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 Grazier's Daughter
June Tabor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh the grazier's daughter living near
A fair young damsel as you shall hear
It's up to London she did go
To seek for service as you shall know
Her master having but one son
Young Betsy bein' so very fair
She brought his heart into a snare
One sunday evening he stole her thyme
And unto Betsy told his mind
My ?own swearing bower's above?
'Tis you fair Betsy,'tis you I love
His mother then bein' standing nigh
Hearing these words that her son did say
Next morning by the break of day
Unto fair Betsy she took away
Sayin' "Rise up, rise up, my fair Betsy
And dress yourself most gallantly
For 'tis to the country you must go
All along with me for one day or two"
And as they were crossing o'er the plain
They spied some ships sailing on the main
No wit, no wit this poor woman had
But to sell poor Betsy to be a slave
Then a few days after the mother returned
And it's "welcome mother" replies the son
"But tell me, tell me true I pray
Oh where is Betsy behind you, say"
"Oh son, oh son, I plainly see
The love you bear for poor Betsy
But your sobbin' and sighin' are all in vain
Young Betsy sailing across the main"
In a few days after the son lies sick
No sort o' music his heart would take
But he often sighed and he often cried
"Oh Betsy, Betsy, I shall die"
And in a few days after the son lies dead
Mother wrings her hands and she tears her hair
"If I could bring back my son again
I'd send poor Betsy across the main"
Oh the grazier's daughter living near
A fair young damsel as you shall hear
It's up to London she did go
To seek for service as you shall know
The song “Grazier’s Daughter” by June Tabor is a melancholic ballad that narrates the story of a young woman named Betsy who falls in love with her master’s son. The grazier’s daughter goes to London to seek for service where she catches the attention of her master’s son who is smitten by her beauty. They fall in love, and he sneaks into her room and declares his love for her. However, the mother overhears their conversation and takes Betsy away with her the following morning. They later come across some ships on the way, and the mother sells Betsy as a slave.
The song paints a picture of the power imbalance between social classes with Betsy being a lowly servant and the young master belonging to a wealthy family. The love between Betsy and the young master is fleeting, and Betsy is eventually sold as a slave, never to be seen again. The song is a tragic tale of forbidden love and the cruel injustices of society.
The song “Grazier’s Daughter” has been covered by many artists including June Tabor, Shirley Collins, and Martin Simpson. Furthermore, the ballad is based on a traditional English folksong that has been passed down for generations. The song has a historical significance and has become a reflection of the social inequities in the society of the time.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the grazier's daughter living near
This is a story about a young lady who grew up near a grazier.
A fair young damsel as you shall hear
She was a beautiful young lady, as you will soon find out.
It's up to London she did go
She went to London to find work.
To seek for service as you shall know
She was looking for a job, as you will soon find out.
Her master having but one son
The person she worked for had only one son.
Oh she bein' fair, his heart she won
Because she was beautiful, she captured the heart of the son.
Young Betsy bein' so very fair
Betsy was exceptionally beautiful.
She brought his heart into a snare
She won his heart and trapped him in a love affair.
One sunday evening he stole her thyme
One Sunday evening he spent time with Betsy secretly.
And unto Betsy told his mind
He confessed his love to her.
My ?own swearing bower's above?
He made a promise to love her forever.
'Tis you fair Betsy,'tis you I love
He professed his love for Betsy.
His mother then bein' standing nigh
His mother was nearby at that moment.
Hearing these words that her son did say
She overheard what her son said.
Next morning by the break of day
The next morning, very early, his mother did something.
Unto fair Betsy she took away
She took Betsy away from her son.
Sayin' "Rise up, rise up, my fair Betsy
She commanded Betsy to get up and dress nicely.
And dress yourself most gallantly
She asked her to dress very elegantly.
For 'tis to the country you must go
She told her that they were going to the countryside.
All along with me for one day or two"
She invited Betsy to go with her for a day or two.
And as they were crossing o'er the plain
As they were travelling across the plain,
They spied some ships sailing on the main
They saw some ships sailing on the ocean.
No wit, no wit this poor woman had
The mother had no compassion or intelligence.
But to sell poor Betsy to be a slave
She sold Betsy to become a slave.
Then a few days after the mother returned
The mother returned a few days later.
And it's "welcome mother" replies the son
The son welcomed his mother back.
"But tell me, tell me true I pray
He asked her to tell him the truth.
Oh where is Betsy behind you, say"
He wanted to know where Betsy was.
"Oh son, oh son, I plainly see
The mother responded with sadness.
The love you bear for poor Betsy
She acknowledged his love for Betsy.
But your sobbin' and sighin' are all in vain
She told him that his crying was useless.
Young Betsy sailing across the main"
Betsy was sailing across the sea.
In a few days after the son lies sick
A few days later, the son became ill.
No sort o' music his heart would take
He couldn't find comfort in music.
But he often sighed and he often cried
He would often sigh and cry.
"Oh Betsy, Betsy, I shall die"
He knew that he would die without Betsy.
And in a few days after the son lies dead
A few days later, the son died.
Mother wrings her hands and she tears her hair
The mother expressed her grief by wringing her hands and tearing her hair.
"If I could bring back my son again
She wished she could bring back her son.
I'd send poor Betsy across the main"
But she would send Betsy away again.
Contributed by Skyler G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.