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'.

Old horse
Martin Carthy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Old horse old horse what brought you here
Carted stones this many's the year
Killed by stones and sore abuse
They salt you down for sailors' use

A warrior am I and at war I've been
Fighting for my country and king
Now I'm old and I'm in decay

It's poor old horse get on your way

My keeping once was the stable wall
Free from all cold winds and harm
Now in the fields I am forced to go
Turned out in the cold and rain and snow

My feeding once was the oats and hay
That grew in the fields and the meadows gay
Now I'll get no such at all
But pull at the short grass by the wall

The sailors they do me despise
Kick my body and damn my eyes
Cut my meat and pick my bones
Throw the rest to Davey Jones

Here is a hoof that was so well shod
Likewise a hide that sweat so hard

Whipped him lashed him drove him down
Rise up old horse and shine again

Overall Meaning

The song "Old Horse" by Martin Carthy is a mournful and poignant tale of a once-proud war horse that has been reduced to a life of servitude, abuse, and neglect. The singer speaks from the perspective of the horse, who has been brought low by years of hard labor, mistreatment, and ultimately death. The horse recalls how it was once a warrior, fighting bravely for its country and king, but now it is old, decaying, and no longer useful. The horse laments its current existence - shunted out into the fields in all weathers, fed meager scraps of grass, and treated with contempt by the sailors who use its salted meat.

Throughout the song, the imagery is vivid and powerful, highlighting the cruel fate that has befallen the horse. The repetition of the line "old horse, old horse, what brought you here" adds to the sense of sorrow and regret, as if the singer is unable to fathom how this magnificent animal has been reduced to nothing. The final lines of the song, "rise up old horse and shine again," offer a glimmer of hope and redemption, but also underscore the tragedy of the horse's situation - it is too late for this particular animal to rise again, but perhaps others can be saved from the same fate.

Overall, "Old Horse" is a haunting and affecting song that speaks to the universal experience of aging, decline, and mortality, while also highlighting the particular exploitative treatment of animals in human societies.

Line by Line Meaning

Old horse old horse what brought you here
What's the reason for you being here, old horse?

Carted stones this many's the year
I've been carrying heavy loads of stones for many years now.

Killed by stones and sore abuse
The hard labor and mistreatment have worn me down and fatigued me. It's killing me.

They salt you down for sailors' use
My carcass will be preserved with salt to be used as food for sailors.

A warrior am I and at war I've been
I am akin to a brave soldier who was constantly at war for his kingdom.

Fighting for my country and king
I am a true patriot who risked his life in battle to protect his kingdom and its ruler.

Now I'm old and I'm in decay
Now I'm old and broken down. My prime has surpassed.

It's poor old horse get on your way
I am no longer of use so I am forced to move away from my comfortable habitat.

My keeping once was the stable wall
I used to be kept in a secured stable where I was safe from harsh weather conditions.

Free from all cold winds and harm
I was protected from the freezing winds and other dangers that could harm me.

Now in the fields I am forced to go
However, now I am abandoned and left in the fields.

Turned out in the cold and rain and snow
I'm exposed to the harsh conditions of the weather without any protection.

My feeding once was the oats and hay
I was once fed a healthy diet of oats and hay.

That grew in the fields and the meadows gay
Those nourishing food items grew in the nearby meadows and fields.

Now I'll get no such at all
Unfortunately, now I'm not getting even a fraction of that healthy diet.

But pull at the short grass by the wall
I am reduced to foraging for whatever I can find on my own - like the tiny, inadequate amount of grass near the wall.

The sailors they do me despise
Sailors, who will use my preserved meat, treat me with disrespect and disdain.

Kick my body and damn my eyes
They sometimes kick my dead body and disrespect me even more.

Cut my meat and pick my bones
They'll cut me up for my meat and leave nothing unused - almost like I never existed beyond my purpose to serve them.

Throw the rest to Davey Jones
Finally, my leftover parts are cast away and used to feed marine wildlife, rather than in a proper burial or ceremony.

Here is a hoof that was so well shod
This hoof shows proof that I was once valued and cared for.

Likewise a hide that sweat so hard
I produced sweat and toil, but ultimately received no recognition or compensation.

Whipped him lashed him drove him down
I was beaten and driven mercilessly to fulfill my duty until I was no longer of use.

Rise up old horse and shine again
Let this be a call to rise above old, overused, and underappreciated roles to create a renewed purpose, shine and prevail.

Contributed by Sophia K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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