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/
Moving On
Oysterband Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now we walk these streets alone
We asked the man for justice
Well, he handed us a stone
In this great land of freedom
We are taking up the slack
We pushed the stone to the top of the hill
And we watched it rolling back
CHORUS
And the way to Hell is straight and sure
The way to Heaven is long
The way to your heart is never-ending
So I just keep movin' on
Movin' on, movin' on
The way to your heart is never-ending
So I just keep movin' on
The brave are twisting in the wind
Stupidity endures
And men with no identity
They try to borrow yours
Danger is the lure for boys
To help you now and then
But they fall from the wire in a Bay of Pigs
And don't come round again
CHORUS
I never felt myself alone
Or truly felt afraid
Until the hour I understood
By friends we were betrayed
Whose precious mouths are stopped with food
Who cannot meet our eyes
Who laugh about their principles
And brush 'em off like flies
CHORUS
The lyrics of Oysterband's "Moving On" speak of the feelings of loneliness, disillusionment and betrayal, and the different paths that life can take us on. The opening lines talk about walking the streets together and now walking them alone, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for the journey of life, of being together in a community and now being alone in our struggles. The man for justice hands them a stone, which is also metaphorically speaking to the fact that justice and progress, although sought after, sometimes only lead to more obstacles and weighs us down. The stone being pushed to the top of the hill and then rolling back could again represent the ups and downs of life, the struggles we overcome and then find ourselves back at square one.
The chorus of the song talks about the different ways one can take in life: the way to hell being straight and sure, the way to heaven being long, and the way to someone's heart being never-ending. Here, the song is speaking to the fact that there are different paths one can take in life, and that the way to emotional fulfilment is one that requires constant effort, as it is "never-ending".
The song then goes on to talk about the concept of betrayal, of friends who were betrayed, and who now try to borrow our identity. The verse, "Whose precious mouths are stopped with food, who cannot meet our eyes", could also speak to the idea of people who cannot speak up because of fear or being threatened, and those who refuse to acknowledge us or our struggles.
Overall, the song speaks to the struggles of life and the path one takes to find meaning as well as to the harsh realities of societal inequalities.
Line by Line Meaning
We walked these streets together
We used to roam these same streets as companions
Now we walk these streets alone
But now we journey alone without each other's accompaniment
We asked the man for justice
We demanded fairness from the governing authorities
Well, he handed us a stone
But we were given a rough reply
In this great land of freedom
In this country that's known for its liberty
We are taking up the slack
We've understood our responsibility to continue striving
We pushed the stone to the top of the hill
We tried our best to accomplish our goal
And we watched it rolling back
But our attempts failed and we saw our effort going in vain
And the way to Hell is straight and sure
The path leading to destruction is effortlessly obvious
The way to Heaven is long
Whereas the path to salvation is a lengthy and tedious one
The way to your heart is never-ending
Winning your love is an unending journey
So, I just keep movin' on
So, I'll keep trying to win your affection
The brave are twisting in the wind
The courageous people are left without support
Stupidity endures
Nevertheless, foolishness persists
And men with no identity
As well as people with a missing sense of self
They try to borrow yours
Propose to take advantage of yours
Danger is the lure for boys
Risky opportunities attract young lads
To help you now and then
To assist you from time to time
But they fall from the wire in a Bay of Pigs
But those who choose to participate in such ventures are doomed to a catastrophic fate
And don't come round again
And they will no longer participate in such acts of bravery
I never felt myself alone
I never realized that I'm forever alone
Or truly felt afraid
Or genuinely scared
Until the hour I understood
Until the instant I realized
By friends we were betrayed
That we were backstabbed by our companions
Whose precious mouths are stopped with food
Whose mouths are shut with petty luxuries
Who cannot meet our eyes
Who can't look us in the eye
Who laugh about their principles
Who mock their personal values
And brush 'em off like flies
And discard them as they would pests
The way to your heart is never-ending
Winning your love is an unending journey
So, I just keep movin' on
So, I'll keep trying to win your affection
Contributed by David F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.