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 friar in the well
Martin Carthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fancied a girl sixteen years old;
Come begging to her in the middle of the night,
Would he sleep with her till the broad daylight.
Till me ay fall lal diddle air o dee
"Oh no," she says, "for you know very well,
"No, he says, "there is no doubt;
For if you were in hell, I would whistle you out."
Till me ay fall lal diddle air o dee
"Very well," says the girl, "you can do this thing:"
You a purse of money must bring."
So he went running the money to fetch.
She thought on a scheme the friar to catch.
Till me ay fall lal diddle air o dee
So she got a sheet, you know very well,
She hung it up all in front of the well.
He come back and she led him in
And it's, "Oh dear love, now let us begin."
Till me ay fall lal diddle air o dee
Then cries the girl so crafty and cunning,
"think I hear my father a-coming!"
So behind the sheet the friar did trip,
Into the well he went arse over tit.
Till me ay fall lal diddle air o dee
And the friar called out with a pitiful sound,
"Help sweetheart or I shall drown."
She said, "You could whistle me out of hell,
Whistle your own self out of the well."
Till me ay fall lal diddle air o dee
So she hauled him out and she bid him be gone,
But he wanted his money all back again.
"No," she says, "There is one matter,
You must pay me for you fouled my water."
Till me ay fall lal diddle air o dee
"And," says the friar, "I never was treated so,
And I'll never never come back here no more."
Off he went on down the street,
Dragging his bum like a new dipped sheep.
Till me ay fall lal diddle air o dee
The song "The Friar in the Well" by Martin Carthy tells the story of a friar who attempts to seduce a young girl. The friar begs to sleep with the girl until dawn, but she rejects him, knowing it is a sin. However, the friar assures her that he can save her from redeeming if she ends up in hell. To seal the deal, the girl asks for a purse of money. But instead of keeping her promise, she tricked the friar by hanging a sheet in front of the well and persuading him to hide behind it. The girl pretended to hear her father's approach and told the friar to hide. As he was hiding, she pushed him into the well.
The friar cried for help but received a sarcastic response from the girl, reminding him of his assurance that he could even whistle her from hell. Devastated, he eventually crawled out of the well and asked for his money back, but instead, the girl demanded that he pay her for fouling her water. The friar left, dragging his bum like a dipped sheep, swearing never to come back.
The song portrays how the friar, who is supposed to be devoted to God, tries to take advantage of a young girl. Meanwhile, the girl, who is aware of the consequences of sin, outsmarts the friar and teaches him a lesson. The lyrics also depict the feudal society where the church and the nobility were influential and enjoyed privileges that they could use to exploit others.
Line by Line Meaning
Now there was a friar as I been told
As per the story, there existed a friar
Fancied a girl sixteen years old;
The friar had a liking to a 16-year-old girl
Come begging to her in the middle of the night,
He approached her in the middle of the night asking for her consent
Would he sleep with her till the broad daylight.
He wanted to engage in sexual activities with her until the morning
Oh no," she says, "for you know very well,
The girl refused to his request for it could lead to eternal damnation
If I do that, I go straight to hell."
She fears that if she indulged him, she could end up in hell
"No," he says, "there is no doubt;
The friar reassured her as she would be redeemed by him
For if you were in hell, I would whistle you out."
He claimed that he could redeem her from hell
"Very well," says the girl, "you can do this thing:"
The girl finally agrees to give him pleasure
You a purse of money must bring."
But she demanded a purse of money in return
So he went running the money to fetch.
Thus, he ran to bring the money to her as agreed
She thought on a scheme the friar to catch.
However, the girl had a trap planned for him
So she got a sheet, you know very well,
She took a sheet and hung it in front of the well
She hung it up all in front of the well.
She used the sheet to deceive him
Into the well he went arse over tit.
As he tripped over the sheet and into the well
Help sweetheart or I shall drown."
The friar begged for help as he fell into the well
"And," says the friar, "I never was treated so,
The friar felt embarrassed by the situation
You must pay me for you fouled my water."
The girl demanded compensation for him fouling her water
"Off he went on down the street,
The friar left, ashamed of himself
Dragging his bum like a new dipped sheep.
And left in a sorrowful manner
Contributed by Jasmine W. 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....