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
Old Man Time
Kate Rusby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For a young man he'll ever remain,
With his long grey beard and his clothes are plain
Oh Old Man Time is his name.
As one flower dies, the old man cries.
The young man he plants the seeds again.
With a careful hand he tends the sand,
Oh, Old Man Time is his name.
This old man has an hourglass
For every soul on the land.
Oh, Old Man Time, I have seen mine.
It's the one with the fastest sand.
No sooner is it turned,
back through the glass it's churned,
I'm wishing I could have each hour again.
With a careful hand he tends the sand,
Oh, Old Man Time is his name.
To me, Old Man, your time is rare.
Did God not give you all my sand?
Or maybe mine I had to share
Or is there some left in your hand?
They tell me time is gold, well maybe it's been sold,
Or was it simply washed away in rain?
With a careful hand, he tends the sand,
Oh, Old Man Time is his name.
If I brought him a sack,
do you think he'd put some back?
I know one day across my path he'll come.
But as for now, I can't say how,
I know the old man's work is far from done,
For Old Man Time is just begun.
Kate Rusby's "Old Man Time" is a touching tribute to the inevitability of ageing and the constant cycle of life and death. The song depicts Old Man Time as a rare, solemn figure who exists in a state of constant transition from youth to old age. The lyrics speak to the profound effect that time has on us all, as we age and grow older, and the way in which we are all connected through the passing of time.
The first verse describes Old Man Time as an unchanging figure, forever remaining youthful but with a long grey beard and plain clothes, indicating both the passage of time and the simplicity of his existence. The second verse puts forth the idea that Old Man Time watches over every soul on the land, with an hourglass representing each life. The singer of the song has seen her hourglass and is acknowledging the importance of making the most of every moment, as time continues to slip away. The final verse is a poignant plea to Old Man Time, questioning whether he still has sand left in his hourglass that could be added to the singer's, with the suggestion that time is fleeting and cannot be repurchased once gone.
Overall, "Old Man Time" is a beautifully crafted song that encapsulates the complexity and depth of everyone’s journey towards ageing, and the ultimate certainty that our time on Earth is finite. It is a reminder to cherish every moment and make the most of our time while we still have it.
Line by Line Meaning
Old Man Time is a rare old man
Old Man Time is unique and experienced
For a young man he'll ever remain,
Despite his age, he remains youthful
With his long grey beard and his clothes are plain
He has a distinctive appearance
Oh Old Man Time is his name.
His name is Old Man Time
As one flower dies, the old man cries.
He's sentimental about the passage of time
The young man he plants the seeds again.
The young continue the cycle of life
With a careful hand he tends the sand,
He is meticulous with his work
Oh, Old Man Time is his name.
His name is Old Man Time
This old man has an hourglass
He symbolizes the passage of time
For every soul on the land.
He is relevant to every living being
Oh, Old Man Time, I have seen mine.
The singer is aware of her own mortality
It's the one with the fastest sand.
Her time is running out quickly
No sooner is it turned,
As soon as the hourglass is flipped
back through the glass it's churned,
The sand runs quickly back to the bottom
I'm wishing I could have each hour again.
She regrets not making the most of her time
To me, Old Man, your time is rare.
His time is valuable to her
Did God not give you all my sand?
She wonders if he controls her fate
Or maybe mine I had to share
Perhaps she was always meant to share her hourglass
Or is there some left in your hand?
She questions if there's time left for her
They tell me time is gold, well maybe it's been sold,
Time is said to be valuable, but it feels like it's already gone
Or was it simply washed away in rain?
She contends that time may have no value at all
If I brought him a sack,
She ponders if she can negotiate with Old Man Time
do you think he'd put some back?
She wonders if he'd rewind her hourglass
I know one day across my path he'll come.
She's certain of her eventual mortality
But as for now, I can't say how,
She doesn't know when her time will run out
I know the old man's work is far from done,
Old Man Time will continue his task for eternity
For Old Man Time is just begun.
He will always exist and never truly cease
Contributed by Callie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@petergreen1522
A haunting song..Kate has a beautiful timeless voice and there is an ethereal quality to this melody almost as if she is Old Man Time personified..
@amandaleone1000
I've just discovered this womans voice. I feel so happy.
@jamesstuartbrice420
one of my favorite songs by Kate Rusby! I really love this song. If only time would slow down or one could go back in time once in a while and relive the best moments.
@sidacboilerhouse
10 out of 10,the lady is superb.
@bush2sucks
Beautiful and amazing, what a talent.
@1xstew
Beautiful . . I'm a Barnsley man, and just as proud of my roots as Kate is.
@melliemichelle1
Thanks, Rusby08, for the Kate uploads. It's been a treat, I can certainly tell you! I feel in love with Kate's voice the first time I heard "Sho Heen". Heavenly! I have a request, if at all possible. I've looked and looked, but I can't find the cover of "Gulf Coast Highway" that Kate did anywhere on the Tube. Any chance of posting it? As a transplanted Texan, to hear Kate sing about the bluebonnets and Highway 90 (I lived there!) really brings me back home. Thanks for all your hard work!! :)
@gubiline
la mejor voz femenina de los últimos años.
@oldgunny9642
She is a angel on earth. Beautiful!
@doriepetrochko1913
What a voice ! Like liquid !