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.
Little Birdie
Martin Simpson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come and sing me you song
Got a short time to stay here
And a long time to be gone
I'm a long way from old Dixie
And my old Kentucky home
Now my parents are both dead and gone
Now I'd rather be a sailor
Way out upon the sea
Then to be at home a marred man
With a baby on my knee
For the married man he sees trouble
And the single boy sees none
I expect to live single
Til my days on earth are done
Now I'd rather be in some dark hollow
Where the sun don't ever shine
Then to see you love another
When you promised to be mine
In Martin Simpson's "Little Birdie," the singer pleads for a little bird to come and sing him a song. He is aware that he has little time left to stay in this world but a long time to be gone. Simpson is from England but here he is singing of his longing for home, his old Dixie and Kentucky home. However, his parents are long dead, and he has nowhere to call home. The singer then expresses his preference for a life at sea over a married life at home with a baby on his knee. Simpson believes that although the single life can be lonely, the married man sees more trouble, and he doesn't want to see anyone promise him love and then break that promise.
The final verse in the song is a plea of sorts for the singer's partner not to love anyone else when she promised to love him. He would rather be in a dark hollow where the sun never shines than watch someone he loves pledged to him love someone else. "Little Birdie" is a melancholic song that reflects the desire for love, his longing for home, and a fear of failure. The lack of a permanent home drives Simpson to choose a life on the sea, where he doesn't need to see the troubles of married life or the promises of love broken.
Line by Line Meaning
Little birdie, little birdie
Addressing a natural, innocent creature to ask for its vocal expression
Come and sing me you song
Pleading the bird to musically convey its essence
Got a short time to stay here
Awareness of temporary existence in this world
And a long time to be gone
Anticipation of an extended period of departure from this world
I'm a long way from old Dixie
Not being in proximity to Dixie, a historic label for the southern United States
And my old Kentucky home
Not being in close vicinity to one's previous place of residence in Kentucky
Now my parents are both dead and gone
Acknowledgement of the loss of both parents
Have no place to call my home
Lack of a stable or permanent location of residency
Now I'd rather be a sailor
Preference to pursue a seafaring profession
Way out upon the sea
Aim to be far from land and society
Then to be at home a marred man
Preferable to not be a domesticated man tied down by a family
With a baby on my knee
Imagery of being a caretaker of a young child
For the married man he sees trouble
Acknowledgement of the difficulties faced by a man in a committed relationship
And the single boy sees none
Comprehension that a single person is generally free from such problems
I expect to live single
Anticipated perpetual state of being unattached
Til my days on earth are done
Assumption to maintain unmarried status until the end of life
Now I'd rather be in some dark hollow
Preference to be in an isolated, somber location
Where the sun don't ever shine
Desire to avoid the brightness of daylight, contrasted to dimness
Then to see you love another
Displeasure in observing a former lover being affectionate towards someone else
When you promised to be mine
Betrayal and disappointment from an unfulfilled romantic promise
Contributed by Jackson T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.