At first glance Martyn Joseph is (just) another gifted singer songwriter. First impressions are there to mislead of course: Joseph's ambition is broader than entertainment, deeper than commerce. Some musicians want to move your feet, some just want to move you: Martyn Joseph wants to move heaven and earth. Somewhere back in the middle distance Martyn Joseph emerged from the pack and we began to notice. For a moment there he might have been a pop-star, certainly a protest-singer, a balladeer now and then, a Celtic rock star before they were in vogue, a folk troubadour and then, just, Martyn Joseph. Darkness on the edge of Cardiff. If he has a reputation onstage as a raconteur, extemporizing lyrics to fit every occasion, his songs have always been infected with a discreet but defiant god bothering, music more interested in the forgotten than the remembered, the way things might be than the way they have become. It is less the ghost of Tom Jones than a Holy Ghost music, an aching and a longing for another way, another place, where you can treasure the questions that have no answers. Depending on where he was at the time, some of these songs have had a fortune spent on colouring them in while others are the second-take line drawings from the home studio or Polaroid's snapped live in the back of beyond.
The consistency is the voice the place where he stands, from where he chooses to look at life. This is music that articulates a yearning for another world that is yet to be born, songs of sorrow acquainted with grief but, nevertheless, melodies carried in sunlight, thunder and rainbows from the same sky. And as his 'Best Of' collection illustrates, Joseph's work matures with age. If these songs are already word-perfect to fans, in the future they will be covered by Britain's two leading contemporary music magazines Q, and, MoJo, respectively, describe Martyn Joseph as having 'a depth, resonance and emotional punch, which belies comparisons', and as being 'an artist of enduring worth'. Meanwhile The Guardian was transfixed by this gifted and gracious Welshman's 'burnished voice' whilst Tom Robinson of BBC 6 Music and iconic songwriter himself, regards Martyn as one of Britain's 'most charismatic and electrifying performers'. The Boston Globe concluded that the man was a 'profound experience'. Such press plaudits, and there are many more to choose from, would make any publicist purr with pleasure, but for Martyn Joseph, he regards them in a detached, almost incidental kind of way. For Martyn, 'it's the song that matters'. Yet such is Martyn's stature as an acoustic artist of almost hypnotic ability that BBC Radio 2, Britain's most listened to radio network, featured Martyn in their peak-time series on Singer/Songwriters. To be awarded the garland of your own programme on the Sony 'Station Of The Year', and placed alongside the likes of Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson and Mary Chapin Carpenter really says it all about Martyn's abilities.
Martyn's 20 year career has embraced some notable achievements including 5 Top 50 UK chart positions, with such songs as 'Dolphins Make Me Cry', 'Working Mother' and 'Let's Talk About It In The Morning', and appearances and tours with, amongst others, Suzanne Vega, Marc Cohn, Joan Armatrading, Clannad, Chris De Burgh, Jools Holland, Art Garfunkel, and even, Celine Dion. However, for Martyn, these various accomplishments, satisfying though they are, count as just part of the process, the necessary presentation aspect. As he says, 'Really what I do is try and write songs that might make a difference'.
His touring work and appearances over the years, on both sides of the Atlantic, have helped to establish this gifted and gracious Welshman as one of the foremost singer/songwriters of his generation. As Janis Ian said of sharing a stage with Martyn 'I loved working with him. I loved listening to him, I'd love to work with him again, anytime, anyplace'. Martyn's particular strength is in the lyrical narrative of his songs, be they contemporary protests against injustice and inhumanity, a musical psalm to the fulfillment and fragilities of love, or a piercing précis of social history, 'it's the song that can soothe, explain, and even in a small way save us'. In this manner he carries on in the tradition of the six string balladeer as both catalyst and interpreter of our raddled and rewarding times, our personal and communal stories sung out loud in the spirit of Woody Guthrie, Ewan MacColl, Hank Williams and Bruce Springsteen. That tradition, and sound, that thankfully still emerges from The Hallowed Hobo's Hall of Fame.
Across a 10 year cycle of albums from the Sony days of 'Being There' to his recent two volume live compilation 'Don't Talk About Love, Martyn's song catalogue is an awesomely impressive archive of our times, our tribulations, our wonder and our wounds. Amongst the considerable collection of positive reviews of Martyn's recording and live work, the two regularly recurring words describing, in particular, his performances are 'passion' and 'humour'. One observer after seeing Martyn in concert likened the experience and content to 'the beautiful business of being alive with all its jokes, absurdity and sadness, seared by music for the heart and head'. When you encounter Martyn Joseph, you'll hear likewise...
Please Sir
Martyn Joseph Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He had always caught her eye
They were married in a mining valley
And swore they'd be together until the day that they died
Twenty years later with the coal all gone
And golden lamp in his hand
He stands at the bar with a pint in his hand and his friends
They all agree together that they don't understand
L
And learns of times gone past
And when it comes to questions he puts up his hand
There's something that he just wants to ask
Please sir can you give me and answer
Please sir you know it doesn't seem fair
Last night as I walked through the door
I thought I saw my father crying sat in his chair
She stood there with her arms around him and she said
She promised him a better day
But after twenty years of working underground
It's not just your job that they take away
Sometimes he'd walk to the edge of his world
And stare at the valley below
He thought about leaving maybe running away
But knew there was nowhere to go
Please sir can you give me and answer
Please sir you know I just can't see
Please sir when you make these decisions
Do you have a vision of what happens to me
Life goes on in a mining valley
But the young men leave for a better wage
And every day he coughs and he splutters
He knows love is the reason he stays
He knows love is the reason he stays
Meanwhile little David takes his books off to school
And learns of the times gone past
And when it comes to questions he puts up his and
There's something that he just wants to ask
Please sir can you give me and answer
Please sir you know it doesn't seem fair
Last night as I walked through the door
I thought I saw my father crying sat in his chair
The song “Please Sir” by Welsh singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph is a poignant meditation on the impact of economic hardship on working-class families. The central narrative tells the story of a married couple who have spent twenty years working in a coal mine in a mining valley. Despite their hard work, the coal is eventually exhausted, and the man is left unemployed. He and his wife struggle to make ends meet, and the man becomes increasingly despondent, at times considering leaving and running away. Meanwhile, their son David goes to school and learns about the historical context of their situation. He is troubled by the injustice of the circumstances and pleads with his teacher for answers.
The lyrics are rich with detail, painting a vivid picture of life in a mining community. The mining valley is a central character that provides both sustenance and constraint to the people who live there. The man’s golden lamp is a symbol of his former livelihood and the hopelessness he feels without it. David’s innocence and curiosity make him an ideal spokesperson for the frustration and confusion felt by many in the community. The song’s message is clear: economic policies that prioritize profit over people have a tangible impact on families and communities, causing pain and hardship that can last for generations.
Line by Line Meaning
She was always a very pretty lady
The woman is described as having always been beautiful
He had always caught her eye
The man had always found her attractive
They were married in a mining valley
The couple got married in a place where coal was mined
And swore they'd be together until the day that they died
They made a promise to each other to stay together for the rest of their lives
Twenty years later with the coal all gone
After two decades, all the coal had been extracted from the mine
And golden lamp in his hand
He holds a miner’s lamp which is symbolic of his past job
He stands at the bar with a pint in his hand and his friends
He is out with his friends having a drink
They all agree together that they don't understand
His friends also have the same issue, and they agree on not understanding the situation
Meanwhile little David takes his books off to school
David, a young boy, goes to school carrying his books
And learns of times gone past
He is taught about times that have passed
And when it comes to questions he puts up his hand
When he has queries, he raises his hand during class
There's something that he just wants to ask
David has a question he wants an answer to
Please sir can you give me an answer
David humbly asks his teacher for an answer to his question
Please sir you know it doesn't seem fair
He feels that something is not right, and he is seeking clarity on the situation
Last night as I walked through the door
David remembers a recent event from the previous evening
I thought I saw my father crying sat in his chair
David has observed his father sitting in a chair and crying
She stood there with her arms around him and she said
The woman, presumably David's mother, comforted his father with an embrace
She promised him a better day
David's mother made a promise to his father that the future will be better
But after twenty years of working underground
The man had worked in the coal mine for two decades
It's not just your job that they take away
The effects of losing his job are not limited to just his occupation
Sometimes he'd walk to the edge of his world
The man would sometimes walk to the edge of the valley and contemplate things
And stare at the valley below
He looks down at the valley beneath him
He thought about leaving maybe running away
The man has contemplated leaving the place
But knew there was nowhere to go
He realizes that there is no alternative to where he is
Please sir you know I just can't see
David feels that he does not understand the situation completely
Please sir when you make these decisions
David seeks answers to his questions about the decision-making process
Do you have a vision of what happens to me
David wonders if the teacher considered the consequences of certain decisions on people like him
Life goes on in a mining valley
The mining community continues despite the industry’s hardships
But the young men leave for a better wage
Young men tend to leave the valley to pursue better earning opportunities
And every day he coughs and he splutters
The man suffers from health issues, most likely due to his former occupation
He knows love is the reason he stays
The only reason why the man chooses to remain in the valley is because of his love for his family
He knows love is the reason he stays
Repetition of the previous line
Please sir can you give me an answer
Repetition of the previous request for an answer
Please sir you know it doesn't seem fair
Repetition of the previous feeling of unfairness
Last night as I walked through the door
Repetition of the previous memory from the previous evening
I thought I saw my father crying sat in his chair
Repetition of the previous observation of David's father crying
Writer(s): M. JOSEPH, P. BROOKES
Contributed by Liam K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.