The band is one of the few outfits still burning with the fire of punk, but managing to combine it with the ideals and knowledge of English folk music - a balancing act they've made into a fine art over the years. And they have deep roots in the U.K. folk scene, emerging from both the Whitstable Oyster Co. Ceilidh Band, which formed in 1975, and Fiddler's Dram, a group put together in 1973 by Dave Arbus, whose fiddle work had graced releases by East of Eden and the Who.
Prosser, Telfer, and Taylor were also in Fiddler's Dram, whose moment of fame arrived in 1979 with the British hit single "Day Trip to Bangor" - released after they'd split up. They reconvened for a last album when Kearey joined them. He also became part of the band's alter ego, the roots-oriented Oyster Ceilidh Band, as they'd now become. With Fiddler's Dram no longer extant, the members put their energies in the newly renamed Oyster Band in 1981, playing gigs around England and self-releasing albums on their own Pukka label.
The band returned in 2003 after the longest recording layoff of its career with Rise Above, which included eight originals and two English traditional numbers, and featured the work of Irish piper James O'Grady throughout.
In 1990, the band collaborated with renowned folk singer June Tabor for the album Freedom and Rain and a tour.
Current Lineup:
Chopper - bass guitar, cello, vocals
John Jones - melodeon, lead vocals
Alan Prosser - guitars, viola, vocals
Ian Telfer - fiddle, English concertina, vocals
Dil Davies - drums
http://www.oysterband.co.uk/
Bury Me Standing
Oysterband Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
wind chimes sang uncertainly all the camp was quiet
I look hard to the horizon maybe soon they would come
with their suits and their papers to move my people on
I saw a skylark rising from an empty field
another home we could have made another home we have to leave
I'm tired of their permissions to use what should be free
tired of heavy voices telling me what I should be
I will not fade I will not sleep
the leaves of life are driven ever since this world began
and the leaves of life have blown me round more than any woman can
what I can't bear to remember is what I can't bear to forget
the road goes on forever our time's not over yet
if I fall bury me standing if I fall won't you bury me deep?
I will not fade I will not sleep
The opening lines of "Bury Me Standing" by Oysterband evoke a desolate landscape, with the singer observing the wind blowing across the "fenland" and the eerie sound of wind chimes in the background. The scene is one of uncertainty and tension, as the singer waits for a group of people to arrive - people who have the power to displace his community and move them elsewhere. The lyrics speak to a sense of displacement and powerlessness, capturing the experience of those who are made to feel like outsiders in their own home.
As the song unfolds, the singer reflects on his frustration with the way things are. He is "tired of their permissions to use what should be free," expressing a desire for autonomy and control over his own life. He also references "heavy voices telling me what I should be," suggesting a larger context of societal pressures that dictate how people should live and behave.
Despite these challenges, however, the singer remains resolute. He declares that if he falls, he wants to be buried standing up - a symbol of defiance and strength. He speaks defiantly of his desire to remain active and present in the world, even after death. In this way, the song becomes a manifesto for resilience and perseverance, even in the face of adversity.
Overall, "Bury Me Standing" is a powerful, evocative song that captures the experiences of exclusion and displacement. It speaks to the universal human desire for agency and the freedom to live life on one's own terms, even when that freedom is denied.
Line by Line Meaning
the wind blew from the fenland 'cross the big November sky
The wind blew from the fenland across the big November sky.
wind chimes sang uncertainly all the camp was quiet
Wind chimes sang uncertainly while the entire camp was quiet.
I look hard to the horizon maybe soon they would come
I look hard to the horizon in hopes of their arrival.
with their suits and their papers to move my people on
Expecting them to arrive with their suits and papers, to force my people to move.
I saw a skylark rising from an empty field
I saw a skylark rising from a field empty of human habitation.
another home we could have made another home we have to leave
We could have made another home there, but we have to leave.
I'm tired of their permissions to use what should be free
I'm fatigued from asking for permissions to use things that ought to be free.
tired of heavy voices telling me what I should be
Exasperated with the voices telling me who I should be.
if I fall bury me standing if I fall won't you bury me deep?
If I am defeated, bury me in a standing position, and if I am defeated, bury me deep.
I will not fade I will not sleep
Undaunted, I cannot lose my will.
the leaves of life are driven ever since this world began
Since the world began, the leaves of life have been driven.
and the leaves of life have blown me round more than any woman can
The leaves of life have taken me on more journeys than any woman ever could.
what I can't bear to remember is what I can't bear to forget
The thing I can't bear to remember is the thing I cannot possibly forget.
the road goes on forever our time's not over yet
The road goes on endlessly, and our time hasn't yet ended.
if I fall bury me standing if I fall won't you bury me deep?
If I am defeated, bury me in a standing position, and if I am defeated, bury me deep.
I will not fade I will not sleep
I cannot yield or rest.
Contributed by Christian W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.