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'.
Billy Boy
Martin Carthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where have you been all the day, O my dear darling Billy O?"
"Oh I have been all the day walking with a lady gay,
Isn't she a young thing lately from her mummy O?"
"Is she fitting for your wife, bonny boy, Billy Boy?
Is she fitting for your wife, O my dear darling Billy O?"
"She's as fit to be me wife as the heart is to the knife,
"And did she ask you to sit down, bonny boy, Billy Boy?
Did she ask you to sit down, O my dear darling Billy O?"
"Well she asked me to sit down then she curtsied to the ground,
Isn't she a young thing lately from her mummy O?"
"Did she light you up to bed, bonny boy, Billy Boy?
Did she light you up to bed, O my dear darling Billy O?"
"Yes she lit me up to bed with a nodding of her head,
Isn't she a young thing lately from her mummy O?"
"Did she lie so close to you, bonny boy, Billy Boy?
Did she lie so close to you, O my dear darling Billy O?"
"Yes she lay so close to me as the bark is to the tree,
Isn't she a young thing lately from her mummy O?"
"Do you want to know her age, bonny boy, Billy Boy?
Do you want to know her age, O my dear darling Billy O?"
"She is twice six seven, she is twice twenty and eleven,
Isn't she a young thing lately from her mummy O?"
The lyrics of Martin Carthy's song "Billy Boy" showcase a conversation between two people - one asking Billy Boy about his day spent with a lady, and the other probing him about his intentions with her. Billy Boy talks about his walk with the lady and how she's a young thing lately from her mummy. When questioned about whether she's fitting to be his wife, Billy Boy says that she's as fit as the heart is to a knife. He further talks about how she invited him to sit down and curtsied to the ground.
The questioner asks whether she lit him up to bed, to which he agrees and says that it was with a nodding of her head. When questioned about how close they lay to each other, Billy Boy compares it to the bark of a tree. The questioner then asks about the lady's age, and Billy Boy says that she is twice six-seven and twenty-eleven.
The lyrics of the song reflect a conversation that could be interpreted in various ways. It could be a light-hearted conversation between two friends about Billy Boy's day, or it could be a more probing conversation where the questioner is trying to understand Billy Boy's relationship with the lady. The song's repeated reference to the lady being a "young thing" could be suggestive of a possibly inappropriate age difference. The line where Billy Boy compares the lady's fittingness to his wife to the heart and knife, could be interpreted as implying that the lady is not suitable to be his wife.
Line by Line Meaning
Where have you been all the day, bonny boy, Billy Boy?
Asking where Billy Boy has been all day
Oh I have been all the day walking with a lady gay,
Billy Boy was walking with a lively lady
Isn't she a young thing lately from her mummy O?
Implying that the lady is attractive
Is she fitting for your wife, bonny boy, Billy Boy?
Asking if the lady is suitable for marriage
She's as fit to be me wife as the heart is to the knife,
Confirming that the lady is suitable for marriage
Did she ask you to sit down, bonny boy, Billy Boy?
Asking if the lady offered Billy Boy hospitality
Well she asked me to sit down then she curtsied to the ground,
The lady showed hospitality by asking Billy Boy to sit and curtsying
Did she light you up to bed, bonny boy, Billy Boy?
Asking if the lady assisted Billy Boy in getting ready for bed
Yes she lit me up to bed with a nodding of her head,
Confirming that the lady helped him get ready for bed
Did she lie so close to you, bonny boy, Billy Boy?
Asking if the lady slept close to Billy Boy
Yes she lay so close to me as the bark is to the tree,
Confirming that the lady slept close to Billy boy
Do you want to know her age, bonny boy, Billy Boy?
Asking if Billy Boy wants to know the lady's age
She is twice six seven, she is twice twenty and eleven,
Revealing that the lady is 34 years old
Isn't she a young thing lately from her mummy O?
Reaffirming that the lady is attractive
Contributed by Alexandra 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....