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 Fiddler
June Tabor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As steady as the hand that draws the bow.
The silence before horsehair hits the cat gut
Is the quiet of a heavy fall of snow.
'I remember Driscole's shanty', says the fiddler,
'the sound of seaboots on the wooden floor,
As we played the wind turned round a quarter
Their faces are all hid behind the quavers,
A thin veneer to paper up the cracks,
Breaks like crazing on the varnish,
Forgetfulness is what my memory lacks.
The fiddler's fingers bend upon the soundboard
As steady as the hand that draws the bow.
The silence before horsehair hits the cat gut
Is the quiet of a heavy fall of snow.
June Tabor's song "The Fiddler" is a beautiful and poetic depiction of the art of playing the violin. The opening lines describe the precision and delicacy of the fiddler's fingers as they touch the strings of the violin. The silence just before the bow touches the strings is described as the quiet of a heavy fall of snow, a peaceful and enchanting moment that sets the mood for the rest of the song. The fiddler then begins to reminisce about a particular moment in his life, playing in Driscole's shanty, where the sound of the seaboots on the wooden floor and the music created a magical atmosphere. As the wind turned and morning came, the fiddler and his companions found themselves far from Scotland's shore.
The fiddler's fingers continue to bend upon the soundboard with an unmatched precision, creating a veneer that masks the cracks beneath, just as music and art can often paper up the cracks in life. The varnish on the violin may craze over time, just as memories can become distorted by forgetfulness. Yet, the fiddler continues to play with unwavering skill and dedication, creating a beautiful sound that evokes memories and emotions in the listener. The song ends with a repetition of the opening lines, reiterating the fiddler's steady and sure hand as he draws the bow and produces a heavy fall of snow-like silence.
Line by Line Meaning
The fiddler's fingers bend upon the soundboard
The way the fiddler plays his instrument is captivating and hypnotic.
As steady as the hand that draws the bow.
The fiddler's hands move deftly and with precision, allowing the notes to flow effortlessly.
The silence before horsehair hits the cat gut
The tension and anticipation in the moments before the fiddler begins playing is palpable and enchanting.
Is the quiet of a heavy fall of snow.
The stillness and peace that comes with the first snowfall is mirrored by the hushed audience waiting to hear the fiddler's music.
'I remember Driscole's shanty', says the fiddler,
The fiddler reminisces about a particular song that holds a story near and dear to his heart.
'the sound of seaboots on the wooden floor,
The fiddler recalls vivid details of the setting and ambiance of the moment he first heard the song.
As we played the wind turned round a quarter
The rhythm and melody of the song carried the fiddler and his audience away to another time and place, one that is far removed yet still vivid in their memories.
And morning found them far from Scotland's shore.'
The music transported them to a place that was unknown to them, yet they were able to feel the emotions and sentiments of the people from that far-off land.
Their faces are all hid behind the quavers,
The people listening to the fiddler are all moved by the music, yet they remain hidden behind their emotions, unwilling to share or express them openly.
A thin veneer to paper up the cracks,
People sometimes use an emotional façade to hide their true feelings when they are touched or moved by something, protecting themselves from vulnerability.
Breaks like crazing on the varnish,
Over time, the veneer that people use to hide their emotions can crack and break, revealing their true selves.
Forgetfulness is what my memory lacks.
Although the fiddler remembers the notes and the melody of the song, the deeper meaning or feelings behind it are lost to time and forgetfulness, leaving him with only a faint memory of the past.
Contributed by Madison V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.