Martin Turner, born Torquay 1947, was a founding member of Wishbone Ash in … Read Full Bio ↴Martin Turner, born Torquay 1947, was a founding member of Wishbone Ash in 1969 where he was the principal songwriter, vocalist and bass player.
Martin was accompanied by Steve Upton on drums who’d played together for previous 3 years, and twin lead guitarists Andy Powell and Ted Turner.
Disagreements over group policy and musical direction led to Martin and the band parting company in 1980.
1987 saw the reformation of the original Wishbone Ash and Martin returning as bassist, vocalist and producer for a trio of acclaimed albums for the IRS label.
1991 saw the remnants of the original Wishbone Ash line-up making the decision to continue without the band’s founding member Martin Turner.
Martin Turner, however, remained an integral part of the Wishbone Ash set-up, maintaining awareness and appreciation of the classic marks of the band through his work in the remastering and remixing of the band’s back catalogue. Indeed, hardly a year has passed without Martin being involved in a Wishbone Ash project of some form (even joining Andy Powell's new incarnation of the band for concert appearances for the band’s 25th anniversary activity during 1995/96).
But Wishbone Ash remained Martin's first love and 2005 saw Martin Turner taking his Wishbone-related activity one stage further with his long awaited return to the live arena and the formation of a new band, Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash, which carries forward the best-loved elements associated with the definitive marks of Wishbone Ash, fronted by the unique talents of the band’s founding member.
In 2005 Martin Turner announces the formation of Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash, featuring guitarists Keith Buck and Ray Hatfield and drummer Rob Hewins. The band's blueprint is to faithfully reproduce the classic Wishbone Ash sound as popularised on the much loved recordings from the classic eras of the band.
In 2008 Dave Wagstaffe replaces Rob Hewins as Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash's drummer.

Warrior
Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm leaving to search for something new,
Leaving everything I ever knew.
A hundred years in the sunshine
Hasn't taught me all there is to know.

In the valley, we will gather there,
Helpless in our surrender.
Tomorrow the plow becomes the sword

Make us stronger in our danger.

Time will pass away,
Time will guard our secret.
I'll return again
To fight another day.

[Repeat x3]
I'd have to be a warrior
A slave I couldn't be

A soldier and a conqueror,
Fighting to be free

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash's song "Warrior" talk about the journey of an individual who is leaving everything behind to search for something new. The first two lines express the notion of leaving the past behind entirely, even if it means leaving everything that they learned within the past. The next line "A hundred years in the sunshine hasn't taught me all there is to know" is a metaphorical expression that suggests, despite the person's long lifespan, there are still many things they have not learned or experienced.

In the valley, the person gathers with others who are in the same position as themselves, helpless in surrender. Here, the singer speaks of how they have had to take up arms to become a warrior, with a plow used as a symbol of transition. They know that tomorrow they will be met with danger and that only strength will endure. The last part of the lyrics reveals that the person expresses that fighting and being a warrior is more important than being a servant or slave. They want to be free, fight to be free, and conquer their objectives as a warrior.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm leaving to search for something new,
I am departing in pursuit of something new,

Leaving everything I ever knew.
Abandoning behind all the things that have ever been known to me.

A hundred years in the sunshine
A century's worth of exposure to light.

Hasn't taught me all there is to know.
Despite that, I still have a vast knowledge gap to fill.

In the valley, we will gather there,
We shall converge in the valley,

Helpless in our surrender.
Submitting ourselves with a sense of powerlessness.

Tomorrow the plow becomes the sword
The very tool to till soil will transform to a weapon the next day

Make us stronger in our danger.
Empower us to fight better at our perilous state.

Time will pass away,
The course of time will perish,

Time will guard our secret.
It will then keep our secret safe.

I'll return again
I shall make a comeback one day

To fight another day.
And continue the battle yet another day.

I'd have to be a warrior
I must embody the persona of a fighter,

A slave I couldn't be
Being a bondman is beyond me,

A soldier and a conqueror,
I must be both a soldier and a conqueror,

Fighting to be free
Fight with all might for an emancipated life.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER CHARLES LLOYD, RAY WYLIE HUBBARD, ROBERT LYNN LIVINGSTON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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