In her teens Prior moved to St Albans, where she befriended the young Donovan Leitch and Mac MacLeod. She later formed a duo with MacLeod called Mac & Maddy. She became a roadie for visiting American musicians, including Reverend Gary Davis.
In 1966 she began performing with Tim Hart, another St Albans resident, and together they recorded two albums before becoming founding members of Steeleye Span in 1969. They were the backbone of the group until the early 1980s when ill-health forced Tim into semi-retirement (Tim died at Christmas 2009). Prior left Steeleye Span in 1997 but returned in 2002.
Prior has enjoyed a long solo career, as well as working with other artists and groups, including Mac & Maddy, Tim Hart & Maddy Prior, and Maddy Prior & the Carnival Band. Her most famous - and lighthearted - team-up was with June Tabor in the Silly sisters.
Since 2003, Prior has run and hosted an Arts Centre called Stones Barn in Cumbria.
http://www.maddyprior.co.uk/
Hind Horn
Maddy Prior Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey lililu and ho ho lan
He fell in love with the King's daughter Jean
With a hey down, hey diddle downy
She gave him a gay gold ring
With three bright diamonds glittering
When this ring grows pale and blue
He hoisted his sails and went to sea
Spent seven years in a far country
One day he's looked his ring upon
It grew pale and it grew wan
Young Hind Horn is come to land
There he met an old beggar man
What news, what news come tell to me
No news but our queen's wedding day
Will you give me your old brown cap?
And I'll give you my gold laced hat
Will you give me your begging weeds
And I'll give you my good grey steed
The old beggar man goes dressed so fine
And young Hind Horn like an old beggar man
When he came to the king's gate
He asked for drink and he asked for meat
He asked for the sake of St. Peter and Paul
He asked for the sake of young Hind Horn
The bride came tripping down the stair
With combs of red gold shining in her hair
With a glass of red wine in her hand
To give to the poor old beggar man
And he has drunk up all the wine
And into the cup he's dropped the ring
Came ye this by sea or land?
Or got ye't off a dead man's hand?
I got it not by sea or land?
But I got it off your very own hand
The bridegroom he comes down the stair
But neither bride nor beggar was there
The bridegroom had her first to wed
But young Hind Horn had her first to bed
The song "Hind Horn" tells the story of a young man named Hind Horn who falls in love with the King's daughter, Jean. She gives him a ring with three bright diamonds glittering, and they pledge their love to each other. Hind Horn sets sail for a far-off land, promising to return to Jean when he has made his fortune.
Years pass, and Hind Horn returns to find that Jean is about to be married to the King's chosen suitor. He disguises himself as an old beggar and begs for food and drink at the wedding celebration. Jean recognizes him by the ring he wears, and they run away together. The song ends with the revelation that although the bridegroom had married Jean, Hind Horn had been with her first.
This ballad, which is of Scottish origin, is a classic example of a romantic story in which true love triumphs over all obstacles. The lyrics are rich with metaphorical language, such as the pale blue ring that symbolizes the faded love between the two lovers. Additionally, the use of the disguise motif adds an element of intrigue to the story, as Hind Horn must conceal his true identity to avoid being apprehended.
Overall, "Hind Horn" is a powerful and engaging ballad that speaks to the enduring themes of love and loyalty. Through its lyrical imagery and storytelling, it captures the imagination and transports listeners to another time and place.
Line by Line Meaning
Young Hind Horn to the King's is gone
Young Hind Horn went to the King's palace
He fell in love with the King's daughter Jean
He fell in love with the King's daughter named Jean
She gave him a gay gold ring, With three bright diamonds glittering
She gave him a beautiful gold ring with three shining diamonds
When this ring grows pale and blue, Then my love is lost to you
If the ring loses its color, it means that she no longer loves him
He hoisted his sails and went to sea, Spent seven years in a far country
He went on a sea voyage and spent seven years in a distant land
One day he's looked his ring upon, It grew pale and it grew wan
One day he looked at his ring and saw that it was losing its color
Young Hind Horn is come to land, There he met an old beggar man
Young Hind Horn returned to land and met an old beggar man
What news, what news come tell to me, No news but our queen's wedding day
The beggar man asked Young Hind Horn for news and was told that the queen is getting married
Will you give me your old brown cap?, And I'll give you my gold laced hat
The beggar man asked for Young Hind Horn's cap in exchange for his own hat
Will you give me your begging weeds, And I'll give you my good grey steed
The beggar man asked for Young Hind Horn's beggar clothes in exchange for his good grey horse
The old beggar man goes dressed so fine, And young Hind Horn like an old beggar man
The beggar man dressed in Young Hind Horn's beggar clothes and Young Hind Horn dressed in the beggar man's fine clothes
When he came to the king's gate, He asked for drink and he asked for meat
When Young Hind Horn arrived at the king's gate, he asked for food and drink
He asked for the sake of St. Peter and Paul, He asked for the sake of young Hind Horn
Young Hind Horn asked for food and drink in the name of St. Peter and Paul and himself
The bride came tripping down the stair, With combs of red gold shining in her hair
The bride came down the stairs with red gold combs in her hair
With a glass of red wine in her hand, To give to the poor old beggar man
She had a glass of red wine to give to the poor old beggar man
And he has drunk up all the wine, And into the cup he's dropped the ring
The beggar man drank all the wine and dropped the ring into the cup
Came ye this by sea or land?, Or got ye't off a dead man's hand?
The bridegroom asked the beggar man if he got the ring from a dead man or by sea or land
I got it not by sea or land?, But I got it off your very own hand
The beggar man replied that he got the ring from the bridegroom's own hand
The bridegroom he comes down the stair, But neither bride nor beggar was there
The bridegroom came down the stairs, but neither the bride nor the beggar man was there
The bridegroom had her first to wed, But young Hind Horn had her first to bed
The bridegroom married her first, but Young Hind Horn slept with her first
Contributed by Oliver E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@VerbranntiChaib1
Young Hind Horn to the King's is gone
Hey lililu and ho ho lan
He fell in love with the King's daughter Jean
With a hey down, hey diddle downy
She gave him a gay gold ring
With three bright diamonds glittering
When this ring grows pale and blue
Then my love is lost to you
He hoisted his sails and went to sea
Spent seven years in a far country
One day he's looked his ring upon
It grew pale and it grew wan
Young Hind Horn is come to land
There he met an old beggar man
What news, what news come tell to me
No news but our queen's wedding day
Will you give me your old brown cap?
And I'll give you my gold laced hat
Will you give me your begging weeds
And I'll give you my good grey steed
The old beggar man goes dressed so fine
And young Hind Horn like an old beggar man
When he came to the king's gate
He asked for drink and he asked for meat
He asked for the sake of St. Peter and Paul
He asked for the sake of young Hind Horn
The bride came tripping down the stair
With combs of red gold shining in her hair
With a glass of red wine in her hand
To give to the poor old beggar man
And he has drunk up all the wine
And into the cup he's dropped the ring
Came ye this by sea or land?
Or got ye't off a dead man's hand?
I got it not by sea or land?
But I got it off your very own hand
The bridegroom he comes down the stair
But neither bride nor beggar was there
The bridegroom had her first to wed
But young Hind Horn had her first to bed
@marklar5334
The Queen of Folk wins me over equally with the song and that danged shirt!
@desallen2174
It's her grandma's curtains.
@desallen2174
It's not a shirt, it's my nana's curtains.
@KittyStarlight
I think it's a blouse. 🤔
@marklar5334
@KittyStarlight Ohh okay. I'm an American male, so I don't know any better.
@desallen2174
Why is Maddy Prior so good?
@pictwitch9
One of the most incredible ladies voices I have so loved listening to xxx
@johnschuursma8866
Beautifull! And what a great keyboardplayer is Nick Holland, he carries the whole song
@VerbranntiChaib1
A feast for the ears and eyes Maddie Prior puts on a show.
@vickystanley8853
I love this song and Maddy Prior!