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'.
Prince Heathen
Martin Carthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And by there come this Prince Heathen, and he vowed her love he'd gain
O lady will you weep for me, lady tell me true
Oh never yet you, heathen dog, I never shall for you
She turned her around and aloud did cry, begone I love not you
And then he vowed him Prince Heathen, that she would weep full sore
O lady will you weep for me, lady tell me true
Oh never yet you, heathen dog, I never shall for you
So he's laid her all on the ground between himself and the wall
And there he's stripped her of her will and her maidenhead and all
O lady will you weep for me, lady tell me true
Oh never yet you, heathen dog, I never shall for you
Oh I slew your father in his bed and your mother by his side
And your seven brothers one by one, I drowned them in the tide
O lady will you weep for me, lady tell me true
Oh never yet you, heathen dog, I never shall for you
Oh I'll lay you in a vault of stone with thirty locks upon
And meat nor drink you will never get till your baby it is born
O lady will you weep for me, lady tell me true
Oh never yet you, heathen dog, I never shall for you
So he's laid her in a vault of stone with thirty locks upon
And he's taken the key in his right hand to the mountain he has gone
O lady will you weep for me, lady tell me true
Oh never yet you, heathen dog, I never shall for you
Prince Heathen he from the mountains came with his merry men all in a line
And he sought out this fair young maid down in her vault of stone
And how d'you do and do you weep, lady tell me true
I'm never weeping, heathen dog, but dying here for you
Oh meat nor drink you'll never get, nor out of prison come
Oh meat nor drink you will never get, till your baby it is born
O lady will you weep for me, lady tell me true
Ah never yet you, heathen dog, I never shall for you
Her time came on and further on, in labour there she lay
She laboured up she laboured down, but lighter she could not be
O lady will you weep for me, lady tell me true
Ah never yet you, heathen dog, and never yet for you
So he's laid her all on the green and his merry men stood around
And how they laughed and how they mocked, as she brought forth a son
O lady will you weep for me, lady tell me true
Ah never yet you, heathen dog, I never shall for you
A drink, a drink, the young girl cries, all from Prince Heathen's hand
Oh never a drop, Prince Heathen cries, till ye give up your son
Then lend to me a silken shawl or a blanket or a sheet
That I may wrap this little baby, that lies in me arms asleep
Oh I'll lend you an old horse blanket to wrap him head and feet
And there she took it in her hand, so bitter she did weep
O lady do you weep for me, lady tell me true
Oh never yet you, heathen dog, and never now for you
Could you not give any better thing than a horse blanket or a sheet
To wrap and swaddle your own young son, that lies in my arms asleep
He's borne her up so very soft, borne her up so slow
He's laid her down in a soft green bed, so dearly he loved her now
O lady will you weep for me, lady tell me true
Ah never yet you, heathen dog, I never shall for you
The song "Prince Heathen" tells the story of a prince who vows to win the love of a lady sitting in her garden. The lady rebuffs his advances, calling him a "heathen dog." The prince, in retaliation, proceeds to rape and impregnate the lady, and boasts of slaying her family members. As punishment, he imprisons her in a vault with thirty locks until she gives birth, refusing to provide her with food or drink. However, the prince eventually has a change of heart, and returns to release the lady from her confinement. She gives birth, but still refuses to weep for the prince, despite his newfound love and kindness.
The lyrics of the song are powerful and emotive, highlighting themes of rape, abuse, and resilience. The lady in the song illustrates a strong and determined character, speaking out against her attacker and refusing to succumb to his threats and abuse. The prince, on the other hand, embodies the worst aspects of patriarchal authority, using his power and status to dominate and control the woman.
The song is a ballad from the British folk tradition, and has been covered by numerous artists such as Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention. The ballad dates back to at least the seventeenth century, and is believed to have originated in Scotland or Northern England. Despite its antiquity, the themes and issues raised by the song remain relevant to contemporary issues of gender-based violence and abuse.
Line by Line Meaning
Lady sits in her garden fair, sewing a silken seam
A lady is sewing in her garden
And by there come this Prince Heathen, and he vowed her love he'd gain
Prince Heathen arrived and declared his love to her
O lady will you weep for me, lady tell me true
Prince Heathen asked the lady if she will cry for him
Oh never yet you, heathen dog, I never shall for you
The lady refused to cry for Prince Heathen
She turned her around and aloud did cry, begone I love not you
The lady asked Prince Heathen to leave
And then he vowed him Prince Heathen, that she would weep full sore
Prince Heathen threatened that he would make the lady cry
So he's laid her all on the ground between himself and the wall
Prince Heathen forced the lady down on the ground
And there he's stripped her of her will and her maidenhead and all
Prince Heathen forced her to have sex with him
Oh I slew your father in his bed and your mother by his side
Prince Heathen admitted to killing the lady's parents
And your seven brothers one by one, I drowned them in the tide
Prince Heathen also admitted to killing the lady's seven brothers
Oh I'll lay you in a vault of stone with thirty locks upon
Prince Heathen locked the lady in a stone vault
And meat nor drink you will never get till your baby it is born
Prince Heathen withheld food and drink from the lady until she gave birth
Prince Heathen he from the mountains came with his merry men all in a line
Prince Heathen came with his men from the mountains
And how d'you do and do you weep, lady tell me true
Prince Heathen asked the lady if she cried
I'm never weeping, heathen dog, but dying here for you
The lady was not crying, but was suffering in prison
Her time came on and further on, in labour there she lay
The lady went into labor
She laboured up she laboured down, but lighter she could not be
The lady struggled in labor and could not give birth
So he's laid her all on the green and his merry men stood around
Prince Heathen forced the lady to give birth on the ground in front of his men
And how they laughed and how they mocked, as she brought forth a son
Prince Heathen's men laughed and mocked the lady as she gave birth
A drink, a drink, the young girl cries, all from Prince Heathen's hand
The lady begged Prince Heathen for a drink
Oh never a drop, Prince Heathen cries, till ye give up your son
Prince Heathen refused to give the lady a drink until she gave him her son
Then lend to me a silken shawl or a blanket or a sheet
The lady asked Prince Heathen for something to wrap her son in
That I may wrap this little baby, that lies in me arms asleep
The lady wanted to wrap her sleeping son
Oh I'll lend you an old horse blanket to wrap him head and feet
Prince Heathen only gave the lady an old horse blanket to wrap her son with
And there she took it in her hand, so bitter she did weep
The lady cried bitterly as she held the old horse blanket
He's borne her up so very soft, borne her up so slow
Prince Heathen carried the lady gently
He's laid her down in a soft green bed, so dearly he loved her now
Prince Heathen put the lady in a soft green bed, showing his love for her
Contributed by Jordyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dave Edney
This is just quite an extraordinary performance. Carthy at his mesmerizing best.
culixoshea
Thanks for this. I just saw Martin Carthy play in a small upstairs room in a pub near Euston, and it brought back memories of when I used to listen regularly to his music in the 70s: I hoped he would do this song, which in fact finished with, which I probably hadn't heard since I taped it off this very Peel session onto my old reel to reel. So good to hear it again.
stonethecrows25
Thanks - It would be very nice to see more of the Peel folk sessions up here on YouTube!
bbgg71
Brilliant upload! This is a version I've not heard before. Thanks!
Sean Jones
Does anyone know the tuning for this arrangement?
Dave Moore
Pig45Pen I’ve used DGCGCD for years. Fret the 4th and 2nd strings on the second fret for the root chord. Slide up and down thereafter.