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 King
Martin Carthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By your leave, we will sing concerning our king
Our king is well dressed, in the silks of the best
In ribbons so rare, no king can compare
We have travelled many miles, over hedges and stiles
In search of our king, unto you we bring
We have powder and shot to conquer the lot
we have cannon and ball to conquer them all
Old Christmas is past, twelve tide is the last
And we bid you adieu, great joy to the new
The song "The King" by Martin Carthy is a traditional English folk song that depicts the celebration of King George on his arrival. The opening lines of the song wish for happiness, health, love, and peace to prevail in the place where the celebration is happening. The song goes on to describe the grandeur of King George's appearance, with him wearing the best silk and ribbons.
The verses following this refer to the travels of the people who have been searching for their king over hedges and stiles. They bring with them powder and shot, cannon and ball, which suggests that they will protect the king at all costs. Lastly, the song signifies the end of the Christmas season as well as the end of the festivities.
The song represents the arrival of King George to the people, and how they celebrate and rejoice in his presence. It is a traditional song that has been performed for many years and was passed down from generation to generation.
Line by Line Meaning
Joy, health, love, and peace be all here in this place
May this place be filled with joy, health, love, and peace.
By your leave, we will sing concerning our king
With your permission, we will sing about our king.
Our king is well dressed, in the silks of the best
Our king is finely dressed, wearing the best silks.
In ribbons so rare, no king can compare
He wears rare ribbons that no other king can match.
We have travelled many miles, over hedges and stiles
We have traveled a long distance, overcoming obstacles along the way.
In search of our king, unto you we bring
We have come to you in search of our king.
We have powder and shot to conquer the lot
We are armed with powder and shot to conquer all obstacles.
we have cannon and ball to conquer them all
We also have large weapons to conquer anything in our way.
Old Christmas is past, twelve tide is the last
Christmas has already passed, and now the Twelfth Night is ending.
And we bid you adieu, great joy to the new
We say farewell to you, wishing great joy in the new year.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: ASHLEY HUTCHINGS, TRADITIONAL, KENNETH NICOL, SIMON CARE, KELLIE WHILE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
OldSlydjook
Great artist .. thanks.
c knott
Not got this track but I have some Martin Carthy. A stalwart of the folk scene.
filbertthedilbert1
I like that one,do you have any of the Perfumed Garden stuff?
John Peel
I do have some of them, but most of the songs from his shows are already on YouTube. They've been a few songs from Perfumed Gardens that haven't been on YouTube and I uploaded them myself, especially between 1967 and 1969. I can't of course upload full shows, as many of these songs would get blocked on YouTube or worse removed.