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'.

The Banks of the Nile
Martin Carthy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

"Hark I hear the drum a-beating, no longer can I stay.
I hear the bugle sounding, my love, I must away.
We are called out for orders and it's many's a long mile
To go fight with all those heathens on the banks of the Nile."

"Oh Willy, dearest Willy, don't leave me here to mourn,
You'll make me curse and rue the day that ever I was born.
For the parting of my own true love is the parting of my life,

Stay at home, dear Willy, and I will be your wife.

I will cut off those yellow locks and I'll go along with you,
I'll dress myself in velveteen and go and see Egypt too.
I'll fight and bear your banner while kind fortune upon me smile
And we'll comfort one another on the banks of the Nile."

"Oh Nancy, dearest Nancy, with me you cannot go.
For our colonel has give orders that no women there can go.
You will forget your own true love when you are on the shore
And you'll think of things that please your mind and new loves will please you more."

Cursed be those cruel bloody wars that took my love from me,
And cursed be the order that put his boat to sea.

I fear the burning sun will shine his beauty to destroy
And his blood will seep in the grass that's deep on the banks of the Nile.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Martin Carthy's "The Banks of the Nile" explore the emotional turmoil that comes with the separation of two lovers due to war. The song begins with the sound of a drum beating and a bugle sounding, which serve as calls to duty for the male protagonist. He expresses his need to leave and fight in a far-off war, despite the anguish it would cause his lover.

On the other hand, the female protagonist pleads with her lover to stay, worried that his departure would result in her complete misery. She even offers to accompany him to the battlefield, highlighting the depths of her love and devotion to him. Unfortunately, as reflected in the male protagonist's response, societal norms during that time restricted women from joining the army, leaving Nancy feeling helpless and alone.

The song concludes with Nancy cursing the war and the order that took her love from her, while also lamenting the possibility of losing her lover in the battle. The lyrics of "The Banks of the Nile" provide a poignant illustration of the detrimental impact of war on personal relationships, highlighting its effects on the lives of civilians and the soldiers who fight.

Line by Line Meaning

Hark I hear the drum a-beating, no longer can I stay.
I hear the sound of military instruments and must leave now.

I hear the bugle sounding, my love, I must away.
I hear the bugle and must leave my lover behind.

We are called out for orders and it's many's a long mile To go fight with all those heathens on the banks of the Nile.
We have been summoned to fight against the heathens and we have to travel a long distance to reach the banks of the Nile.

Oh Willy, dearest Willy, don't leave me here to mourn, You'll make me curse and rue the day that ever I was born.
My dearest Willy, please do not abandon me, or I will regret being born.

For the parting of my own true love is the parting of my life, Stay at home, dear Willy, and I will be your wife.
The separation from my true love is like losing my life, stay with me and we can get married.

I will cut off those yellow locks and I'll go along with you, I'll dress myself in velveteen and go and see Egypt too.
I'll change my appearance and join you in the fight against the heathens and visit Egypt too.

I'll fight and bear your banner while kind fortune upon me smile And we'll comfort one another on the banks of the Nile.
I'll fight beside you and carry your banner while we find comfort in each other's company on the banks of the Nile.

Oh Nancy, dearest Nancy, with me you cannot go. For our colonel has give orders that no women there can go.
I'm sorry Nancy, you can't come with me because our colonel has prohibited women from accompanying us.

You will forget your own true love when you are on the shore And you'll think of things that please your mind and new loves will please you more.
You'll forget about your true love when you're on the shore and start to feel differently about things and people around you.

Cursed be those cruel bloody wars that took my love from me, And cursed be the order that put his boat to sea.
I curse the brutal wars that took my love from me and the order that sent him away on a boat.

I fear the burning sun will shine his beauty to destroy And his blood will seep in the grass that's deep on the banks of the Nile.
I am afraid that the scorching sun will destroy my lover's beauty and that his blood will flow into the grass on the banks of the Nile.

Contributed by Joshua L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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