent incident, the singer and the other fairgoers continued to dance throughout the entire event.
Contributed by Caroline T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Spiritofeve1
Geez it was hard to find this on here!