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/
Never Left
Oysterband Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
People say, a perfect place
Whatever it is, he needs it now
Whatever the poor man sets his heart on
We sang those songs so well
What we lost and how we fell
Whatever it is, he needs it now
CHORUS
And so we learn there's no return
Only journeys to depart on
Salt and dust, oil and rust
It's still the only garden
I'm no Adam, you're no Eve
Don't look back and never grieve
A wasted seed, a broken reed
It's what the poor man sets his heart on
CHORUS x2
We never left the garden
The song "Never Left" by Oysterband talks about a place that was once beautiful and perfect but lost its charm over time. The singer reminiscences about the good old times when they sang songs that they have lost, and how they fell from grace. However, despite everything, he believes that whatever the poor man sets his heart on, that's what he needs now. Life is a journey, and there's no turning back.
The chorus talks about the inevitable journey that we have to take and how the only constant in life is change. Things may get rusty, salty, and dusty, but the garden is still the only constant we have. The line "I'm no Adam, you're no Eve" implies that the writer is no longer in paradise, nor is his partner; however, they do not regret this. They do not look back in sorrow but embrace the future despite the journey ahead.
Line by Line Meaning
This was a lovely place
The place they were in was beautiful and enjoyable.
People say, a perfect place
Others consider the place to be perfect.
Whatever it is, he needs it now
The singer or protagonist requires whatever this place has to offer.
Whatever the poor man sets his heart on
The artist wants whatever he desires, regardless of his social status.
We sang those songs so well
The people there were able to sing in harmony, with great skill.
What we lost and how we fell
Some tragedy befell them, leading to a loss of some sort.
Whatever it is, he needs it now
The same as before, the singer wants whatever this place has to offer.
Whatever the poor man sets his heart on
The artist desires something (or someone), regardless of social standing or possibility.
And so we learn there's no return
They've learned there's no going back to the way things were.
Only journeys to depart on
Their path now lies in moving forward, not looking back.
Salt and dust, oil and rust
The place may be dirty or polluted, but it's still valuable in some way.
It's still the only garden
This place, though not perfect, is still precious to them.
I'm no Adam, you're no Eve
The people in this story can't compare to the original biblical characters.
Don't look back and never grieve
The advice is to keep moving forward and not dwell on the past.
A wasted seed, a broken reed
Something that was once beautiful or valuable has now been destroyed or lost.
It's what the poor man sets his heart on
The artist still desires what he lost, without regard to his social standing.
We never left the garden
Despite what may have happened, this place still holds a special value in their hearts.
Contributed by Penelope Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.