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'.

Jack Rowland
Martin Carthy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There was Jack Rowland and his two brothers
Went out to play at ball
And there was their sister Ellen Rowland
in the midst among them all

She tossed the ball so very high
She caught it with her knee
She kicked it high over high churchyard

Where no-one it could see

And she's hitched her skirts up around her waist
And after the ball she's run
They waited long her three brothers
But she never come home again

So up the hill and down the hill
Three weeping brothers roamed
They told their mother of Ellen Rowland
How she has vanished and gone

And it's Oh my love and cries their mother
And ever alas cries she
For she has gone with the King of the Hill
No more by us she'll be seen

So up and rose the first brother
And he was a proud young man
He swore an oath and a solemn oath
That Ellen he'd seek and find

And he's run down to his father's stable
He's saddled the bonny grey
And as the sun looked over the hill
We watched him ride away

And up and rose the second brother
A proud young man was he
And he swore an oath and a solemn oath
That Ellen he'd find and free

And he's run down to his father's stable
He's saddled the bonny brown
And as the sun stood up in the sky
We watched him ride from home

We stayed long and very long
With our gloves all in our hand
And sad were hearts all over the town
For he never come home again

Up and rose then Jack the fool
He's the youngest of all the three
He's saddled and bridled his mother's horse
But he wept so bitterly

She spoke to him his mother's horse
As they rode out of the way
She says Never you fear you Jack Rowland
But you listen what I do say

And remember the song the spider sings
When she comes to court the fly

For never a drop must you eat nor drink
As we go along our road
And all that help us on the way
You must leave them lying dead

So Jack Rowland has left his good long bow
And his arrows one by one
And he's taken his father's good long gun
That never was drawn in vain

And never a drop did they eat or drink
As on the way they rode
And all that helped them on the way
Jack Rowland has left them dead

The horse that Jack Rowland sat on
She was black as the dark midnight
And her eyes shone far as the evening star
That put the sun to flight

As Jack Rowland to the dark tower came
And he stood there without
Three times all around the place
The horse spun round about

And she cried Open door and open door
Open and let me ride
And e'er the third time she has spoke
See the door swing open wide

And he has spied some lovely tower
that was lined with the silver grey
All hung with mists and a heavy dew
That shone clear as any day

No ceiling could this young man spy
No windows were there to be seen
But all round his head it shone blood red
As the sun that sets at e'en

And he rode on and further on
As the tears came falling fast
For he thought he saw his sister Ellen
Wandering like any ghost

And she cried Woe be to you Jack Rowland
For your life's not worth a pin
For had you a hundred thousand lives
You should not spare one of them

Oh pity on you Jack Rowland
Why stayed you not at home
When the King of the Hill you find
Then help you will find none

With that in come the King himself
All glorious to be seen
For he come riding the storm and the wind
With a club all in each hand And he cried

Rise rise Jack Rowland
Rise rise and run
Now I smell Jack Rowland's blood
Jack Rowland's day is done

Get up get up you Jack Rowland
If you would fight with me
And we will see how a frightened man
Will let his courage flee

And first he appeared as a raging bear
And then as a writhing snake
And then as a herd of angry bulls
That roared all in his face

Then he became a burning bush
With a flame that leapt so high
But he sang the song the spider sings
When he comes to court the fly

But up and rose Jack Rowland's horse
So loud I heard her cry
Stand fast and fear you not she cries
No harm will come to thee

There she stood on the high hill top
And the stars blazed in her mane
And she has turned to a mighty flood
And she bore down on the flame

The King has changed to a little fish
To float all in the sea
And he fell as fast into the flood
As the dead branch from a tree

But she has changed to ropes and lines
And she hunted the ocean floor
But he has become a fishing smack
And he hauled all lines aboard

So she has changed all in the sky
To a gale that howled and roared
She filled his sails she beat his sides
And she drove him onto shore

So he's become the deep dark night
And he dropped to the valley floor
But she rose up as the summer dawn
And she drove him on before

And she cried Rise rise Jack Rowland
And the sun will rise with thee
And as the dew falls from the leaves
We shall see what you shall see

And as the dew fell from the leaves
And the daylight drew all round
He saw his sister and his two brothers
Mother naked on the ground

And he's taken them each all in his arms
And he's kissed them cheek and chin
He's wrapped them up in a cloak of gold
And they've gone riding home

Up and spoke the King himself
As he vanished in the sun

Oh I should have taken your horse he cries
And struck her blind and lame

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Martin Carthy's song 'Jack Rowland' tell the story of a girl named Ellen Rowland who goes missing while playing ball with her brothers. Ellen is later revealed to have been taken by the King of the Hill and her three brothers vow to find and rescue her. The youngest brother, Jack Rowland, sets out on his own to find Ellen and travels through various mystical experiences to ultimately succeed in saving her.

The narrative of the song is quite complex and alludes to various fantastical elements that might carry symbolic meaning. The figure of the King of the Hill, for example, might represent death, while the horse that Jack Rowland rides might represent resilience or determination. The song also makes use of repetition, particularly in the chorus of 'rise, rise Jack Rowland', which creates a sense of urgency and momentum.

Overall, Martin Carthy's 'Jack Rowland' is a deeply atmospheric and beautifully rendered song that manages to convey both a sense of enchantment and a feeling of heartache.

Line by Line Meaning

There was Jack Rowland and his two brothers
The song's protagonist, Jack Rowland, and his two brothers set off to play ball.

Went out to play at ball
The three brothers went to play ball together.

And there was their sister Ellen Rowland In the midst among them all
Ellen Rowland, the sister of the three brothers, was with them during their playtime.

She tossed the ball so very high She caught it with her knee She kicked it high over high churchyard Where no-one it could see
Ellen tossed the ball so high that she even caught it with her knee. She managed to kick it over the high churchyard wall where no one else could see it.

And she's hitched her skirts up around her waist And after the ball she's run They waited long her three brothers But she never come home again
The brothers waited for Ellen to come home, after she went to retrieve the ball with her skirts hitched up, but she never returned.

So up the hill and down the hill Three weeping brothers roamed They told their mother of Ellen Rowland How she has vanished and gone
The brothers roamed the hill, searching for Ellen, but they didn't find her. When they returned home, they told their mother about Ellen's disappearance.

And it's Oh my love and cries their mother And ever alas cries she For she has gone with the King of the Hill No more by us she'll be seen
Their mother lamented Ellen's disappearance, surmising that she has gone with the King of the Hill and they will never see her again.

So up and rose the first brother And he was a proud young man He swore an oath and a solemn oath That Ellen he'd seek and find And he's run down to his father's stable He's saddled the bonny grey And as the sun looked over the hill We watched him ride away
The first brother swore to find Ellen and rode off on a horse to search for her.

And up and rose the second brother A proud young man was he And he swore an oath and a solemn oath That Ellen he'd find and free He's saddled the bonny brown And as the sun stood up in the sky We watched him ride from home
The second brother also swore to find Ellen and set off on a horse.

We stayed long and very long With our gloves all in our hand And sad were hearts all over the town For he never come home again
The town was saddened that the second brother never returned home.

Up and rose then Jack the fool He's the youngest of all the three He's saddled and bridled his mother's horse But he wept so bitterly
The youngest brother, Jack, saddled his mother's horse and started crying.

She spoke to him his mother's horse As they rode out of the way She says Never you fear you Jack Rowland But you listen what I do say And remember the song the spider sings When she comes to court the fly For never a drop must you eat nor drink As we go along our road And all that help us on the way You must leave them lying dead
Jack's mother told him to avoid eating or drinking anything on the road and not to trust anyone. She also told him to remember the song that the spider sings when it lures the fly. If anyone helped them, Jack was supposed to kill them.

So Jack Rowland has left his good long bow And his arrows one by one And he's taken his father's good long gun That never was drawn in vain And never a drop did they eat or drink As on the way they rode And all that helped them on the way Jack Rowland has left them dead
Jack complied with his mother's warning and left his weapons and killed all those who tried to help them.

The horse that Jack Rowland sat on She was black as the dark midnight And her eyes shone far as the evening star That put the sun to flight
Jack's horse was black, had glowing eyes, and was fast.

As Jack Rowland to the dark tower came And he stood there without Three times all around the place The horse spun round about And she cried Open door and open door Open and let me ride And e'er the third time she has spoke See the door swing open wide
Jack arrived at a tower, and his horse circled it three times. The horse instructed Jack to open the door and let her ride. The door then opened on its own.

And he has spied some lovely tower that was lined with the silver grey All hung with mists and a heavy dew That shone clear as any day No ceiling could this young man spy No windows were there to be seen But all round his head it shone blood red As the sun that sets at e'en
The tower's interior was lined in silver and shone as bright as day. Jack, however, couldn't see the ceiling or any windows but was surrounded by a red glow.

And he rode on and further on As the tears came falling fast For he thought he saw his sister Ellen Wandering like any ghost
While riding through the tower, Jack thought he saw his sister Ellen wandering around like a ghost.

And she cried Woe be to you Jack Rowland For your life's not worth a pin For had you a hundred thousand lives You should not spare one of them
Ellen warned Jack that he was putting his life at risk by being there.

Oh pity on you Jack Rowland Why stayed you not at home When the King of the Hill you find Then help you will find none
Ellen felt sorry for Jack, wishing he had stayed home. She also remarked that he wouldn't be able to find any help if he encountered the King of the Hill.

With that in come the King himself All glorious to be seen For he come riding the storm and the wind With a club all in each hand And he cried
The King of the Hill appeared, riding a storm, and had clubs in both hands.

Rise rise Jack Rowland Rise rise and run Now I smell Jack Rowland's blood Jack Rowland's day is done
The King instructed Jack to rise and run, stating that he could smell Jack's blood, and his death was imminent.

Get up get up you Jack Rowland If you would fight with me And we will see how a frightened man Will let his courage flee
The King challenged Jack to fight him, stating that he would flee with fear.

And first he appeared as a raging bear And then as a writhing snake And then as a herd of angry bulls That roared all in his face Then he became a burning bush With a flame that leapt so high But he sang the song the spider sings When he comes to court the fly
The King transformed into different animals and objects, and Jack sang the spider's song as a warning.

But up and rose Jack Rowland's horse So loud I heard her cry Stand fast and fear you not she cries No harm will come to thee There she stood on the high hill top And the stars blazed in her mane And she has turned to a mighty flood And she bore down on the flame
Jack's horse instructed him not to fear and that no harm would come to him. As she turned into a flood, she charged into the fire.

The King has changed to a little fish To float all in the sea And he fell as fast into the flood As the dead branch from a tree
The King transformed into a fish and fell with a splash into the flood.

But she has changed to ropes and lines And she hunted the ocean floor But he has become a fishing smack And he hauled all lines aboard
Jack's horse transformed into ropes and lines, and he caught the King, who turned into a fishing boat that hauled in lines.

So she has changed all in the sky To a gale that howled and roared She filled his sails she beat his sides And she drove him onto shore
Jack's horse turned into a storm that propelled the boat and drove it to shore.

So he's become the deep dark night And he dropped to the valley floor But she rose up as the summer dawn And she drove him on before
The King transformed into the dark night and fell to the valley floor, but Jack's horse, now as the summer dawn, drove him forward.

And she cried Rise rise Jack Rowland And the sun will rise with thee And as the dew falls from the leaves We shall see what you shall see And as the dew fell from the leaves And the daylight drew all round He saw his sister and his two brothers Mother naked on the ground
Jack's horse instructed him to rise and that what he saw would be revealed. When the daylight fell, he saw his sister and brothers naked on the ground.

And he's taken them each all in his arms And he's kissed them cheek and chin He's wrapped them up in a cloak of gold And they've gone riding home
Jack embraced his family and wrapped them in a golden cloak, riding back home with them.

Up and spoke the King himself As he vanished in the sun Oh I should have taken your horse he cries And struck her blind and lame
The King bemoaned not being able to take Jack's horse and stated that he should have struck her down.

Contributed by Owen R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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