After learning to play the guitar, the fiddle, and the piano, as well as to sing, Rusby played at many local folk festivals as a child and adolescent. She came to wider attention through her duets with her friend and fellow Barnsley folk singer Kathryn Roberts on the 1995 album Kate Rusby & Kathryn Roberts.
At about this time she joined, and became the lead vocalist of, the all-female Celtic folk band The Poozies. This led to her becoming a founding member of the group Equation, which included Kathryn Roberts and Seth Lakeman. Rusby left Equation (being replaced by Cara Dillon) to follow a more traditional direction and, in 1997, released her debut solo album Hourglass produced by Scottish fiddler John McCusker (to whom Rusby was married for some time).
In 1999 Rusby recorded Sleepless which earned her a Mercury Music Prize nomination and the BBC Folk Award for Best Album and Best Folk Singer.
Rusby continues to release albums mixing traditional and self-penned songs on her own Pure Records, winning fans as diverse as Graham Coxon (who provided the illustration for her album The Girl Who Couldn't Fly) and collaborator Ronan Keating.
2008 saw the release of Sweet Bells, an album of traditional Christmas songs interpreted by Rusby.
In 2010, Rusby released the album Make the Light, a collection of self-penned songs, and in 2011 issued a second collection of Christmas songs titled While Mortals Sleep.
www.katerusby.com
Candlemas Eve
Kate Rusby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down with the mistletoe,
Instead of holly, now up-raise
The greener box, to show
The greener box to show.
[Chorus:]
Thus times do shift, thus times do shift,
Each thing it's time doth hold,
New things succeed, new things succeed,
As former things grow old.
The holly hitherto did sway,
Let box now domineer,
Until the dancing Easter day,
On Easter's eve appear,
On Easter's eve appear.
[Chorus]
The youthful box which now hath grace,
Your houses to renew,
Grown old, surrender must it's place,
Unto the freshened yew,
Unto the freshened yew.
[Chorus]
When yew is out, then birch comes in
And many the flowers beside,
Both of a fresh and fragrant kin,
To honour Whitsuntide,
To honour Whitsuntide.
[Chorus]
In the song Candlemas Eve by Kate Rusby, the first verse talks about the changing of times and traditions. The rosemary and bay, mistletoe, and holly have had their time, and now it is the greener box that should be raised to show the changing of times. The chorus talks about how everything has its time and how new things succeed old things.
The second verse talks about the dominance of holly coming to an end, and the box tree taking over until the dancing Easter day. It is interesting to note how Easter appears multiple times in this song, from its eve to Easter day. The third verse talks about how the youthful box has grace and is used to renew houses, but it must surrender its place to the freshened yew as time goes on. Finally, the last verse talks about the birch tree and many other flowers being used to honor Whitsuntide, another holiday celebrated in the Christian tradition.
Line by Line Meaning
Down with the rosemary and bay,
Let go of the previous holiday season's adornments of rosemary and bay.
Down with the mistletoe,
Let go of the previous holiday season's intimacy and romance.
Instead of holly, now up-raise
The greener box, to show
The greener box to show.
Use the box plant to show new growth and vitality in the current holiday season.
[Chorus:]
Thus times do shift, thus times do shift,
Each thing it's time doth hold,
New things succeed, new things succeed,
As former things grow old.
The passing of time dictates that new traditions replace old ones in each holiday season.
The holly hitherto did sway,
Let box now domineer,
Until the dancing Easter day,
On Easter's eve appear,
On Easter's eve appear.
Box will be the dominant decoration until the eve before Easter.
[Chorus]
As before, time determines the passing of traditions in each holiday season.
The youthful box which now hath grace,
Your houses to renew,
Grown old, surrender must it's place,
Unto the freshened yew,
Unto the freshened yew.
Box is replaced by yew, which symbolizes the end of the holiday season and the start of a new cycle.
[Chorus]
As before, time determines the passing of traditions in each holiday season.
When yew is out, then birch comes in
And many the flowers beside,
Both of a fresh and fragrant kin,
To honour Whitsuntide,
To honour Whitsuntide.
After yew, birch will decorate houses alongside various fresh and fragrant flowers to celebrate Whitsuntide.
[Chorus]
As before, time determines the passing of traditions in each holiday season.
Contributed by Luke A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@edlkwordsmith1836
Herrick wrote two Candlemas poems.
Here's the one's that's Rusby's song:
CEREMONIES FOR CANDLEMAS EVE by Robert Herrick (1591–1674)
Down with the rosemary and bays,
Down with the misletoe ;
Instead of holly, now up-raise
The greener box (for show).
The holly hitherto did sway ;
Let box now domineer
Until the dancing Easter day,
Or Easter's eve appear.
Then youthful box which now hath grace
Your houses to renew ;
Grown old, surrender must his place
Unto the crisped yew.
When yew is out, then birch comes in,
And many flowers beside ;
Both of a fresh and fragrant kin
To honour Whitsuntide.
Green rushes, then, and sweetest bents,
With cooler oaken boughs,
Come in for comely ornaments
To re-adorn the house.
Thus times do shift ; each thing his turn does hold ;
New things succeed, as former things grow old.
- - - - - - - - - -
And here's the other one, with a sllightly different perspective:
CEREMONY UPON CANDLEMAS EVE by Robert Herrick (1591–1674)
Down with the rosemary, and so
Down with the bays and misletoe;
Down with the holly, ivy, all,
Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas Hall :
That so the superstitious find
No one least branch there left behind:
For look, how many leaves there be
Neglected, there (maids, trust to me)
So many goblins you shall see.
@AKhomiakov
Thank you, Kate. You have a voice that's beyond lovely, but where does the feeling, the incredible feeling, come from? You have a heart as well as a voice.
@11sriver40
Ahh October has begun! Time for Christmassy Kate rusby!!! 😁😁😁😁
@GaiusandServilia
belle chanson :)
@stufour
Candlemas is on the day after Imbolc, and is the festival celebrating the presentation of Christ in the Temple. In mediaeval celebration it was seen as the last day of the Christmas celebrations (hence the lyrics of this song!!). Yep - many traditions were taken on from Imbolc and Brigd's day. How fantastic so many share this time of candle lighting and community :) It has everything to do with Christians celebrating Christmas and shares much to do with Pagans celebrating Imbolc. Candlemas is, of course, the Christian title for February 2nd (NOT 1st!! which is Brigid's day). Pity you didn't bother to find out twzdfirestrtr42.......
@newshawk56
+stufour It is also the ancient date for taking down the Christmas greenery, now more usually done on Twelfth Night.
@stufour
+Christopher Gallagher Hence Robert Herrick's "Down with the rosemary and bay" :)
@paulschlitz5256
Rusby knows how to write 'em and how to sing 'em. I'm not easy to please but she always does
@paulmayle4374
The song was written by Robert Herrick in the 1600's :)
@AustraliaFare09
I've Never Heard Kate Sing A Song I Didn't Love. She Has So Much Talent And A Voice To Die For. ---'---,----{@ By The Dozon For Such A Beauty Rare!
@hannibal3blue
The words are by the 17th century poet Robert Herrick, who also wrote 'To the Virgins, to Make Much of TIme'; from which the line 'Gather ye rosebuds while ye may' is well known.