The World is Turned Upside Down
Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band Lyrics
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New hath not been this thousand year
Since Herod, Caesar and many more,
You never heard the like before.
Holy-days are despis'd,
New fashions are devis'd,
Old Christmas is kicked out of Town,
Yet let's be content and the times lament,
Command is giv'n, we must obey,
and quite forget Old Christmas Day;
Kill a thousand men, or a town regain,
We will give thanks and praise amain.
The wine pot shall clink,
We will feast and drink,
and then strange motions will abound.
Yet let's be content and the times lament,
You see the world turned upside down.
Our Lords and Knights and Gentry too,
Do mean old fashions to forego:
They set a Porter at the gate,
That none must enter in thereat.
They count it a sin
When poor people come in.
Hospitality itself is drowned.
Yet let's be content and the times lament,
You see the world turned upside down.
The Serving Men do sit and whine,
And think it long ere dinner time;
The Butler's still out of the way,
Or else my Lady keeps the key;
The poor old Cook
In the larder doth look,
Where is no goodess to be found.
Yet let's be content and the times lament,
You see the world turned upside down.
To conclude, I'll tell you news that's right:
Christmas was killed at Nasbie fight;
Charity was slain at that same time,
Jack Tell-Troth too, a friend of mine.
Likewise then did die
Roast beef and shred pie;
Pig, goos and capon no quarter found.
Yet let's be content and the times lament,
You see the world turned upside down.
The song "The World is Turned Upside Down" by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band describes the upheaval of traditional values and customs in England during the 17th century. It starts with the singer expressing shock and disbelief at the changes happening around them, such as the disregard for holy-days and the rejection of old Christmas traditions. However, despite these unsettling changes, the singer advises to be content and lament the times. The second verse talks about blind obedience to authority, even if it means forgetting old traditions, and the willingness to celebrate despite chaos and disorder. The third stanza deals with the social hierarchy, with the upper class rejecting hospitality and the serving men complaining about their role. Finally, the last verse speaks of the death of Christmas and other beloved customs during the English Civil War.
The song is a commentary on the social and political turmoil of the era, and highlights the uncertainty and confusion felt by the people. The use of the phrase "the world is turned upside down" emphasizes the inversion of social order, with the old values and customs being replaced by new ones. The lyrics express a sense of nostalgia for the past, but also a resignation to the changing times.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to me and you shall hear
Pay attention to what I'm about to say
New hath not been this thousand year
Things haven't changed this much in a thousand years
Since Herod, Caesar and many more,
Since the days of powerful rulers like Herod and Caesar
You never heard the like before.
You've never heard anything like this before
Holy-days are despis'd,
Religious holidays are looked down upon
New fashions are devis'd,
New trends and customs are invented
Old Christmas is kicked out of Town,
Traditional Christmas celebrations are no longer accepted
Yet let's be content and the times lament,
We must accept these changes but also feel sorrow for what has been lost
You see the world turned upside down.
The world has been completely transformed
Command is giv'n, we must obey,
We are required to follow orders
and quite forget Old Christmas Day;
And forget about the traditional holiday of Christmas
Kill a thousand men, or a town regain,
Whether it means killing many people or regaining control of a town
We will give thanks and praise amain.
We will show gratitude and worship fervently
The wine pot shall clink,
Wine will be drunk in celebration
We will feast and drink,
We will have a party and drink alcohol
and then strange motions will abound.
Unusual behavior will be common
Our Lords and Knights and Gentry too,
People of high social status
Do mean old fashions to forego:
Are giving up old customs
They set a Porter at the gate,
They have a gatekeeper
That none must enter in thereat.
No one is allowed to enter
They count it a sin
They see it as a wrongdoing
When poor people come in.
When people of lower social status are allowed in
Hospitality itself is drowned.
The act of being hospitable has been lost
The Serving Men do sit and whine,
The servants complain
And think it long ere dinner time;
And think that mealtime is taking too long to arrive
The Butler's still out of the way,
The butler is out of sight
Or else my Lady keeps the key;
Or else the lady of the house holds the key
The poor old Cook
The unfortunate cook
In the larder doth look,
In the pantry is searching for food
Where is no goodess to be found.
But there is no food to be had
To conclude, I'll tell you news that's right:
To finish, I will tell you something that's true
Christmas was killed at Nasbie fight;
The holiday of Christmas died in battle
Charity was slain at that same time,
The act of being charitable was killed then too
Jack Tell-Troth too, a friend of mine.
A friend of mine named Jack Tell-Troth also perished
Likewise then did die
Also perished
Roast beef and shred pie;
Roast beef and minced pie also perished
Pig, goos and capon no quarter found.
Pork, geese, and chicken were also nowhere to be found
Yet let's be content and the times lament,
Nevertheless, we should accept the present situation and feel sorrow
You see the world turned upside down.
You can see that the world has changed dramatically
Contributed by Christopher K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.