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
The Devil and Baliff Mcglynn
June Tabor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When a pair of quare playboys a-roving before me I happened to see
Now to learn what these boys were up to, a trifle I hastened me walk
For I thought I could learn their
Professions when I got within range of their talk
Now, one of these boys was the devil and the other was Bailiff McGlynn
And the one was as black as the other and both were as ugly as sin
"I'm the devil and you are a bailiff, I see."
"Ah! 'tis the devil himself,
" Says the bailiff, "Now that beats the devil," says he
Now, a gossoon ran out from a cottage and took him up over the fields
"May the devil take you,
" Said his mother as she rattled a stone at his heels
"Ah now, why don't you take the young
Rascal, your highness?" the bailiff he cried
"Ah, it was not from her heart that
She said it," the devil he smiling replied
Now, close by a small patch of potatoes a banbh was striving to dig
When the owner come out and she
Cried, "May the devil take you for a pig!"
Said the bailiff,
"Now that's a fine offer, why not take the banbh?" says he
"Ah, it was but with her lips that she
Said it And that's not sufficient for me."
As they jogged on, the gossoon espied them and into his mother he sped
Crying, "Mother!" says he,
"There's a bailiff!" She clasped her two hands and she said
"May the devil take that ugly bailiff!
" Said the old boy, "Bedad! That'll do!
It was straight from her heart that she
Said it, so Bailiff McGlynn, I'll take you."
The Devil and Baliff Mcglynn by June Tabor is a song that tells a story of a man who encounters two strange men while walking along the sea. One of the men claims to be the devil, and the other is a bailiff. The bailiff is noticeably ugly, and the devil is as black as him. The singer seeks to eavesdrop on their conversation and learn about their professions.
The devil and the bailiff encounter several people along the way. The first is a young boy who runs by and is insulted by his mother, who wished the devil would take him. The bailiff suggests the devil take the boy, but the devil declines, saying it was not said with genuine hatred. The second person they come across is a woman who curses them, wishing the devil would take them. The bailiff suggests that the devil take her child, but again he declines, stating that it was not from her heart. However, when they encounter the gossoon who initially spotted them, and his mother curses the bailiff, the devil decides to take him as it was "straight from her heart."
The song explores the theme of human nature and the emotions that drive our actions. The devil symbolizes the evil desires that lurk within us, while the bailiff represents the unattractive aspects of ourselves that we seek to hide. The various encounters show the different attitudes towards the men and how external appearances do not dictate who we are inside.
Line by Line Meaning
One fine sunny evening last summer I was straying along by the sea
I was taking a walk by the ocean on a beautiful summer evening.
When a pair of quare playboys a-roving before me I happened to see
I saw two peculiar men wandering in front of me.
Now to learn what these boys were up to, a trifle I hastened me walk
I quickened my pace to try and overhear what these men were doing.
For I thought I could learn their professions when I got within range of their talk
I believed that by getting closer, I could understand their occupations by listening to their conversation.
Now, one of these boys was the devil and the other was Bailiff McGlynn
One of the men was the devil and the other was called Bailiff McGlynn.
And the one was as black as the other and both were as ugly as sin
Both men were unattractive and equally dark in their appearance.
Says the old boy, says he,
The devil spoke and said,
"I'm the devil and you are a bailiff, I see."
"I am the devil and you are a bailiff," he observed.
"Ah! 'tis the devil himself,"
"It is really the devil,"
Says the bailiff, "Now that beats the devil," says he
The bailiff was surprised and exclaimed this was more impressive than even the devil himself.
Now, a gossoon ran out from a cottage and took him up over the fields
A young lad ran out from a house and ran across the fields.
"May the devil take you,"
"I hope the devil takes you!"
Said his mother as she rattled a stone at his heels
The lad's mother threw a stone at him as he ran.
"Ah now, why don't you take the young
"Why don't you take the young boy?
Rascal, your highness?" the bailiff he cried
The bailiff suggested the devil should take the boy with him.
"Ah, it was not from her heart that
"She didn't really mean it when she said it.
She said it," the devil he smiling replied
The devil responded, smiling, that the mother didn't really mean what she said.
Now, close by a small patch of potatoes a banbh was striving to dig
Nearby, a pig was trying to dig up potatoes.
When the owner come out and she
The owner of the potatoes came outside and
Cried, "May the devil take you for a pig!"
She exclaimed, "I wish the devil would take you, you pig!"
Said the bailiff,
The bailiff said,
"Now that's a fine offer, why not take the banbh?" says he
"That's a good suggestion. Why don't you take the pig?" he asked the devil.
"Ah, it was but with her lips that she
"She didn't really mean it when she said it.
Said it And that's not sufficient for me."
The devil responded that her words were not enough to make him take the pig.
As they jogged on, the gossoon espied them and into his mother he sped
As the men walked away, the young lad saw them and ran back to his mother.
Crying, "Mother!" says he,
He cried out to his mother, saying,
"There's a bailiff!" She clasped her two hands and she said
The mother reacted strongly, clasping her hands together and saying,
"May the devil take that ugly bailiff!
"I really hope the devil takes that unpleasant bailiff!"
Said the old boy, "Bedad! That'll do!
The devil responded, saying,"Ha! That's all I needed to hear!
It was straight from her heart that she
"She truly meant what she said."
Said it, so Bailiff McGlynn, I'll take you."
The devil decided to take the bailiff with him, as the mother's words had sealed his fate.
Contributed by Alexandra W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
KimSeraFam
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