He was born in Hatfield and grew up in Hampstead, London. After training as an actor he sang in coffee bars. He became a resident at the Troubador folk club in Earls Court in the late 1950s. He joined Redd Sullivan's Thameside Four in 1961. He is a renowned solo performer of traditional songs in a very distinctive style, accompanying himself on his trusty old Martin Guitar; his style is marked by the use of alternate tunings, and a strongly percussive picking style that emphasizes the melody. His debut album, Martin Carthy, was released in 1965, and also featured Dave Swarbrick playing fiddle on some tracks, although he was not mentioned in the album's sleeve notes.
He has also been involved with many musical collaborations. He has sung with The Watersons since 1972, was an early member of the UK folk rock group Steeleye Span, and was part of the innovative Brass Monkey ensemble, which mixed a range of brass instruments with Carthy's guitar and mandolin and John Kirkpatrick's accordion, melodeon and concertina.
For many years Carthy has enjoyed a creative partnership with fiddle player Dave Swarbrick. More recently, Waterson:Carthy has provided the forum for a successful partnership with partner Norma Waterson together with their daughter Eliza Carthy.
In June 1998 he was awarded the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours. He was named Folk Singer of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2002, and again in 2005 when he also won the award for Best Traditional Track for 'Famous Flower of Serving Men'.
A Cornish Young Man
Martin Carthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The most beautiful girl in the nation
No coucil he'll take but a journey he'd make
Into England to seek this fair creature
For seven long years he sought her all about
Till he came to the place where he met her
He opened the door and she stood in before
Oh, I never saw you but once in my life
And that was a dream, love, lie by me
And now that I find you there's tears in my eyes
And I hope that you never deny me
Oh, what is the matter, young man, she replied
That you seem so afraid of denial
Although I am poor, I will never be whore
So put me not under no trial
No whore should you be, no any such thing
So take this sweet kiss as a token
For love, oh my dear, is a stone in a sling
And it's hard to believe when its spoken
Oh, take up this ring and a guinea in gold
And between us never let it be broken
For love, oh my dear, is a stone in a sling
And it's hard to believe till its spoken
"A Cornish Young Man" is a ballad by Martin Carthy, a leading figure in the British folk revival. The song tells the story of a young man from Cornwall who dreams of a beautiful girl and sets out on a journey to find her, refusing any help or advice from his council. After seven years of searching, he finally finds the girl and declares his love for her. However, she tells him that she is just a poor laborer's daughter and tries to discourage him from pursuing her. Despite her objection, the young man offers her a ring and a guinea in gold, asking her to never break their love.
The lyrics outline a love story that highlights the importance of pursuing one's dreams and persevering in the face of obstacles. The young man's journey to find the girl he dreams of demonstrates his determination and unrelenting search for his true love.
The ballad's folky style and simple tune contribute to its storytelling and make it an endearing tale of love and commitment. Overall, "A Cornish Young Man" portrays a timeless message that resonates with audiences today.
Line by Line Meaning
A Cornish young man he dreamed a dream
A young man from Cornwall had a dream.
The most beautiful girl in the nation
He dreamt of the most beautiful girl in the country.
No council he'll take but a journey he'd make
He decided to journey alone without taking any advice.
Into England to seek this fair creature
He went to England to search for the girl he dreamt of.
For seven long years he sought her all about
He spent seven years of his life searching for her.
Till he came to the place where he met her
Finally, he found the place where she was.
He opened the door and she stood in before
When he opened the door, she was standing right in front of him.
She's just some poor labouring man's daughter
The girl he dreamt of was just a poor girl from a laboring family.
Oh, I never saw you but once in my life
He had seen her only once in his dream.
And that was a dream, love, lie by me
He asked her to lie down next to him and talk.
And now that I find you there's tears in my eyes
He was crying as he found her in front of him.
And I hope that you never deny me
He hoped she wouldn't refuse him.
Oh, what is the matter, young man, she replied
The girl asked him what was bothering him.
That you seem so afraid of denial
She asked him why he was so afraid of being denied.
Although I am poor, I will never be whore
She assured him that she would never be a prostitute.
So put me not under no trial
She asked him not to put her through any test or trial.
No whore should you be, no any such thing
He reassured her that he didn't think she was a prostitute.
So take this sweet kiss as a token
He gave her a kiss as a gesture of his love.
For love, oh my dear, is a stone in a sling
He compared love to a rock in a sling, difficult to hit.
And it's hard to believe when its spoken
He said that love is hard to believe when it's just spoken.
Oh, take up this ring and a guinea in gold
He gave her a ring and a gold coin as a token of their love.
And between us never let it be broken
He requested her to never break their bond.
Contributed by Max T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Daniel
on Lovely Joan
Hello ! The lyrics here art alle wrong. An' it's got tae be a frog-eater a-tellin' thee....