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'.
His Name Is Andrew
Martin Carthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He works at the canning factory
He doesn't have a friend
He chooses to wait alone for his life to end
When Andrew was just a little boy
He learned all the words to all the hymns of joy
And he sang them on Sunday
And he sang them on Monday
And he caught them say
God is love, God is love
And he believed them
This child was Andrew
He lived in a world of no sense
On him the lion grinned
He sang in the arms of God as he strung along
When Andrew was tall and twenty-one
He wandered far from God and wondered what he'd done
For he still sang on Sunday
Though he muddled through Monday
With a silence in his head
Till in jest it said
God redeems, God redeems
And he believed it
This man was Andrew
On hearing a voice he thought was stilled
Returned to the arms of grace
He stumbled from the arms of night into a lighted place
When Andrew returned into the light
He lifted his voice and sang away the night
And the preacher from Sunday
Heard him singing on Monday
And he stopped him with a word
From the dark he heard
God is dead, God is dead
And he believed it
My name is Andrew
I work at the canning factory
I do not have a friend
I choose to wait alone for this life to end
The song, "His Name Is Andrew" by Martin Carthy is a poignant tale of loneliness, loss, and redemption. The song is about a man named Andrew who has led an isolated and unfulfilling life, working at a canning factory and having no friends. He once believed, like any other child, that God is love, but as he grew older and faced the harsh realities of life, he lost touch with his faith. However, after hearing a voice he thought was stilled and with the help of a preacher, he found his way back to God and returned to the light.
The song seems to suggest that Andrew's sense of isolation and detachment from the world is a product of his inability to reconcile his faith with the harsh realities of life. As a child, he believed in an idealized version of God and the world that he later found to be incompatible with his experiences. However, as he learned that God redeems and found a way to come back to his faith, he was able to sing away the night and break free from his loneliness.
The song touches on themes of faith, doubt, loss, and redemption, all of which are universal and relatable. It speaks to the human condition and the struggle we all face at some point in our lives in reconciling our beliefs with the reality we live in.
Line by Line Meaning
His name is Andrew
Introducing Andrew, the singer of the song
He works at the canning factory
Andrew's occupation is at the canning factory
He doesn't have a friend
Andrew doesn't have any friends to accompany him
He chooses to wait alone for his life to end
Andrew prefers to face his life alone and awaits death
When Andrew was just a little boy
Recalling Andrew's childhood days
He learned all the words to all the hymns of joy
Andrew memorized every joyous hymn he came across
And he sang them on Sunday
Andrew sang those hymns on Sundays
And he sang them on Monday
Andrew continued to sing on Mondays too
And through April and through May
Andrew's singing habit lasted through the seasons
And he caught them say
Andrew listened to people preaching about God
God is love, God is love
Andrew heard people say that God is love
And he believed them
Andrew believed the words about God's love
This child was Andrew
Referring to Andrew's childhood self
He lived in a world of no sense
Andrew's surroundings didn't always make sense to him
On him the lion grinned
Andrew encountered a hostile or threatening situation
He sang in the arms of God as he strung along
Andrew found comfort in God's embrace as he walked through life's difficulties
When Andrew was tall and twenty-one
Andrew enters into his young adulthood
He wandered far from God and wondered what he'd done
Andrew lost faith in God and was puzzled about how it happened
For he still sang on Sunday
Andrew still performed on a Sunday despite his faith waning
Though he muddled through Monday
Andrew attempted to carry on with his life on Monday
With a silence in his head
Andrew felt mentally troubled and lacked direction
Till in jest it said
Suddenly, he heard a voice that might have not been serious
God redeems, God redeems
The voice Andrew hears claims that God provides salvation
And he believed it
Andrew decided that he believes the message about redemption
This man was Andrew
Introducing the singer's adulthood persona
On hearing a voice he thought was stilled
Andrew was surprised to hear this familiar voice again
Returned to the arms of grace
Andrew came back to a place where he feels loved
He stumbled from the arms of night into a lighted place
Andrew moved from darkness into the light of hope
When Andrew returned into the light
Describing Andrew's journey back to salvation
He lifted his voice and sang away the night
Andrew expressed his newfound hope by singing
And the preacher from Sunday
Telling the story of Andrew's return
Heard him singing on Monday
The preacher heard Andrew singing on a weekday
And he stopped him with a word
The preacher had something to say to Andrew
From the dark he heard
Recalling when Andrew heard a message in passing
God is dead, God is dead
The cynic's message that God is dead fell on the singer's ears again
And he believed it
Andrew acknowledges the message but does not completely believe it
My name is Andrew
Andrew claiming his identity
I work at the canning factory
Andrew's job
I do not have a friend
Andrew still feels lonely
I choose to wait alone for this life to end
Andrew decides to continue facing life by himself
Contributed by Scarlett J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
David Shaw
This is one of my favourite songs of all time. No one but the great Martin Carthy could do this song justice. An all time classic - this song says everything ........
La Paunche
Carthy is a treasure. This song and his singing of it are beyond just words.
Thomas Fauntleroy
Bleak and heart breaking