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
High on a Hill
Kate Rusby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All come together, are you in or are you out?
He sings of a time when the sky was falling,
All come together and be in no doubt.
Oh darling, let's go over,
Now the devil's here.
Oh darling, let's go over,
And oh darling, oh my darling,
Be strong and be proud.
Oh darling, then you'll see
The devil will go round.
Round, round.
High on a hill and way up yonder,
All come together, are you in or are you out?
Eleventh day was hell, but the heart grows stronger.
All come together and be in no doubt.
Oh darling, let's go over,
Now the devil's here.
Oh darling, let's go over,
Now the devil's here.
And oh darling, oh my darling,
Be strong and be proud.
Oh darling, then you'll see
The devil will go round.
Round, (round), round.
Over the fields where the water's falling,
All come together, are you in or are you out?
There's a bird on a hill and he's sweetly calling,
All come together and be in no doubt.
Oh darling, let's go over,
Now the devil's here.
Oh darling, let's go over,
Now the devil's here.
And oh darling, oh my darling,
Be strong and be proud.
Oh darling, then you'll see
The devil will go round.
Round, round.
High on a hill there's a sweet bird calling,
All come together, are you in or are you out?
He sings of a time when the sky was falling,
All come together and be in no doubt.
Oh darling, let's go over,
Now the devil's here.
Oh darling, (ooh), let's go over,
Now the devil's here.
Oh darling, (ooh), let's go over,
Now the devil's here.
Oh darling, let's go over,
Now the devil's here.
And oh darling, oh my darling,
Be strong and be proud.
Oh darling, then you'll see
The devil will go round.
And oh darling, oh my darling,
Be strong and be proud.
Oh darling, then you'll see
The devil will go round.
Round, round.
The lyrics of Kate Rusby's song High on a Hill depict a bird singing sweetly from a high point, urging people to come together in a time of uncertainty. The lyrics use the metaphor of the devil to represent the challenges that people face, asking the listener to be strong and proud in the face of adversity. The song speaks of a time when the sky was falling, possibly alluding to a catastrophic event or a personal crisis that the listener may be experiencing.
The repeated phrase "All come together, are you in or are you out?" serves as a call to action, encouraging the listener to choose between joining with others to overcome difficulties or remaining isolated and vulnerable. The lyrics suggest that by overcoming adversity together and staying strong, the devil will eventually "go round" - in other words, that problems will eventually pass if people stay resilient and united.
Overall, Kate Rusby's High on a Hill encourages listeners to come together in times of crisis and to remain strong and resilient in the face of difficulties. The song offers a message of hope and encouragement to those who may be struggling, encouraging them to keep moving forward and to overcome adversity with the support of those around them.
Line by Line Meaning
High on a hill there's a sweet bird calling,
On top of a hill, a bird is singing a charming tune.
All come together, are you in or are you out?
Are you going to join others or not?
He sings of a time when the sky was falling,
The bird sings of a past calamity.
All come together and be in no doubt.
Gather and be certain.
Oh darling, let's go over,
Sweetheart, let's proceed.
Now the devil's here.
Now that negativity has arrived.
And oh darling, oh my darling,
My beloved, my dearest.
Be strong and be proud.
Stand up and be confident.
Oh darling, then you'll see
Then you will realize.
The devil will go round.
The negativity will dissipate.
High on a hill and way up yonder,
Up on a high hill located very far away.
Eleventh day was hell, but the heart grows stronger.
The recent event was terrible, but resilience builds strength.
Over the fields where the water's falling,
Across the meadow where precipitation is dropping.
There's a bird on a hill and he's sweetly calling,
A feathered creature is perched atop a peak and singing beautifully.
And oh darling (ooh), let's go over,
And oh, beloved, let's proceed.
Now the devil's here.
Now that negativity has arrived.
Oh darling (ooh), let's go over,
Oh, beloved, let's proceed.
And oh darling, let's go over,
And oh, beloved, let's proceed.
Round, round.
Around and around.
Contributed by Joshua V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@heathsavage4852
One of the best female folk voices of the last fifty years.
@micwellssongs
I heard this song on a folk station in second life ... and it just blew me away. I listened about 15 times ...the lyrics, beat and harmonies and build up are all amazing. Wow. I am still blown away.
@KittyStarlight
Similar experiences only on YouTube in the spring of 2018.
@evelynmaldonado9283
Literally every song Kate puts out is perfect, she has the most beautiful voice and the Harmony‘s were terrific and so was the instrumental
@konnorrose3652
Annette, is where we can agree
@davidpresson
her voice truly is out of this world---so beautiful
@ruadogg5482
So grateful Kate's music is online, I grew up listening to her with my mum and I can't find her on any streaming platform (aside from youtube)
@michaelbaker7499
Spotify? Pretty sure she's on Spotify
@ruadogg5482
@@michaelbaker7499 her newer stuff is but none of the older albums
@nerdyxfurby6285
My grandad used to play this on guitar and sing it and I used to love this song when I was little but sadly my grandad died of cancer 😢