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/
Long Dark Street
Oysterband Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Streams are running deep
I walk my childhood's bare familiar hills
A sandwich in my pocket
To keep the living cheap
With every hour and every day to fill
And the world always turns to evening
And it's moving beneath my feet
And your face is a lighted window
On a long dark street
And the world always turns to evening
And it's moving beneath my feet
And your face is a lighted window
On a long dark street
Cranes above the river
Are rusting in their sleep
I walk beyond them, sun or rain or snow
It's fifteen miles to sunset
Whatever path I keep
Fifteen miles and all my life to go
CHORUS
The opening two lines of Oysterband's song "Long Dark Street" introduce a desolate scene of impenetrable air and bottomless water. These images convey a sense of ecological and emotional immensity that contrasts with the singer's limited physicality as he walks through familiar hills. The sandwich in his pocket is emblematic of life's fleeting pleasures, a small comfort that is as necessary as it is insignificant. The singer's hours and days are a void that he can only hope to fill by walking, taking one step after another in the midst of an unsympathetic landscape. The chorus refers to the recurring nature of time, night following day, and highlights the presence of a loved one who becomes a source of light on the "long dark street." This image is all the more poignant because the singer describes the trials of life in general and the difficulty of finding a path specific to him.
The second verse of the song features cranes above the river, their rusted state being a reminder of decay and the passage of time. This verse is more environmental than psychological; it is concerned with the ruins of a bygone industry that has left a permanent mark on the landscape. The singer's fifteen-mile journey to sunset reflects the metaphorical journey of a lifetime, and the path he takes is left open-ended. The choice he makes in his journey is not as significant as the journey's end: he is simply walking, putting one foot in front of the other, until evening when the world begins again. The chorus echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the constants of time and the bright spot of a loved one in an otherwise dark and lonely journey.
Line by Line Meaning
The air's as hard as granite
The air is extremely cold and feels heavy like solid rock
Streams are running deep
The streams are filled with a lot of water, possibly due to heavy rain or a flood
I walk my childhood's bare familiar hills
I am walking on the hills where I grew up, without any shoes on to feel more connected to my past
A sandwich in my pocket
I carry a sandwich with me instead of buying food as it helps me save money
To keep the living cheap
I do this so I can afford to live without having to spend too much money on food every day
With every hour and every day to fill
I have a lot of time to fill in my day since I don't have a lot of places I need to go or things to do
And the world always turns to evening
No matter what happens during the day, eventually it will turn to night
And it's moving beneath my feet
The earth continues to spin, moving beneath my feet as I walk
And your face is a lighted window
Seeing your face is like seeing a lit-up window in the dark, bringing a sense of comfort and familiarity
On a long dark street
In my life journey, I am on a long and dark road with an uncertain future
Cranes above the river
There are large construction cranes that can be seen above the river
Are rusting in their sleep
The cranes are not currently in use and are slowly decaying
I walk beyond them, sun or rain or snow
I continue walking beyond the construction site, regardless of the weather
It's fifteen miles to sunset
The sun will set in fifteen miles, meaning it will be time to rest soon
Whatever path I keep
Regardless of the path I choose, the sun will set in fifteen miles
Fifteen miles and all my life to go
Even though the sun is setting soon, I still have the rest of my life to live and many more experiences to have
Contributed by Tristan M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.