When Stephens received several requests for The New Vaudeville Band to tour he had to put together a group, since the song was recorded by studio musicians hired only for the recording session. He contacted a real group, the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, which played similar music at the time. Only Bob Kerr from that group was interested, so he left The Bonzos to help Stephens form a touring version of The New Vaudeville Band. The lead singer of the touring version of the group was Alan Klein, who was billed as 'Tristram—Seventh Earl Of Cricklewood'. The group enjoyed success for two years until the novelty wore off. Kerr then formed his own group, Bob Kerr's Whoopee Band, which continues to perform.
In 1967, The New Vaudeville Band released the Finchley Central LP.
15. Winchester Cathedral
New Vaudeville Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're bringing me down
You stood and you watched as
My baby left town
You could have done something
But you didn't try
You didn't do nothing
Now everyone knows just how much I needed that gal
She wouldn't have gone far away
If only you'd started ringing your bell
Winchester Cathedral
You're bringing me down
You stood and you watched as
My baby left town
The New Vaudeville Band's song "Winchester Cathedral" is a song about lost love and unfulfilled promises. The singer is lamenting the loss of his girlfriend and blaming Winchester Cathedral for not doing anything to stop her from leaving. The lyrics serve as a metaphor for the Cathedral’s immense watchtower that overlooks the town, standing as a guardian. The singer feels betrayed by the Cathedral as he believes that it could have done something to prevent her from leaving but didn’t, leading to his heartbreak. The line “you let her walk by” highlights the singer's frustration with the cathedral’s apparent inactivity.
The second verse reinforces the first. The singer emphasizes how much he needed his girlfriend and states that she wouldn't have gone far away if only the Cathedral had started ringing its bell. The chorus repeats, and the final lines reassert the singer's frustration and sadness at the situation.
Overall, the song is a lighthearted take on heartbreak as the singer blames an inanimate object for his girlfriend's departure.
Line by Line Meaning
Winchester Cathedral
Referring to the cathedral in Winchester, England
You're bringing me down
You're making me sad or depressed
You stood and you watched as
You were present and observed without taking any action
My baby left town
My significant other or love interest departed from the town
You could have done something
You had the opportunity to take action
But you didn't try
You did not make any effort
You didn't do nothing
You did not act in any way
You let her walk by
You allowed her to leave without stopping her
Now everyone knows just how much I needed that gal
The artist's need for their love interest is now widely known
She wouldn't have gone far away
She would not have gone very far
If only you'd started ringing your bell
If only you had taken action and rung the bell at Winchester Cathedral (in hopes of stopping the love interest from leaving)
Winchester Cathedral
Referring again to the cathedral in Winchester, England
You're bringing me down
You're still causing the singer sadness or depression
You stood and you watched as
Emphasizing the inaction of the individual at the cathedral
My baby left town
Repeating the fact that the love interest has left the town and stating it once again for emphasis
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Geoff Stephens
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wendy Ryder
OMG! I haven’t heard this song for YEARS! I had forgotten all about it! Thank you for doing this!
Sloan Elizabeth Chessman
Love this song!❤️
Baron Frankenstein
I Know winchester
Guillermo Flores
Sigo escuchando esta canción en 2021♥♥♥
don vito
Winchester Cathedral always reminds me of the excitement I felt when I learned how to ride a bicycle.
It was the summer of 1966.
Ron Young
Same here I was 7 years old.
massimo marchesin
Ricorda DANCING ON AIR degli STACKRIDGE!!!!!! Gli STACKRIDGE sono stati una band PROG ROCK che avevano anche idee decadenti richiami musicali anni 20/30 per loro si trattò SOLO di un divertissment!!!!! A differenza della THE NEW VAUDEVILLE BAND che invece ci fece un breve filone di questo chiamiamolo POP decadente .