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'.
Handsome Polly-O
Martin Carthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A regiment of soldiers came to Mohill-O,
When the captain on parade
He fell in love with a lady's maid.
And the name that she was called was handsome Polly-O.
"Will you list in the army, handsome Polly-O?
Will you list in the army handsome Polly-O?
And your rifle by your side
And a whole band of music going afore ye-O."
"Didn't I give you your answer long, long ago?
Didn't I give you your answer long, long ago?
That I ne'er intend to roam
Into any foreign shore
Nor to marry a poor soldier in the army-O."
Now when she come in presence of the captain-O,
And she come in presence of the captain-O,
Ah, she made him there to stand
With his cap and gun in hand
And she laughed him to scorn to his soldiers-O.
The regiment got the rout into Ivy-O,
The regiment got the rout into Ivy-O,
And the captain he fell sick,
And he died all in a week,
And it was all for the love of handsome Polly-O
And all for the love of handsome Polly-O.
Ah, the captain he fell sick,
And he died all in a week,
And it was all for the love of handsome Polly-O.
The soldiers went to mourn for the captain-O,
The soldiers went to mourn for the captain-O.
For if Polly wouldn't do,
They would get another view;
For there were far better girls out in Ivy-O.
The song "Handsome Polly-O" by Martin Carthy is a traditional Irish folk song that tells the story of a captain in love with a lady's maid named Polly. The captain, who is leading a regiment of soldiers in Mohill-O, falls in love with Polly and asks her to join the army. However, Polly refuses his offer and tells him that she has no intention of leaving her home or marrying a soldier. The captain is left heartbroken and humiliated when Polly ridicules him in front of his soldiers.
The second half of the song takes a tragic turn when the captain falls ill and dies within a week. The soldiers mourn his death, but also express their belief that there are other women out there for them. The song is a cautionary tale about love and the consequences of rash decisions made in its pursuit. Polly's refusal to join the army ultimately saved her from a potentially dangerous life, while the captain's infatuation with her led to his downfall.
Overall, "Handsome Polly-O" is a thrilling story that explores themes of love, war, and personal choice. It highlights the importance of remaining true to oneself and the inherent dangers of blindly following one's desires. The song also offers a glimpse into the societal norms and expectations of the time period, specifically regarding the role of women and the military.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh a regiment of soldiers came to Mohill-O,
A group of soldiers arrived at Mohill-O.
A regiment of soldiers came to Mohill-O,
A group of soldiers arrived at Mohill-O.
When the captain on parade
During a military parade, the captain saw
He fell in love with a lady's maid.
He fell in love with a maid who worked for a woman.
And the name that she was called was handsome Polly-O.
The name of the woman the captain fell in love with was Polly, who was considered beautiful.
"Will you list in the army, handsome Polly-O?
"Do you want to join the army, beautiful Polly?
Will you list in the army handsome Polly-O?
Would you like to enlist in the army, beautiful Polly?
Ah, you'll get a horse to ride
You'll have a horse to ride
And your rifle by your side
And you'll have a rifle by your side
And a whole band of music going afore ye-O."
And a whole band of music will lead you-O."
"Didn't I give you your answer long, long ago?
"Didn't I already say no a long time ago?
Didn't I give you your answer long, long ago?
Didn't I say 'no' a long time ago?
That I ne'er intend to roam
I have no intention of wandering
Into any foreign shore
In any foreign land
Nor to marry a poor soldier in the army-O."
Nor marrying a poor soldier in the army-O."
Now when she come in presence of the captain-O,
She went before the captain-O
And she come in presence of the captain-O,
She went before the captain-O
Ah, she made him there to stand
She made him stand there
With his cap and gun in hand
With his hat and gun in hand
And she laughed him to scorn to his soldiers-O.
And she mocked him with his soldiers present.
The regiment got the rout into Ivy-O,
The regiment was defeated at Ivy-O.
The regiment got the rout into Ivy-O,
The regiment was defeated at Ivy-O.
And the captain he fell sick,
And the captain became ill
And he died all in a week,
And he died in just one week
And it was all for the love of handsome Polly-O
And it was all because he loved beautiful Polly.
And all for the love of handsome Polly-O.
And all because of his love for beautiful Polly.
Ah, the captain he fell sick,
The captain became ill
And he died all in a week,
And he died in just one week
And it was all for the love of handsome Polly-O.
And it was all because of his love for beautiful Polly.
The soldiers went to mourn for the captain-O,
The soldiers went to grieve over the captain-O.
The soldiers went to mourn for the captain-O.
The soldiers went to grieve over the captain-O.
For if Polly wouldn't do,
Because if Polly would not be with him
They would get another view;
They would search for others.
For there were far better girls out in Ivy-O.
Because there were much better girls in Ivy-O.
Contributed by Ethan L. 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....