Martin Carthy (born May 21, 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist w… Read Full Bio ↴Martin Carthy (born May 21, 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days of the folk revival.

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'.

I Was A Young Man
Martin Carthy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was a young man, I was a rover,
Nothing would satisfy me but a wife.
Soon as I reached the age of twenty
Weary was I of a single life.

The very first year my wife I married,
Out of her company I could not stay.
Her voice was sweet as the lark or the linnet

Or the nightingale at the break of day.

Now she's fairly altered her meaning,
Now she's fairly changed her tune.
Nothing but scolding comes from her mouth
So the poor man's labour's never done.

The very first year that we were married
Scarce could I get one half hour's sleep.
With her two heels she rubbed my shins,
Cries, "Husband dear, put down your feet."

The baby cried, she bitterly scolded,
Down to the door I was forced for to run.
Without trousers, wig or a waistcoat,
The poor man's labour's never done.

I went up to the top of the hill
For to view my sheep that had all gone astray.
When I came back she was lying in her bed
At twelve o'clock on a winter's day.

When I came back both wet and weary,
Weary and wet, now where could I run?
She was lying in her bed, the fire up beside her,
She said, "Young man, is the kettle on?"

I'll go home to my aged mother,
She'll be sitting all alone;
Says there's plenty young women to be had
Why should I be tied to one?

All young men that is to marry
Though they'll grieve you ever more,

Death o death, come take my wife
And then my sorrows will be o'er.

Overall Meaning

The opening stanza of the Martin Carthy song "I Was A Young Man" tells the story of a restless young man, who is driven by the notion that nothing would satisfy him but a wife. He is eager to settle down and experience the joys of married life. In the second stanza, he reflects on his early days of marriage, and how he could not get enough of his wife's company. Her voice filled him with the same kind of joy as the songs of birds. However, as time goes by, his wife becomes more argumentative and discontented. She scolds and nags him constantly, making it difficult for him to focus on his work or enjoy any solitude. The third stanza paints a picture of his wife's constant complaining, which reaches a peak when her baby starts crying. It's as if the whole world is aligned against the young man.

In the fourth stanza, the young man goes out to check on his sheep that have gone astray. When he comes back, his wife is lying in bed, wrapped up in blankets beside a roaring fire, demanding that he make her some tea. The final stanza of the song sums up the young man's frustrations and his desire to be free from the burdens of his marriage. He laments the fact that he had settled too soon and calls for death to come and take his wife away, so that he may finally experience some relief.

Overall, the song serves as a commentary on the trials and tribulations of marriage, as well as the uncertainty and regret that one may feel when it comes to making such a significant commitment.

Line by Line Meaning

I was a young man, I was a rover,
When I was young and foolish, I craved adventure and change.

Nothing would satisfy me but a wife.
I believed that marriage was the answer to my restless spirit.

Soon as I reached the age of twenty
As soon as I became a man, or society deemed me as such,

Weary was I of a single life.
I grew tired of my freedom and the emptiness that came with it.

The very first year my wife I married,
The minute I wed, from her presence I could not bear to be parted.

Out of her company I could not stay.
Without her, I felt incomplete and alone.

Her voice was sweet as the lark or the linnet
Her voice was musical and enchanting like the sounds of nature.

Or the nightingale at the break of day.
Her voice was as melodic as the birds who sing at dawn.

Now she's fairly altered her meaning,
However, my wife's attitude has taken a turn,

Now she's fairly changed her tune.
Her melody has turned sour, and she is now irritable.

Nothing but scolding comes from her mouth
All she does is nag and complain.

So the poor man's labour's never done.
As a result, I am constantly toiling and never at rest.

The very first year that we were married
Our honeymoon phase was short-lived,

Scarce could I get one half hour's sleep.
For I rarely slept as she incessantly disturbed me.

With her two heels she rubbed my shins,
She even physically pestered me by rubbing her feet over my legs.

Cries, "Husband dear, put down your feet."
She demanded me to remove my legs from the bed's comfort.

The baby cried, she bitterly scolded,
As soon as the baby cried, she began nagging about every little thing.

Down to the door I was forced for to run.
I would rush out of the house to avoid the incessant nagging.

Without trousers, wig or a waistcoat,
I would even hurriedly leave the house without putting on all of my clothes.

The poor man's labour's never done.
I could never rest, always having to attend to my wife's constant demands.

I went up to the top of the hill
One day, I went for a solo hike, seeking solitude,

For to view my sheep that had all gone astray.
Looking for a lost flock of sheep gave me solace.

When I came back she was lying in her bed
However, upon returning to my wife, I realized that no peace existed at home.

At twelve o'clock on a winter's day.
It was a dark and gloomy day, a metaphor for my situation at home.

When I came back both wet and weary,
I returned from my hike, soaked and tired,

Weary and wet, now where could I run?
However, there was nowhere for me to escape her, even for a moment.

She was lying in her bed, the fire up beside her,
Back at home, my wife was lying in bed with a warm fire and seemingly no worries.

She said, "Young man, is the kettle on?"
She had the audacity to ask me for something to drink upon returning from my long and tiring journey.

I'll go home to my aged mother,
At this point, I began to see that life would have been better if I had never gotten married at all.

She'll be sitting all alone;
My mother, on the other hand, would have been happy to see me and would not have nagged me like my wife did.

Says there's plenty young women to be had
My mother advises that there is no need to be tied down to just one woman, as there are plenty of single ladies around.

Why should I be tied to one?
I began to wonder why I was still tied down to one woman despite her behavior.

All young men that is to marry
Therefore, I started to give some advice to all other young men who are considering marriage:

Though they'll grieve you ever more,
Although they will undoubtedly provide moments of joy, but they will bring you more hardship than anything.

Death o death, come take my wife
Eventually, I began to prefer death over living with my dissatisfactory wife.

And then my sorrows will be o'er.
At last, I believed that death would end my suffering and allow me to find peace.

Contributed by Brody E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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