By the age of 12 Simpson was playing guitar and banjo. In 1970, Simpson dropped out of college to become a full-time professional musician, touring folk clubs. In 1976 he recorded his first solo album "Golden Vanity". In the same year he opened for Steeleye Span on their UK tour. Teaming up with June Tabor, a folk singer who didn't play an instrument, Simpson toured folk clubs and appeared at festivals. They recorded three albums together, highlighting each other's complementary talents. There was a fluid jazzy feel about their approach to traditional material.
In the 1980s he moved to America, originally to Ithaca, New York then to Santa Cruz and finally New Orleans.
Over the next ten years Simpson became more and more adventurous, playing blues, bluegrass, cajun and even Indian-inflected music. He released a series of albums right through the 1990s, eventually moving back to the UK.
In 2003 he teamed up with June Tabor again. A readers' poll of the magazine "Acoustic Guitar" voted him as number 12 in the world in 2005.
In 2007 Simpson released "Prodigal Son". The 2008 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards voted it as best album. The fRoots critics poll voted it as the 7th best new album of 2007. It is a mixture of traditional songs and Simpson originals, the highlights of which possess a distinctly southern American flavor.
Simpson is now married to Kit Bailey, the daughter of the singer Roy Bailey, with whom Simpson occasionally performs. Martin and Kit now live in Sheffield and have a daughter.
Garryowen
Martin Simpson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But join with me, each jovial blade
Come, drink and sing and lend your aid
To help me with the chorus:
Instead of spa, we'll drink brown ale
And pay the reckoning on the nail;
No man for debt shall go to jail
We are the boys who take delight
In smashing Limerick lamps at night,
And through the street like sportsters fight,
Tearing all before us
Instead of spa, we'll drink brown ale
And pay the reckoning on the nail;
No man for debt shall go to jail
From Garryowen in glory.
We'll break the windows, we'll break down doors,
The watch knock down by threes and fours,
And let the doctors work their cures,
And tinker up our bruised
Instead of spa, we'll drink brown ale
And pay the reckoning on the nail;
No man for debt shall go to jail
From Garryowen in glory.
We'll beat the bailiffs out of fun,
We'll make the mayor and sheriffs run
We are the boys no man dares dun
If he regards a whole skin.
Instead of spa, we'll drink brown ale
And pay the reckoning on the nail;
No man for debt shall go to jail
From Garryowen in glory.
Our hearts so stout have got us fame
For soon 'tis known from whence we came
Where'er we go they fear the name
Of Garryowen in glory.
Martin Simpson's song Garryowen is a traditional Irish drinking song that is full of jolly and boisterous spirits. The song is an invitation to all the sons of Bacchus (the Roman god of wine) to join the singer and share a drink, sing, and help with the chorus. The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, declaring that instead of drinking spa (mineral water), they will drink brown ale and pay the reckoning on the nail (pay immediately). Furthermore, no one shall go to jail for debt from Garryowen in glory - showing the carefree and daring attitude of the song's subjects.
The second verse takes a more rowdy turn. The singer and his friends are boys who take delight in smashing Limerick lamps at night, fighting through the streets, and tearing all before them. The third verse is even more violent, stating that they will break windows and doors, knock down the watch, make doctors work to fix their bruises, and tinker up their injuries. However, they will do all these things with a fun-loving attitude, paying their debts and avoiding jail time.
The song's fourth and final verse makes it clear that the subjects are not afraid of any authority figures, such as bailiffs or mayors and sheriffs. They are the boys that no man dares to dun (to challenge) if he wants to keep a whole skin. The verse ends with the declaration that their stout hearts have brought them fame, and wherever they go, people fear the name of Garryowen in glory. This last line is likely a reference to the history of the song - Garryowen is both a tune and a place, and the song has been popular since the 18th century.
Line by Line Meaning
Let Bacchus' sons be not dismayed
Let those who enjoy drinking not be discouraged
But join with me, each jovial blade
Come along with me, all of you happy-go-lucky fellows
Come, drink and sing and lend your aid
Drink, sing, and help me with the song
To help me with the chorus:
Sing with me on the chorus
Instead of spa, we'll drink brown ale
We won't drink spa water, but instead drink brown ale
And pay the reckoning on the nail;
We'll pay debts immediately, without delay
No man for debt shall go to jail
No one will go to jail for unpaid debts
From Garryowen in glory.
This is a place where we live in glory
We are the boys who take delight
We are the ones who enjoy
In smashing Limerick lamps at night,
We like breaking the lamps in Limerick at night
And through the street like sportsters fight,
We move through the streets like fighters or athletes
Tearing all before us
We destroy everything that comes in our way
We'll break the windows, we'll break down doors,
We'll break windows and doors
The watch knock down by threes and fours,
We'll knock out the watchmen in groups of three and four
And let the doctors work their cures,
Let the doctors cure us
And tinker up our bruised
And fix up our bruises
We'll beat the bailiffs out of fun,
We'll beat up the bailiffs for fun
We'll make the mayor and sheriffs run
We'll make the mayor and the sheriffs run away
We are the boys no man dares dun
No one dares to upset us
If he regards a whole skin.
If he wants to protect his own skin
Our hearts so stout have got us fame
Our courageous hearts have brought us recognition
For soon 'tis known from whence we came
People recognize us as coming from Garryowen
Where'er we go they fear the name
Everywhere we go, people are afraid of us
Of Garryowen in glory.
Of Garryowen, the place where we live in fame and glory
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EGON BLANK TOMAS, JESPER KLAS ANDERSSON, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind