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'.
Byker Hill
Martin Carthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I would have another gill
And I would make the piper play
The bonny lass of Byker Hill
Byker Hill and Walker Shore, me lads
Collier lads for ever more, me boys
Byker Hill and Walker Shore, me lads
Me, Ginny, she sits over late up
Me, Ginny, she sits over late up
Me, Ginny, she sits over late up
Between the pint pot and the cup
It's down the pits, we'll go me marrers
It's down the pits, we'll go me marrers
Well, try our wills and use our skill
To cut them ridges down below
Byker Hill and Walker Shore, me lads
Collier lads for ever more, me boys
Byker Hill and Walker Shore, me lads
Collier lads for ever more
Me, Ginny, she is never near
Me, Ginny, she is never near
And when I call out, "Where's me supper?"
She orders up another pint of beer
When first I come into the dirt
I had no trousers nor pit shirt
And now I've getting two or three
Walker Pit done well by me
Byker Hill and Walker Shore, me lads
Collier lads for ever more, me boys
Byker Hill and Walker Shore, me lads
Collier lads for ever more
Hey Ginny, come home to your little baby
Hey Ginny, come home to your little baby
Hey Ginny, come home to your little baby
With a pint of beer all under your arm
The poor coal cuttee gets two shillings
The deputy get half a crown
And the over man gets five and sixpence
That's just for riding up and down
Byker Hill and Walker Shore, me lads
Collier lads for ever more, me boys
Byker Hill and Walker Shore, me lads
Collier lads for ever more
Geordie Johnson had a pig
And he hit it with a shovel and it danced a jig
All the way to Byker Hill
He danced the Elsie Marley
Byker Hill and Walker Shore, me lads
Collier lads for ever more, me boys
Byker Hill and Walker Shore, me lads
Collier lads for ever more
The song "Byker Hill" is a traditional English folk song about the coal-mining community of Byker in Newcastle upon Tyne. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a collier, or a coal miner. The song speaks of the struggles and hardships of the colliers, who were paid very little for the dangerous work they did. The opening lines of the song indicate that the colliers had little money, and if they had any extra, they would use it to buy more alcohol for the piper to play. The song goes on to talk about the daily lives of the colliers, including their work cutting ridges in the pits, their relationships with their wives, and their meager pay.
Line by Line Meaning
If I had another penny
If I had more money
I would have another gill
I would buy more alcohol
And I would make the piper play
I would ask the musician to play music
The bonny lass of Byker Hill
A beautiful girl from Byker Hill
Byker Hill and Walker Shore, me lads
Places where colliers work
Collier lads for ever more, me boys
Miners will always work
Me, Ginny, she sits over late up
My wife Ginny stays up late
Between the pint pot and the cup
Drinking alcohol
It's down the pits, we'll go me marrers
We will go to work in the mines
Well, try our wills and use our skill
We will work hard and use our expertise
To cut them ridges down below
To mine coal underground
Me, Ginny, she is never near
My wife Ginny is often absent
And when I call out, "Where's me supper?"
When I ask for dinner
She orders up another pint of beer
She drinks more beer instead
When first I come into the dirt
When I first started working in the mines
I had no trousers nor pit shirt
I didn't have work clothes
And now I've getting two or three
Now I have two or three pairs of clothes
Walker Pit done well by me
I have done well working at Walker Pit
Hey Ginny, come home to your little baby
Come home and take care of our child
With a pint of beer all under your arm
And while carrying a pint of beer
The poor coal cuttee gets two shillings
The coal miner only gets a small wage
The deputy get half a crown
The deputy gets a bit more money
And the over man gets five and sixpence
The manager gets a lot more money
That's just for riding up and down
Which is not a lot of work
Geordie Johnson had a pig
A person named Geordie Johnson had a pig
And he hit it with a shovel and it danced a jig
He hit the pig, and it started moving around
All the way to Byker Hill
It went to Byker Hill
He danced the Elsie Marley
He danced the common folk dance Elsie Marley
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SIMON EMMERSON, ELIZA CARTHY, MARTIN CARTHY, ALI FRIEND, ANDY GANGADEEN, SHEEMA MUKHERJEE, SIMON RICHMOND, KAY SUTCLIFFE, CHRIS WOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jim Penson - Bluegrass Musician
More modern versions of this song level the timing out and make it more comfortable to modern ears, but this original is amazing. Carthy is a legend. RIP Swarbrick.
Mark Brown
He's a musical genius, but to put some context behind my comment, we used to live nearby. His family are lovely people, but it would be wrong I think to say we were especially close. More of a "hello" when putting the bins out. I think my dad was slightly intimidated by the youthful recklessness of his music! Years passed, he lives elsewhere now, and obviously has a lot on. Yet when we buried my dad, he was there at the funeral. Says a lot about the man, and maybe a bit about my dad too.
Andy Dawson
She's now 10. I ended up singing her to sleep, and went right back to "Byker Hill". And ended up talking about being part of a long history and tradition, and how important it was that things went on. She's now in bed asleep, much better reconciled to things in the context of family and mutual care in the long term. Thanks Martin and Swarbss.
La Paunche
I think only Martin Carthy could sing this version, in this time signature and speed. A great favourite.
Random Hajile
The internet has proven you right, so far.
Beggar Wall
The perfect English folk voice.
Ian Carroll
I discovered martin and dave when i was 14 or so. a friend of mine brought me to a gig in Whelans in Dublin Ireland, and i was blown away by what i heard. Martin was touring with his wife and daughter at the time, and the quality of the music was incredible. now i go to see them every time they play dublin. this is the finest english folk music you are ever going to hear.....
Jennifer McNish
Clever combination. Great facility together with words, notes and syncopation.
Andy Dawson
This will be a personal and slightly odd tale. This song is one of my eternal favourites. I come from the North-West, rather than the North East of England, but fell in love with this when first heard Carthy, when I was 15. I've sung this to by daughter since she was born; usually as "me Maddie (her name) sits ower late-up." etc. It's always got her to sleep. We've just had a bad night. Her first pet's died, which has brought to the surface a lot of stuff about her grandmther dying (cont)
Brian Stevens
What a magic duo. Love both of them.