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
Mary Blaize
Kate Rusby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lament for Mary Blaize,
She never wanted one good word,
From those who spoke her praise,
The needy seldom passed her door,
And always found her kind,
She freely lent to all the poor,
Who left a pledge behind.
She strove the neighbour hood to please,
With manners wondrous winning,
She never followed wicked ways,
Unless when she was sinning,
At church in silks and satins new,
With hoop of monstrous size,
She never slumbered in her pew,
But when she closed her eyes.
Her love was sought I do declare,
By twenty beaux and more,
The King himself did seem to care,
Where she had walked before,
But wealth and finery all fled,
And hangers-on all gone,
The doctors found when she was dead,
The life within her none.
Good people all with one accord,
Lament for Mary Blaize,
Who never wanted one good word,
From those who spoke her praise,
The needy seldom passed her door,
And always found her kind,
She freely lent to all the poor
Who left a pledge behind.
Let us lament in sorrow sore,
For Kent Street well may say,
That had she lived a twelve month more,
She had not died today.
The song "Mary Blaize," as performed by Kate Rusby, is a lament for a woman who is described as being generous and kind to the poor, but who never cared for the praise of others. Mary Blaize is painted as a virtuous woman who freely lent money to those in need, and who was always willing to help others in whatever way she could. Despite her virtuous nature, Mary Blaize was still human and had her flaws. She enjoyed expensive clothing and, at times, engaged in sinful behavior.
The theme of the song is both universal and timeless, as it explores the complexities of human nature and the fact that even the most virtuous among us have their flaws. The song also speaks to the idea that one's good deeds should be celebrated during their lifetime, rather than only being recognized after their death.
Overall, the song "Mary Blaize" is a moving tribute to a woman who was kind, generous, and flawed, but ultimately deserving of our respect and admiration. It serves as a reminder to us all that we should strive to be virtuous and selfless, even in the face of our own imperfections.
Line by Line Meaning
Good people all with one accord,
Hey everyone, listen up
Lament for Mary Blaize,
We should be sad about Mary Blaize's death
She never wanted one good word,
She was humble and didn't care about praise
From those who spoke her praise,
She didn't want people to talk well of her
The needy seldom passed her door,
She helped poor people often
And always found her kind,
She was always nice to people in need
She freely lent to all the poor,
She loaned money to those who couldn't afford it
Who left a pledge behind.
And they left something valuable as a promise to repay
She strove the neighbour hood to please,
She tried to make everyone happy
With manners wondrous winning,
She had a charming personality
She never followed wicked ways,
She rarely did anything wrong
Unless when she was sinning,
Except for her occasional misbehavior
At church in silks and satins new,
She dressed extravagantly for church
With hoop of monstrous size,
Her hoopskirt was very large
She never slumbered in her pew,
She never fell asleep during the sermon
But when she closed her eyes.
But she did close her eyes during prayers
Her love was sought I do declare,
Many men wanted to marry her
By twenty beaux and more,
At least 20 men were interested in her
The King himself did seem to care,
Even the King was interested in her
Where she had walked before,
He wanted to know where she had been
But wealth and finery all fled,
She lost all her money and fancy things
And hangers-on all gone,
Even her friends and followers left her
The doctors found when she was dead,
The doctors discovered
The life within her none.
That she had already died
Let us lament in sorrow sore,
Let's be very sad together
For Kent Street well may say,
Because the people of Kent Street can confirm
That had she lived a twelve month more,
If she had lived for one more year
She had not died today.
She would still be alive
Contributed by Sadie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MrMichaelEdie
Ian Carr is all kinds of awesome!
@rubymaecrockett1097
Wonderful voice! X
@MrSonofsonof
"She never followed wicked ways unless when she was sinning"
Hey, that's just like me!
@phlarrdboi
go kate! and band.