Oysterband (or The Oyster Band, as it used to be) is an English electric fo… Read Full Bio ↴Oysterband (or The Oyster Band, as it used to be) is an English electric folk, folk rock, and folk punk band formed in Canterbury in or around 1976.

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/

Gone West
Oysterband Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There's a power sleeping
Under these streets
Whose mother carried you on weary feet
Whose father came for work and changed his name
He came for work
He changed his name
He found the work
He lost your name

Sleeping, but a power just the same

CHORUS
And they have gone into another country
Your brightest and your best
On and on into the distance
Flame of our resistance
Salt of our existence
Gone west
Gone west

There's a power sleeping
Nobody knows
Years of washing other people's clothes
Who took the garbage out and brought the mail
Who swept the streets and felt no shame
Who walked the streets and took the blame
Sleeping, but a power just the same

CHORUS

He came for work
He changed his name
He walked the streets and felt no shame

CHORUS (repeating)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Oysterband's song Gone West tell the story of a forgotten and overlooked group of people whose hard work and sacrifice have built the foundation of a community. The song highlights the struggles and sacrifices endured by immigrants who came to a new country to seek work and create a better life for themselves and their families. These individuals often faced discrimination and were forced to give up their identity to assimilate to a new culture. The first verse is particularly poignant, describing the mother who carried her child on her "weary feet", while the father changed his name and lost his identity in the pursuit of work. Despite their anonymity and invisibility, the song points out that these individuals were an essential part of the community and contributed to its growth and development. The power that is "sleeping under the streets" is a metaphor for this unacknowledged contribution, and its eventual awakening speaks to the possibility of a more equitable future.

The chorus of the song emphasizes the loss that has resulted from the departure of the community's "brightest and best" to another country. The repetition of the phrase "gone west" emphasizes the finality of this departure, while the "flame of our resistance" and "salt of our existence" that have left with them highlights the vital nature of their contribution. The second verse continues with a similar sentiment, as it describes the unnamed individuals who did the menial and often overlooked tasks that keep a community functioning. Despite being unnoticed, these individuals were also a vital part of the community's foundation, and their contributions are also deserving of recognition.

Overall, the song Gone West is a powerful tribute to the often-overlooked individuals who make up the backbone of a community. It highlights the need for recognition and appreciation for the contributions of all members of society, regardless of their background or social status.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a power sleeping
There's an unnoticed strength lying dormant

Under these streets
Beneath the ground we stand on

Whose mother carried you on weary feet
Whose mother struggled to raise you

Whose father came for work and changed his name
Whose father underwent a name change for work purposes

He came for work
He migrated to work

He changed his name
He adopted a new name

He found the work
He secured employment

He lost your name
He relinquished his original name

Sleeping, but a power just the same
Dormant but still an impactful force

And they have gone into another country
The best and the brightest have migrated elsewhere

Your brightest and your best
The most talented and valuable individuals