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
The Recruited Collier
Kate Rusby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"Them soldier boys have picked him up and taken him far from me,
Last payday, he went into town and them red-coated fellows,
Enticed him in and made him drunk, and he'd better gone to the gallows.
The very sight of his cockade, it sets us all a-cryin',
And me I nearly fainted twice--I thought that I was dyin',
Me father said he'd pay the smart and he'd run for the Golden Guinea,
When Jimmy talks about the wars, it's worse than death to hear him.
I must go out to hide me tears, because I cannot bear him.
A Brigadier or a Grenadier he says they're sure to make him,
So now he jibes and cracks his jokes and bids me not forsake him.
As I walked o'er yon stubbled field--below where runs the seam,
I think on Jimmy hewing there, but it was all a dream.
He hewed the very coils we burn, so when this fire I'm lighten',
To think the lumps was in his hands--it sets me heart a-beating.
So break me heart and then it's o'er, oh break me heart, me dearie,
As I lie in this cold, cold bed, of the single life I'm weary."
The Recruited Collier by Kate Rusby is a heart-wrenching tale about the impact of war on a young couple. The first stanza of the song introduces us to the singer, a young woman who is looking for her dashing Jimmy. We learn that Jimmy has been taken away by soldier boys who have enticed him into drinking with them. The young woman is distraught and fears that Jimmy may end up being hanged. She is also deeply affected when she sees Jimmy's cockade, a symbol of his allegiance to the army.
The rest of the song focuses on the impact of Jimmy's absence on the young woman. She cannot bear to hear him talk about the wars and often has to hide her tears. Jimmy remains optimistic and believes that he will rise through the ranks to become a Brigadier or a Grenadier. However, the young woman is not so sure and fears that Jimmy may never return to her. The last stanza of the song is particularly poignant as the young woman reflects on the lumps of coal that Jimmy used to hew. She imagines him still working in the mine but knows that it is just a dream. Her heart is broken, and she is weary of life without Jimmy.
Overall, The Recruited Collier is a touching song that highlights the impact of war on ordinary people. It offers a glimpse into the pain and suffering endured by those left behind and the hopelessness that comes with not knowing whether their loved ones will ever return.
Line by Line Meaning
What's the matter with you, me lass, and where's your dashing Jimmy?
What's troubling you, my dear, and where is your beloved Jimmy?
Them soldier boys have picked him up and taken him far from me,
The soldiers have captured him and taken him away from my sight.
Last payday, he went into town and them red-coated fellows,
On his last payday, he went into town and met with those wearing red coats.
Enticed him in and made him drunk, and he'd better gone to the gallows.
They lured him in with drink, and he would have been better off sentenced to the gallows
The very sight of his cockade, it sets us all a-cryin',
When we see his emblem, it brings us all to tears.
And me I nearly fainted twice--I thought that I was dyin',
Twice I almost fainted, thinking I would surely die.
Me father said he'd pay the smart and he'd run for the Golden Guinea,
My father promised to pay for his exemption and substitute another to the tune of the Golden Guinea.
But the sergeant swore he kissed the book, so now they've got young Jimmy.
But the sergeant insisted that he had taken the pledge, so now they have taken young Jimmy.
When Jimmy talks about the wars, it's worse than death to hear him.
Whenever Jimmy speaks of the wars, it is unbearable to hear him.
I must go out to hide me tears, because I cannot bear him.
I must leave the company to hide my tears because I cannot bear being around him.
A Brigadier or a Grenadier he says they're sure to make him,
He boasts of becoming either a Brigadier or Grenadier.
So now he jibes and cracks his jokes and bids me not forsake him.
Now he mocks and teases, telling me not to abandon him.
As I walked o'er yon stubbled field--below where runs the seam,
As I walked over the stubbly field – where the stream flows below,
I think on Jimmy hewing there, but it was all a dream.
I imagine Jimmy chopping there as I walk, but it is just a dream.
He hewed the very coils we burn, so when this fire I'm lighten',
He chopped the very pieces of wood we burn, so when I start this fire,
To think the lumps was in his hands--it sets me heart a-beating.
To think those pieces of wood were in his hands – it makes my heart beat faster.
So break me heart and then it's o'er, oh break me heart, me dearie,
So break my heart and let it be over, oh break my heart, my dear,
As I lie in this cold, cold bed, of the single life I'm weary.
As I lay in this cold bed, tired of being single.
Contributed by Caroline T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@williamwelch7
Thanks for putting this up. It's probably my favorite song, even as sad as it is...can't tell you how many times I've listened to it. I heard Kate mention it in the ITV (I think) documentary about her, as being one of her favorites. Kate is such a really wonderful person...
@tenbears4910
This is one of those songs you listen to 50 times in a row.
Then another 50 times
@garybisset9805
this song is lovely and the tune fits the song apsolutley perfectly
@loveroffolkmusic
Very haunting, beautiful sound...Thank you.
@BloodChild121
Every night I have a long night at work I sit down and listen to this song to unwind
@bwenno1158
I joined the british infnatry this summer and this song reminds me of my mum back home.
@RobertLocksley385
Tell us Old Sweats how it's going at The Front, old son. What Reg? What posting? How's the mob these days? And is the Frank still as bloody awful as it was thirt years ago? Regards from a Cold War ex-scaley.
@BodhranBrian
This is beautiful. The only other time that I have heard this sung was by Dick Gaughan,who did a magnificent job of it. If I had to choose,I would give this version a slight edge because it is a song from the womans' perspective and as such has more of a poignancy when in a female voice.
@leadbellies
Great version of this also from Cyril o Donoghue
@BodhranBrian
@leadbellies Got to check it out, Thanks!!