The duo began in Cleveland, England. Moving to London in 2003, they quickly made a name for themselves on the folk circuit. By 2005 they had graduated to appearing at the Cambridge Festival. They were then invited to support Seth Lakeman on tour and picked up ringing endorsements from both Seth and from Radio 2's Bob Harris. They are becoming one of the major names in the bubbling UK folk/contemporary scene.
Debbie Palmer (now Debbie Hanna) provides a clasically-trained voice to match Stu Hanna's brilliant musicianship to stunning effect. The Megson sound is unique, refreshing and winning admirers both within and beyond the music industry.
Recordings commenced with "On the Side" in 2004 - a top quality mixture of folk classics and self penned more contemporary folk. In 2006 the EP "Megson" was released with new and live tracks -and shows a distinctive cutting edge sound which is clearly maturing into something very special indeed. In July 2007 the second full album, "Smoke of Home" was released (with production assistance from Sean Lakeman - ex Equation) - now followed in late 2008 by a homage to the folk songs of their home town - "Take Yourself a Wife".
After two albums looking back towards their roots maybe Megson should now return to the contemporary edged folk which won them such aclaim and which gave them such a fresh sound in a very competitve music genre? But Megson probably don't care - they are not in this for audience but for quality - and there is loads of that in whatever they do.
Megson are enchanting to see live - good looking, incredibly professional and nice people!
www.megsonmusic.co.uk
Smoke Of Home
Megson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a cold and smoky morn
She put her clothes in an Asda bag
And left her parents' home
And, oh
She never went home again
She got a bus to Stockton
Found a working train by chance
She got it down to Waterloo
And then across to France
And, oh
She never went home again
She thought the streets would be paved with gold
Just like the stories her parents had told
But all she caught was a dog and a cold
And the lights went down on Mary
'Cause the streets were ordinary
And when she woke
She was broke
And she longed for the smoke of home
Longed for the smoke of home
Found herself employment
As a bear in Disneyland
She didn't make much money
So she thought she'd make a stand
And, oh
She never went back again
She thought the streets would be paved with gold
Just like the stories her parents had told
But all she caught was a dog and a cold
And the lights went down on Mary
'Cause the streets were ordinary
And when she woke
She was broke
And she longed for the smoke of home
Longed for the smoke of home
(take me home)
(take me home)
(take me home)
(take me home)
Lights went down on Mary (longed for the smoke of home)
Lights went down on Mary (longed for the smoke of home)
Lights went down on Mary (longed for the smoke of home)
Lights went down on Mary
When she woke
She was broke
And she longed for the smoke of home
And the lights went down on Mary
'Cause the streets were ordinary
And when she woke
She was broke
And she longed for the smoke of home
Longed for the smoke of home
The song "Smoke of Home" by Megson tells the story of Mary, a young woman who leaves her hometown in Billingham and sets out to explore the world in search of adventure and success. She leaves her parents' home early in the morning and takes a bus to Stockton, where she finds a train to London. From there, she heads to France, hoping to find a better life.
However, Mary's dreams are shattered when she realizes that the streets are not paved with gold, as her parents used to tell her. Instead, she finds herself struggling to make ends meet, working as a bear in a Disneyland in France. She soon realizes that success will not come easily and that she longs for the simple pleasures she left behind - the familiar smells and sounds of home.
As Mary recalls her journey and the hardships she faced along the way, the chorus repeats the phrase "longed for the smoke of home" emphasizing her nostalgia for the familiar and her longing for a simpler time. The song brings to light the struggles of those who leave home in search of adventure and success, only to find themselves longing for the comforts of home.
Line by Line Meaning
Mary woke in Billingham
On a cold and smoky morn
One morning, Mary woke up in Billingham, experiencing the cold and smoky weather of the place.
She put her clothes in an Asda bag
And left her parents' home
Mary packed her clothes in an Asda bag and left her parents' home.
And, oh
She never went home again
Sadly, Mary never returned back to her home.
She got a bus to Stockton
Found a working train by chance
She got it down to Waterloo
And then across to France
Mary took a bus to Stockton and fortunately found a working train. She then took that train to Waterloo and crossed France.
She thought the streets would be paved with gold
Just like the stories her parents had told
But all she caught was a dog and a cold
And the lights went down on Mary
'Cause the streets were ordinary
Mary was expecting to find prosperity and adventure on the streets, which she heard from her parents. However, she only caught a bad dog and a cold. This made her realize that the reality of her situation was quite ordinary.
And when she woke
She was broke
And she longed for the smoke of home
Longed for the smoke of home
After waking up and realizing that she was broke, Mary desperately longed for the familiarity and comfort of her hometown.
Found herself employment
As a bear in Disneyland
She didn't make much money
So she thought she'd make a stand
And, oh
She never went back again
Mary found a job as a bear in Disneyland but didn't make much money. She decided to stand up for herself and quit, never wanting to return again.
Lights went down on Mary (longed for the smoke of home)
As life became more difficult and lonely for Mary, she couldn't help but yearn for the familiar surroundings of her hometown.
When she woke
She was broke
And she longed for the smoke of home
Once again, Mary woke up with empty pockets and the strong desire to return back to her home and all that comes with it.
Longed for the smoke of home
The smoke from home symbolizes everything Mary misses and longs for in her life, representing her strong desire to return back to her roots and the comforts she once knew.
Contributed by Jacob O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tom Howe
Great song, shame the female vocals are mixed too high - will definitely buy the album version of this!
Kevin Murtagh
How did I miss these, for so so long.
ruthmeb
Billingham! Probably the only time it ever made it to a song lyric.