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
Strange Affair
June Tabor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The time has come to travel but the road is filled with fear
This is a strange affair
My youth has all been wasted and I'm bent and gray with years
And all my companions are taken away
And who will provide for me against my dying day?
I took my own provisions, but it fooled me and wasted away
This is a strange, this is a strange affair
Oh, where are my companions?
My mother, father, lover, friend and enemy
Where are my companions?
They're prisoners of death now and taken far from me
And where are the dreams I dreamed in the days of my youth?
They took me to illusion when they promised me the truth
And what do sleepers need to make them listen,
Why do they need more proof?
This is a strange, this is a strange affair
Won't you give me an answer?
Why is your heart so hard towards the one who loves you best?
When the man with the answer
Has wakened you, and warned you, and called you to the test
Wake up from your sleep that builds like clouds upon your eyes
And win back the life you had that's now a dream of lies
Turn your back on yourself and if you follow,
You'll win the lover's prize
This is a strange, this is a strange affair
The lyrics of June Tabor's song "Strange Affair" paint a picture of a desolate journey through life, filled with fear, loneliness, and regret. The singer of the song seems to be a person who has been left behind by the world, with all of their companions gone and their youth wasted. The road ahead is uncertain, and the person is struggling to find a reason to keep going.
The repetition of the phrase "This is a strange affair" throughout the song emphasizes the sense of disorientation and confusion that the person is feeling. The world around them seems to have changed, and they are struggling to find their place in it. The loss of their companions, including their mother, father, lover, friend, and enemy, underscores the universality of death and the fragility of life.
The refrain of the song, "Won't you give me an answer? Why is your heart so hard towards the one who loves you best?" suggests a frustration and anger directed towards an elusive other. The singer is searching for a reason for their desolation, for someone or something to blame for their loneliness and disillusionment.
Overall, Strange Affair is a poignant exploration of the human experience of aging, loss, and the search for meaning in a world that can sometimes seem cruel and unjust.
Line by Line Meaning
This is a strange affair
The situation is unusual and difficult.
The time has come to travel but the road is filled with fear
It is time to move forward, but there is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety.
My youth has all been wasted and I'm bent and gray with years
The singer feels that they have lost an opportunity in life and now feels old and tired.
And all my companions are taken away
The people who were once around the artist are gone.
And who will provide for me against my dying day?
The artist is worried about who will take care of them in their final moments.
I took my own provisions, but it fooled me and wasted away
The singer tried to be self-sufficient, but it did not work out as planned.
Oh, where are my companions?
The singer is grieving the loss of the people who were once around them.
They're prisoners of death now and taken far from me
The people the artist is mourning are dead and gone.
And where are the dreams I dreamed in the days of my youth?
The artist is reflecting on the hopes and aspirations they had when they were younger.
They took me to illusion when they promised me the truth
The things the artist dreamed about turned out to be false promises.
And what do sleepers need to make them listen,
The singer is wondering what it takes for people to wake up and pay attention.
Why do they need more proof?
The artist is questioning why people require so much evidence before they will believe something.
Won't you give me an answer?
The singer is asking for someone else's perspective or input.
Why is your heart so hard towards the one who loves you best?
The singer is asking why someone they care about does not reciprocate their feelings.
When the man with the answer has wakened you, and warned you, and called you to the test
There is someone who has tried to show the singer the way forward or give them advice.
Wake up from your sleep that builds like clouds upon your eyes
The artist is urging someone to become more aware and active.
And win back the life you had that's now a dream of lies
The artist is encouraging someone to take control of their life and change their current situation.
Turn your back on yourself and if you follow,
The singer is suggesting that someone should stop being self-focused and follow a different path.
You'll win the lover's prize
The singer is proposing that there will be rewards for those who make positive changes in their life.
This is a strange, this is a strange affair
The situation is still difficult and unusual.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: RICHARD THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John LaStrada
No showboating, no theatrics, no smoke machines, spangled dancers and synthesizers. Just the deep beautiful tones of June Tabor, a great guitarist, and a Richard Thompson song. This is musical artistry -- this is a performance. Excellent.
Paul Houghton
This is the perfect storm!! A beautiful Thompson song, Martin simpsons eloquent guitar and June’s perfect vocal delivery. Like so many of June’s songs it connects straight to the heart. She is an underrated treasure
Bob Irvine
Sublime. The mutual repect, even adoration of each others performance takes this beautiful song to greater heights. For me it's nothing to do with god, It's what human beings can aspire to be.
Shelf Life
Tears in my eyes listening . Best cover of a Thompson song I've ever heard
Robert M
An extraordinary song and a breathtaking performance.
Gabe Thornes
Martin Simpson is a national treasure
Mal Hombre
When you hear a superlative voice accompanied by a superlative guitarist there just ain't any words left.
annette wise
Absolutely. You hit it!
caley956
Richard's song is his take on a Sufi poem by Si Fudul al-Hawari (hope I got the gent's name right). It would appear to be about putting your trust in God when all others - mother, father, relatives, friends, even enemies - fall away from you and death approaches. Note the line "The time has come to travel but the road is full of fear". Oh by the way, as far as I'm concerned June can talk as much as she likes. I believe it's called connecting with an audience.
bluesman172
Simple, sublime, passionate, supremely gifted. As soon as the first notes played a shiver went down my back.