Lesley Duncan was born in Stockton-on-Tees, a market town in north east England, leaving school at fourteen; she would later reminisce about her childhood troubles in her song, "Wooden Spoon". At age 19, she and her brother Jimmy were placed on weekly retainers by a music publisher. Within a year, Lesley Duncan had signed with major label EMI, and appeared in the film What a Crazy World. Starting in 1963, Duncan recorded a number of pop singles throughout the '60s, none of which were able to grab the attention of record buyers at large.
All throughout her career as an active solo performer and beyond, Duncan appeared as a vocalist on numerous recordings by other artists, including Donovan, Ringo Starr, and The Alan Parsons Project. She also appeared on the first original cast recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar. A complete list of Duncan's contributions has yet to be compiled; in her own words, "it would be easier to list the albums on which [she does] not appear."
Duncan was first introduced to Elton John when they were both relatively unknown session workers. In 1970, John covered Duncan's composition "Love Song" for his breakthrough album Tumbleweed Connection; Duncan played guitar and provided vocals on John's version. Duncan's new-found form of understated songwriting was noted by ecstatic critics, leading some to dub her "the British Carole King." Duncan's 1971 debut album, Sing Children Sing, featured amongst others Elton John and Peter Frampton as guest musicians. Despite favorable reviews and radio play, Duncan failed to attract the attention of record buyers.
Her lacf commercial success would haunt her until the release of her last album, Maybe It's Lost (1977), despite a gradual increase in commercial pop sensibility for every album released. Much of the blame for this lack of success could, by Duncan's own admission, be shouldered on her stage fright, which resulted in only a handful of live appearances throughout her career; however, one of these performances were at the 1973 Reading Festival, which was released on a live compilation LP. She continued to release sporadic singles for another decade; in 1979, a re-recorded version of "Sing Children Sing" (b/w "Rainbow Games"), whose proceeds were donated to the foundation for the International Year of the Child, became her biggest UK chart success at the #76 spot. Her recording career concluded in 1986 with a final single release, "Tomorrow" (b/w "Paper Highways").
Duncan retired to the Isle of Mull in Scotland, where she would spend the rest of her life with her family. In 2010, Duncan died of cerebrovascular disease, following an extended period of illness. At her funeral were flower arrangements from David Bowie and Elton John, members of the community in attendance only now realizing her true identity, which she had reportedly seldom brought up. Duncan's legacy remains, as "Love Song" continues to be covered by hundreds of artists, and albums on which she appeared continuing to be heard by unquantifiable numbers of listeners around the world.
Sing Children Sing
Lesley Duncan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sing sing children sing
That you give is known so don't give in
Sing sing children sing
Sing of the true way, sing of the time
Show them the new way, let your light shine.
Turn turn children turn
From the ones who see but will not learn
Turn turn children turn
Turn from the darkness, turn all the way
Look for the sunshine - then don't turn away.
For everyone who doesn't stand must fall
Call call children call
And he who finds himself then finds us all
Call call children call
Call to the broken, call to the hate
Let the word be spoken, before it's too late.
In Lesley Duncan's song "Sing Children Sing", the lyrics encourage us to keep singing even when we feel like we can't win. The song urges us to keep going because what we give is known and appreciated. The first stanza advises us to sing about the true way, the new way, and to let our light shine.
The second stanza tells us that those who lead or light the fire are not immune to being hurt by their own flames. It encourages us to turn from the ones who can see but refuse to learn. We should look for the sunshine and not turn away when we find it.
The third stanza tells us that everyone who refuses to stand must fall. We must call to the broken and the hateful and let the word be spoken before it's too late. The song encourages us to be brave, to call out to those who need help, and to keep singing, shining our light on the world.
"Sing Children Sing" is an uplifting message that encourages us to keep going no matter what, keep learning and growing, and keep reaching out to help others. It encourages us to stay positive, even in the darkest moments, and to keep spreading the light.
Line by Line Meaning
Though you feel at times you just can't win
Even if you feel like you can't succeed sometimes,
Sing sing children sing
don't give up hope and keep singing,
That you give is known so don't give in
recognize that your contributions are valued, so don't lose faith,
Sing of the true way, sing of the time
Sing about what's truly important and timely,
Show them the new way, let your light shine.
Teach others about the better path and let your goodness shine,
He who lights the fire must surely burn
Those who ignite change may face consequences,
Turn turn children turn
So be aware and turn away from harmful influences,
From the ones who see but will not learn
Especially from those who are aware but refuse to change,
Turn from the darkness, turn all the way
So reject darkness completely,
Look for the sunshine - then don't turn away.
And always seek positivity even in dark times,
For everyone who doesn't stand must fall
Those who don't stand up for what's right will eventually face failure,
Call call children call
So speak up and get others to speak up,
And he who finds himself then finds us all
And those who find themselves will help everyone else too,
Call to the broken, call to the hate
Especially those who are lost and consumed by hate,
Let the word be spoken, before it's too late.
So speak the truth before it's too late to rectify the situation,
Contributed by Carson N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jon Boltinghouse
R.I.P Lesley...because of your beautiful voice children can sing to your sweet song. thanks for the beautiful post of this timeless classic.
Kevin Piggott
A big thank you to whoever posted this. Takes me back to 1979 and happy memories.
Ravi Philip Rajkumar
A superb song that still speaks to children - and their parents! - today. ❤️👍
Lee Bass
I was lucky enough to know Leslie when I was a teenager (she and Tony were regulars in the pub my parents owned) I never knew of her music career apart that she sang backing vocals on a song we had on our jukebox.
Annafaith
One of my old time favourites. I bought the record a good 50+ years ago which is now very scratched and crackley. so it good to listen to this clear version.
Stella Drinker
I have looked for this tune for over twenty years and finally remembered the line, sing children sing . its every bit as good as I remembered .so emotional for me .my mums favourite tune
Stella Drinker
thank you so much ,I really appreciate all your time and efforts to bring these tunes and memories to us .especially this one my friend .
JVEDesigns
You may also like the 1971 album version of this song -
Lesley's first two albums, along with some of her earlier singles, have recently been released as a double CD available on Amazon: ('Sing Lesley Sing')
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sing-Lesley-RCA-Recordings-1968-1972/dp/B0728M2QZ9/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1506463316&sr=1-1&keywords=lesley+duncan
Firhi11ite
Many thanks for uploading the original version of this lovely song.
Kyoto Covers (Jim Anderson)
@Ronald Lindeboom Thank you. 1971, or 1969, as mentioned in the notes above?