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
The Longshot
Megson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But all of the lads were there, even cousins Joe and Steve
And old Bob sittin' on the end, what a foul mouth that man's got
When they missed the goal from the penalty box, I swear he was gonna get shot
Well thanks for my half time pie, cousin Joe says thanks for his scone
I didn't have a go at the half time draw, cos the odds were 10, 000 to one
But old Bob sittin' on the end, puts the fivers on each week,
And when I asked him what the heck he did it for, he said ‘son, one day you'll see'
You take the long shot, if that's all there is,
And put it in a very safe place where your doubt can't get to it
Cos once you're certain, that all hope is gone, a long shot is better than none...
Was a shocker of a game today, the lads they huffed and puffed, but
3 nil down by the half time break, I knew we were gonna get stuffed
But old Bob stuck out to the end, and when we nicked two quick goals in
And their keeper ran out to the half way line, well should have heard Bobby sing
;
You take the long shot, if that's all there is,
And put it in a very safe place where your doubt can't get to it
Cos once you're certain, that all hope is gone, a long shot is better than none...
INSTRUMENTAL
Was a quiet old game today, we haven't seen Bob for a month, and
Everyone knows he's not coming back, but his seat's still never been touched
And Joe said he'd heard the worst, that he'd finally popped his socks
But I reckon the sod won his half time draw, now he sits in a corporate box
He took his long shot, took his long shot
Was a critical game today, well we got thumped seven to nowt, but
If there was a prize for the best own goal, I think we'd be in with a shout
But Joe was miserable as sin, and Steve said he's gutted too, cos
There's sod all chance that we can stay up now, but I said any old chance'll do
I'll take the long shot, if that's all there is,
And put it in a very safe place where your doubt can't get to it
Cos once you're certain, that all hope is gone, a long shot is better than none...
a long shot is better than none...
The Megson's song "The Longshot" is an ode to the underdog and the power of hope. The first verse describes a football (soccer) game that the singer's team could have won by a larger margin if they had been more skilled, but the fact that they were able to play with their friends and family made the game enjoyable nonetheless. Even the foul-mouthed and pessimistic Bob, who sits on the end of the bench, is able to find joy in the game by placing bets on it. The chorus encourages taking a long shot and keeping the hope alive, even when all seems lost.
In the second verse, the game does not go as well, and the singer's team falls behind by three goals by halftime. But Bob remains committed to the end, and when the team miraculously scores two quick goals, he rejoices and sings. The instrumental break allows for a brief moment of musical reflection on the theme of the song. The third verse is more sombre, as the absence of Bob is felt and Joe fears he has passed away. But the singer imagines that Bob has actually won the half time draw and is now enjoying the game from a corporate box. The final verse again doesn't go well for the team, as they lose 7-0, but the chorus repeats the message that any hope, no matter how slim, is worth holding onto.
Line by Line Meaning
Was a pretty good game today, we could a won by two or three
The singer had a positive experience at the game and believes that their team played well.
But all of the lads were there, even cousins Joe and Steve
The singer is happy that all their mates, including their cousins, were present at the game.
And old Bob sittin' on the end, what a foul mouth that man's got
The singer acknowledges that Bob, who sits at the end of the row, has a filthy mouth.
When they missed the goal from the penalty box, I swear he was gonna get shot
The artist is exaggerating that Bob was angry enough to murder someone when a goal was missed from the penalty box.
Well thanks for my half time pie, cousin Joe says thanks for his scone
The artist and their cousin Joe enjoyed the pies and scones that they had at half-time.
I didn't have a go at the half time draw, cos the odds were 10, 000 to one
The singer didn't participate in the half-time draw because the odds of winning were very low.
But old Bob sittin' on the end, puts the fivers on each week
Bob regularly places bets on matches that take place each week.
And when I asked him what the heck he did it for, he said ‘son, one day you'll see'
Bob has a belief that one day his betting may pay off and he will see a return on investment.
You take the long shot, if that's all there is,
The artist encourages the idea of taking risks when all other options are exhausted.
And put it in a very safe place where your doubt can't get to it
The artist suggests that it's important to protect your hope when taking risks by placing it in a place where no doubts can interfere.
Cos once you're certain, that all hope is gone, a long shot is better than none...
Even when everything seems hopeless, taking a long shot is still better than doing nothing.
Was a shocker of a game today, the lads they huffed and puffed, but
The artist didn't have a great time at the game, and despite their team's best efforts, it wasn't enough.
3 nil down by the half time break, I knew we were gonna get stuffed
The team was losing by a significant margin at halftime, and the singer had already given up hope.
But old Bob stuck out to the end, and when we nicked two quick goals in
Bob stayed until the very end of the match, and when the team scored two quick goals, he was very happy.
And their keeper ran out to the half way line, well should have heard Bobby sing
When the opposing team's goalkeeper came out to the halfway line, Bob was so happy that he started singing.
Was a quiet old game today, we haven't seen Bob for a month, and
The artist noticed that Bob hadn't been to the games for a month and the general mood was subdued.
Everyone knows he's not coming back, but his seat's still never been touched
It is believed that Bob has passed away, but no one has dared to sit in his empty seat out of respect for him.
And Joe said he'd heard the worst, that he'd finally popped his socks
Joe believes that Bob has passed away.
But I reckon the sod won his half time draw, now he sits in a corporate box
The singer believes that Bob's luck finally came through, and he has won a lot of money, enough to sit in a corporate box.
He took his long shot, took his long shot
The artist believes that Bob took risks in life, which resulted in him winning big at the end.
Was a critical game today, well we got thumped seven to nowt, but
The team suffered a devastating loss with a score of 7-0, but the artist still found a positive aspect.
If there was a prize for the best own goal, I think we'd be in with a shout
The artist believes that their team's own goal was funny and would qualify for a humorous competition.
But Joe was miserable as sin, and Steve said he's gutted too, cos
Joe and Steve were both unhappy with the outcome of the game.
There's sod all chance that we can stay up now, but I said any old chance'll do
The artist knows that there's very little chance of their team staying in the competition, but chances are still chances, no matter how slim.
a long shot is better than none...
The singer reiterates that even when all hope seems to be gone, taking a long shot still has more potential than doing nothing.
Contributed by Sadie I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jezgreetham3235
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