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
Shipbuilding
June Tabor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A new winter coat and shoes for the wife
And a bicycle on the boy's birthday
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
By the women and children
Soon we'll be shipbuilding
Well I ask you
The boy said 'dad they're going to take me to task
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
Somebody said that someone got filled in
For saying that people get killed in
The result of this shipbuilding
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls
…
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
A telegram or a picture postcard
Within weeks they'll be re-opening the shipyards
And notifying the next of kin
Once again
It's all we're skilled in
We will be shipbuilding
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls
…
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls
June Tabor's song Shipbuilding tells the story of the economic revival that happened in Britain after the Falklands War in the 1980s. The song is about the excitement and hopes that accompanied the rebuilding of the ship industry, but it also explores the costs and controversies of that effort.
The first verse of the song describes the ordinary people who are excited about the prospects of work in the shipyards. They are willing to buy new clothes and gifts for their families in anticipation of the jobs that will come. However, the verse ends with the perspective of someone who is more skeptical, hinting at the darker sides of the industry. The second verse alludes to the violence and conflict that can arise in times of industrial expansion, as people might face physical harm if they speak out against the risks to their health or safety. The final verse describes the certainty that the industry will return, but at a heavy cost, as people will have to work in dangerous or uncomfortable conditions.
Overall, Shipbuilding is a nuanced look at the triumphs and tragedies of economic regeneration. Despite its use of maritime and military imagery, the song is really about the lives that people live and the choices they make. The song shows how one can be proud of economic progress while still acknowledging the human consequences that come along with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Is it worth it
Is it worth the sacrifice we have to make to build these ships?
A new winter coat and shoes for the wife
We must keep our families warm and well-fed, even if it means spending money on things like winter clothing.
And a bicycle on the boy's birthday
We want to provide small comforts for our children, like a new bicycle on their birthday.
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
There are a lot of rumors about what will happen when the shipyards reopen, but not all of them are true.
By the women and children
These rumors are often spread by the wives and children of the men who work in the shipyards.
Soon we'll be shipbuilding
Despite the rumors, it looks like we'll be back to building ships soon.
Well I ask you
What do you think about the situation? Do you think it's worth it?
The boy said 'dad they're going to take me to task / But I'll be back by christmas'
The boy is worried that his father will be punished for speaking out against the shipbuilding, but the father reassures him he will be home for Christmas.
Somebody said that someone got filled in / For saying that people get killed in / The result of this shipbuilding
Some people believe that the shipbuilding leads to death and violence, and that those who speak out against it are punished.
When we could be diving for pearls
Instead of risking our lives building ships, we could be pursuing more peaceful and lucrative ventures like diving for pearls.
A telegram or a picture postcard / Within weeks they'll be re-opening the shipyards / And notifying the next of kin / Once again / It's all we're skilled in / We will be shipbuilding
The shipyards will soon reopen and the workers will be called back. Shipbuilding is the only job many of these workers are skilled in, so they have no choice but to return to it.
Contributed by Julian P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Frost Gaming
Is it worth it
A new winter coat and shoes for the wife
And a bicycle on the boy's birthday?
It's just a rumor that was spread around town
By the women and children
Soon we'll be shipbuilding
Well, I ask you, the boy said
"Dad, they're going to take me to task but I'll be back by Christmas"
It's just a rumor that was spread around town
Somebody said that someone got filled in
For saying that people get killed in the result of this shipbuilding
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life when we could be diving for pearls
It's just a rumor that was spread around town
A telegram or a picture postcard
Within weeks they'll be re-opening the shipyards
And notifying the next of kin once again
It's all we're skilled in, we will be shipbuilding
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life when we could be diving for pearls
merv stapleton
Great version of one of the best songs ever written. If you haven't heard it, you should also check out Robert What's version who Elvis Costello and Clive Langer originally wrote the song for. Costello's own version with sublime trumpet by Chet Baker ranks easily alongside these other versions as well.
Shelf Life
Robert Wyatt
Vintage brew
June has that clear british voice that gives me goosebumps. I love Robert Wyatts arrangement of this too but I love June's vocals. Thanks
Dubwolff
I've never heard the Costello version, this one's gorgeous. What a voice!
Greenockianx
I've come to June Tabor's music pretty late in life but have to say quite simply that this is a stunning version. Wonderful!
Sophie Wilson
Fantastic version
Rosemary Jones
I heard her on BBC Radio 3 a few moths back singing a jazzy song, and I just had to stop and listen: I'd never heard of her before to my shame. Saw her live with the Oyster Band in Brighton recently, they were all just brilliant! What a fabulous voice -
Gunnabee
have a listen to June's cover of the Grey Funnell Line, you can taste the salt spray, see the sad faces of lonely sailors, Tabor's voice is unique and thus is able to tell stories in song, a talent few have.
Sinistral Strummist
I'm not a huge June Tabor fan but this is absolutely lovely.
batlin
She put out a fantastic album around 1989-1991 called Some Other Time, with her take on some jazz "standards". The album didn't seem to make a wide impact and was probably not considered a success so is very hard to find... but it's absolutely brilliant. I had it on tape and used to listen on my Walkman nonstop, blown away by Huw Warren's piano work and really all the performers together with June.