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'.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
Martin Carthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How the ant was diligent, never spent
Anything lightly, laboured wisely,
And gathered his store for tomorrow.
As for the grasshopper, clad in the summer sunshine,
Light as the wind on the broken water,
His song he gave to the summer days,
Then came a hard winter, nothing grew, and the cold wind blew,
But the ant was safe and sound, underground.
Carefully counting his pile around him,
Dividing his time until tomorrow.
Now see the grasshopper, blown by the north wind's fury,
Hungering for the easy summer,
Comes to the ant and says, "My brother, give me bread,
"Now's the dance that I must follow".
"Why did you waste the summer, summers don't last forever,
"You're just an idle beggar, you must pay the price, sacrifice.
"You wouldn't heed me, you took life easy -
"Take the punishment that follows".
Now see the grasshopper reel like a dry leaf falling,
Weaving a dance that will last forever,
Back goes the ant to his nest to work, to feed, to rest,
For him there will always be tomorrow.
The ant and the grasshopper, everyone knows how the story goes,
How the ant was diligent, never spent
Anything lightly, laboured wisely,
And gathered his store for tomorrow.
As for the grasshopper, clad in the summer sunshine,
Light as the wind on the broken water,
His song he gave to the summer days,
Singing "Where the dance leads I'll follow".
The Martin Carthy song, The Ant and the Grasshopper, is based on the famous fable of Aesop. The song tells a story of two vastly different characters - the ant and the grasshopper - and their opposing lifestyles. The ant is portrayed as diligent, hardworking and prudent, while the grasshopper is depicted as carefree, lazy and wasteful. The ant carefully saves his food and shelters himself underground for winter, while the grasshopper enjoys singing and dancing to the melody of the summer seasons, never bothering to prepare for the colder seasons ahead.
In the second part of the song, the winter arrives, and the grasshopper goes to the ant begging for food. The ant denies the grasshopper's request, reminding him of his summer idleness and advising him to pay the price of his laziness. The grasshopper reels and dances to lure the ant to offer him food, but the ant resists and returns to his nest to rest and prepare for the future. The song culminates by repeating the opening verse.
The song teaches a vital lesson about the importance of hard work, diligence, and planning for the future. It stresses the idea of taking responsibility for one's actions and bearing the consequences of one's decisions. It also proposes that life is cyclical, and all actions carry effects.
Line by Line Meaning
The ant and the grasshopper, everyone knows how the story goes,
This song is about the classic fable of the ant and the grasshopper, which most people are familiar with.
How the ant was diligent, never spent
The ant worked hard and didn't waste its resources.
Anything lightly, laboured wisely,
The ant didn't take anything for granted and was careful with its efforts.
And gathered his store for tomorrow.
The ant saved up its resources for the future when they might be needed.
As for the grasshopper, clad in the summer sunshine,
The grasshopper enjoyed the easy life of summer.
Light as the wind on the broken water,
The grasshopper was carefree and light-hearted.
His song he gave to the summer days,
The grasshopper celebrated the good times and enjoyed life in the moment.
Singing "Where the dance leads I'll follow".
The grasshopper was carefree and followed wherever its whims took it.
Then came a hard winter, nothing grew, and the cold wind blew,
When winter came, it was difficult for everyone and resources were scarce.
But the ant was safe and sound, underground.
The ant had saved up enough resources to survive the winter in safety.
Carefully counting his pile around him,
The ant was diligent in keeping track of its resources and making sure it had enough to last through the winter.
Dividing his time until tomorrow.
The ant was careful with its time and made sure to use it wisely.
Now see the grasshopper, blown by the north wind's fury,
The grasshopper suffered in the winter and was left without resources to survive.
Hungering for the easy summer,
The grasshopper longed for the easy life of summer again.
Comes to the ant and says, "My brother, give me bread,
The grasshopper turned to the ant for help in its time of need.
"Now's the dance that I must follow".
The grasshopper recognized that it had made mistakes and had to accept the consequences of its actions.
"Why did you waste the summer, summers don't last forever,
The ant scolded the grasshopper for being careless and not preparing for the future.
"You're just an idle beggar, you must pay the price, sacrifice.
The ant told the grasshopper that it had to take responsibility for its actions and face the consequences.
"You wouldn't heed me, you took life easy -
The ant pointed out that it had warned the grasshopper about the importance of preparation, but the grasshopper hadn't listened.
"Take the punishment that follows".
The ant told the grasshopper that it had to accept the consequences of its actions, even if they were unpleasant.
Now see the grasshopper reel like a dry leaf falling,
The grasshopper suffered in the winter and was left without resources to survive.
Weaving a dance that will last forever,
The grasshopper continued to dance and enjoy life, even in its difficult circumstances.
Back goes the ant to his nest to work, to feed, to rest,
The ant returned to its diligent ways, working hard and preparing for the future.
For him there will always be tomorrow.
The ant was prepared for the future and had the resources to survive whatever challenges came its way.
Contributed by Elena E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Daniel
on Lovely Joan
Hello ! The lyrics here art alle wrong. An' it's got tae be a frog-eater a-tellin' thee....