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
Hunter Moon
Kate Rusby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Softly the dew,
Softly my soul will bend,
As she comes in view,
At dawn she is delicate,
And burning by noon,
The end of the day will come soon.
Are infinite bright,
And the stars know my soul will fly,
They're holding it tight.
There she is rising now,
My heart it might break,
The birds in her warmth will fly,
My soul it will ache,
And the world comes alive for her,
In awe at her gaze,
And suddenly the sky is ablaze,
And the stars in my lonely sky,
Are infinite bright,
And the stars know my soul will fly,
They're holding it tight.
Say not her name to me,
For I live in the shade,
Briefly I see her,
As she starts to fade,
In silence we pass,
Our path is well worn,
In silence I wait for the dawn.
And the stars in my lonely sky,
Are infinite bright,
And the stars know my soul will fly,
They're holding it tight.
Calmly I drift along,
Oh I will endure,
I only belong to her,
Of that I am sure,
Will I ever hold her,
I cannot presume,
For she's the sun,
I'm only the moon.
And the stars in my lonely sky,
Are infinite bright,
And the stars know my soul will fly,
They're holding it tight.
And the stars in my lonely sky,
Are infinite bright,
And the stars know my soul will fly,
They're holding it tight.
In "Hunter Moon," Kate Rusby sings about a love that is unattainable but all-consuming. She uses the imagery of the hunter moon to personify the object of her affection. The hunter moon, also known as the blood moon or harvest moon, is the full moon that falls closest to the autumnal equinox, and it traditionally signifies a time of transition and change. Rusby depicts the rising of the moon as a delicate and burning event, with the world coming alive in awe of its gaze. The singer's love is intense but melancholy; she cannot have the object of her affection and can only endure their fleeting presence.
Throughout the song, Rusby also employs celestial imagery to convey an overarching sense of loneliness and longing. The stars in the lonely sky represent the singer's soul, which is held tight by the knowledge that it will one day fly away. The singer describes herself as the moon and the object of her affection as the sun, emphasizing the gulf that exists between them. The song is ultimately a meditation on the power of unrequited love and the pain that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Softly the morning light,
The gentle light of morning
Softly the dew,
The gentle moisture on plants
Softly my soul will bend,
My spirit will be humbled and at peace
As she comes in view,
As the object of my love appears
At dawn she is delicate,
She is most vulnerable at the start of day
And burning by noon,
As the sun rises high the love is intense
The end of the day will come soon.
The night will soon end the love affair
And the stars in my lonely sky,
The bright lights in my desolate world
Are infinite bright,
They are shining tremendously
And the stars know my soul will fly,
The celestial bodies understand my spirit will transcend
They're holding it tight.
The stars possess the capability to keep me safe
There she is rising now,
The love interest is now making an appearance
My heart it might break,
My heart could shatter
The birds in her warmth will fly,
The creatures around her are alive with passion
My soul it will ache,
My spirit will be tormented
And the world comes alive for her,
The universe is vibrant in her presence
In awe at her gaze,
The world is stunned by her looks
And suddenly the sky is ablaze,
The heavens are radiating with passion
Say not her name to me,
Do not mention her name in my presence
For I live in the shade,
My existence is in darkness
Briefly I see her,
I only glimpse her for a moment
As she starts to fade,
As she begins to lessen in form
In silence we pass,
We drift by each other silently
Our path is well worn,
Our course is familiar and routine
In silence I wait for the dawn.
I anticipate daybreak without speaking
Calmly I drift along,
I serenely carry on
Oh I will endure,
I will persevere
I only belong to her,
My love is only hers
Of that I am sure,
I am confident of this fact
Will I ever hold her,
Will I get to embrace her?
I cannot presume,
I do not dare to take for granted
For she's the sun,
She is the glowing star of my life
I'm only the moon.
But I am a mere satellite to her immense force
And the stars in my lonely sky,
The brilliant lights in my melancholic world
Are infinite bright,
They are gleaming with tremendous intenseness
And the stars know my soul will fly,
The celestial bodies recognize my spirit will transcend
They're holding it tight.
The stars can keep me safe in their protective power
Contributed by Sydney O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paul Brown
Softly the morning light,
Softly the dew,
Softly my soul will bend,
As she comes in view,
At dawn she is delicate,
And burning by noon,
The end of the day will come soon.
Chorus
And the stars in my lonely sky,
Are infinite bright,
And the stars know my soul will fly,
They're holding it tight.
There she is rising now,
My heart it might break,
The birds in her warmth will fly,
My soul it will ache,
And the world comes alive for her,
In awe at her gaze,
And suddenly the sky is ablaze,
Chorus
Say not her name to me,
For I live in the shade,
Briefly I see her,
As she starts to fade,
In silence we pass,
Our path is well worn,
In silence I wait for the dawn.
Chorus
Calmly I drift along,
Oh I will endure,
I only belong to her,
Of that I am sure,
Will I ever hold her,
I cannot presume,
For she's the sun,
I'm only the moon.
Chorus x2
Arthur Fioratifaria
"[...] e no entanto eu conheço uma palavra
que só existe no português:
Um paradoxo, sem pé nem cabeça,
Que carrega a alegria e a mais dura tristeza,
Nostálgica esperança ou distante fantasma,
Urgindo e clamando a sua vez
de ser morta. A palavra saudade.
É como a Lua que ao Sol muito ama,
Mas que sempre distantes em destino triste,
De repente se encontram em raro eclipse;
E como a Lua cultivo a vontade
de matar a saudade, perante sua chama."
There is still hope for the Moon at the end.
XIXjlo
I listened to her songs almost everyday while I was in Afghanistan. Laid outside on a bench on clear Afghan nights watching the million stars and counting satellites race in different directions across the beautiful clear desert sky.Her songs and amazing voice kept me going. Never really knew who she was until then, 2009. She is an angel.
Gary Whitt
Well done and well done!
Seán Ó Domhnaill
An unbelievably beautiful song. There’s no end to Kate’s talent.
Jack Cole
Is it just me or is the impossible happening, Kate's perfect voice becoming even more perfect the older she gets.
Izan4gi
@Henry Ordish You're here listening to Kate Rusby and just quoted Patrick Rothfuss. You deserve all the best in your life.
Henry Ordish
'Most things fail with age. Our hands and backs stiffen. Our eyes dim. Skin roughens and our beauty
fades. The only exception is the voice. Properly cared for, a voice does nothing but grow sweeter with
age and constant use.' - Patrick Rothfuss, 'The Wise Man's Fear'
cyborgevo1
Can never avoid tearing up when Kate sings. Her lyrics are so poignant for every subject she writes about.
tm502010
God was having a good day when he created this woman, and her voice…
Moley
Oh Kate, you totally capture the emotions of separated lovers the whole world over! May you, who sing so ethereally about the pain, never suffer it yourself. Bless you, y'Yorkshire lass.
Tom Murphy
I absolutely love this track. The whole album is terrific and my favourite so far, of all Kate's albums (I've bought every one). It was a big part of me buying new speakers so I could listen to it properly! 😀 I love the new sound and use of 'new' instruments , but for me, somehow Kate and the band still capture the beauty of folk music - the stories and words. Thank you Kate.