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/
Cry Cry
Oysterband Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As night turned into day
Flash flood hit the road
Swept her past away
Turned her face into the wind
Covered up her eyes
Tears came just like rain
Breaking all her ties
Cry, cry, but you don't look back
You had to leave some time
Cry, cry, don't look back
One day she meets someone
A woman out of line
She says, "Stop a while
Be a friend of mine"
Things you wanted to explain
She will not let you try
Wind blow, came or go, but
Never tell me why
Too much pressure, too much fight to fight
Too many brothers standing in your light
Too many uncles
Calling late at night
Hearts that stand upon the brink
Longing to be free
You can choose your life
Choose your family
You can choose your kind of love
Let them criticise
Tears came just like rain
Don't let 'em blind your eyes
The opening lines of "Cry Cry" by Oysterband paints a physical and emotional picture of a woman who has decided to leave her life behind. She turns her back on the sleeping town, representing her old life, and as the night turns into day, symbolizing a new beginning. However, a flash flood hits, sweeping her past away, and the woman begins to weep, shedding tears just like rain, breaking all her ties.
As the song progresses, the woman encounters a woman who befriends her, but she still refuses to share her struggles. Too many pressures and fights confront her, with too many people criticizing or adding to her burdens. The song speaks about the difficulty of choosing one's life, family, and love while facing the criticisms and opposition of others. In essence, "Cry Cry" is a song about hope, the potential to break free from the burdens of one's past, and the courage to make difficult choices in the face of criticism and opposition.
Line by Line Meaning
She turned her back on the sleeping town
She left the town behind without looking back
As night turned into day
She left during the early hours of the morning
Flash flood hit the road
A sudden flood on the road occurred
Swept her past away
The flood carried away her past
Turned her face into the wind
She faced the blowing wind head-on
Covered up her eyes
She shielded her eyes from the wind
Tears came just like rain
She started crying uncontrollably
Breaking all her ties
She severed all her connections with the town and her past there
Cry, cry, but you don't look back
She can cry but does not regret leaving
You had to leave sometime
Leaving was the only choice
Cry, cry, don't look back
Keep moving forward, hold back the tears
One day she meets someone
She met a new person at some point
A woman out of line
An unconventional woman
"Stop a while, be a friend of mine"
The woman invited her to be friends and take a moment to stop and rest
Things you wanted to explain
She wanted to share something with her new friend
She will not let you try
Her new friend is not interested or unwilling to listen
Wind blow, came or go, but never tell me why
The wind moves unpredictably and offers no explanations for its actions
Too much pressure, too much fight to fight
She is tired of fighting and dealing with so much stress
Too many brothers standing in your light
The people around her, perhaps her family, are holding her back and blocking her path
Too many uncles calling late at night
She is being bothered by too many people who want something from her
Hearts that stand upon the brink longing to be free
People yearn to be free and escape from their troubles
You can choose your life, choose your family
You have a choice in how you live your life and who you consider family
You can choose your kind of love, let them criticise
You can love whoever you want, even if others disapprove
Tears came just like rain, don't let 'em blind your eyes
Crying is natural, but don't let the tears cloud your vision or hold you back
Contributed by Jeremiah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.