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'.
Trimdon Grange
Martin Carthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lest we disappointed be,
For all our joys they may quickly turn to sorrow
As we all may daily see.
To-day we're strong and healthy,
Tomorrow there comes the change,
As we may see from the explosion
That has been at Trimdon Grange.
Men and boys set out that morning
For to earn their daily bread,
Never thinking that by the evening
They'd be numbered with the dead.
Let's think of Mrs Burnett
Once had sons but now has none;
In the Trimdon Grange disaster
Joseph George and James are gone.
February has left behind it
What will never be forgot;
Weeping women and helpless children
May be found in many's the cot.
They ask if father's left them
And the mother she hangs her head,
With a weeping widow's feelings
She tells the child its father's dead.
God protect the lonely widow
And raise each drooping head.
Be a father unto the orphans
Do not let them cry for brea.d
Death will pay us all a visit,
They have only gone before.
And we will meet the Trimdon victims
Where explosions are no more.
Martin Carthy's song Trimdon Grange is a sombre reflection on the Trimdon Grange disaster of 1882, a mining accident in County Durham, England. The lyrics warn against the dangers of living in the present without considering the possible repercussions of tomorrow, using the tragedy at Trimdon Grange as a heartbreaking example. The opening verse conveys the fragility of life, as the joy and strength of today can be stolen by an unexpected change, illustrated by the deadly explosion at Trimdon Grange. The song acknowledges the devastation that this event has caused, highlighting the lives lost and the families destroyed, such as Mrs Burnett who lost all her sons on that fateful day.
The second verse highlights the depth of the tragedy, as men and boys set out in the morning to earn their daily bread, never to return home to their loved ones. The lyrics express the pain of loss and the heartbreak of the families, especially mothers, who are left to console their children with the bitter news of their fathers' death. The third verse is a prayer for the victims, their families and the community of Trimdon Grange. The chorus expresses hope that God will protect and care for those left behind and that they will one day be reunited with their loved ones in a place free from danger and sorrow, far from explosions and death.
Line by Line Meaning
O let's not think about to-morrow
Let us avoid thinking about the future
Lest we disappointed be,
So that we do not end up being disappointed
For all our joys they may quickly turn to sorrow
Because any good moments can easily turn into bad ones
As we all may daily see.
As can be observed every day.
To-day we're strong and healthy,
Currently, we are well and full of vitality
Tomorrow there comes the change,
But tomorrow we may experience unfortunate events.
As we may see from the explosion
As evidenced by the explosion that occurred
That has been at Trimdon Grange.
At the tragedy of Trimdon Grange.
Men and boys set out that morning
Men and young boys began their work that day
For to earn their daily bread,
To earn the necessities of survival
Never thinking that by the evening
Never imagining that by nightfall
They'd be numbered with the dead.
They would be among the deceased
Let's think of Mrs Burnett
Let us remember Mrs. Burnett
Once had sons but now has none;
She once had sons, but no longer does
In the Trimdon Grange disaster
A victim of the tragedy at Trimdon Grange
Joseph George and James are gone.
Whose children Joseph, George and James perished
February has left behind it
February brought us
What will never be forgot;
What will always be remembered
Weeping women and helpless children
Women in tears and vulnerable children
May be found in many's the cot.
Can be encountered in many households
They ask if father's left them
They wonder if their father has abandoned them
And the mother she hangs her head,
While the mother lowers her head
With a weeping widow's feelings
Experiencing the grief of a bereaved widow
She tells the child its father's dead.
She tells the child that their father is dead
God protect the lonely widow
May God protect the isolated widow
And raise each drooping head.
And lift the spirits of those in despair.
Be a father unto the orphans
Be like a father figure to the parentless children
Do not let them cry for brea.d
Do not allow them to go hungry
Death will pay us all a visit,
Death is inevitable for everyone
They have only gone before.
The deceased have only moved on ahead of us.
And we will meet the Trimdon victims
We shall meet with the victims of the Trimdon disaster
Where explosions are no more.
In a place where there are no more calamitous explosions
Contributed by Layla A. 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....