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/
One Green Hill
Oysterband Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
in the place where I was born
Someone's got the roses
'cause my people got the thorns;
My people are the poor ones,
their country made of stones
Their wealth is in persistence,
in stories and in bones
and one green hill, one green hill
one far green hill we carry everywhere
The tide must have a turning,
the wind must have a change
Children go to cities
where the stars look strange
And memory's a winding path,
shining in the rain
To places where we parted
and we shall not meet again
on one green hill, one green hill
one far green hill we carry everywhere
And somewhere in the story,
it came as no surprise
One time, for all time, the rain got in my eyes…
It might be tears of laughter,
it might be tears of rage
You hate it and you love it
and it rattles at your cage
My people are survivors, living in the cracks
Whatever bad luck hands them,
they keep on coming back
to one green hill, one green hill
one far green hill we carry everywhere
The lyrics of "One Green Hill" by Oysterband speak of nostalgia for the writer's birthplace, which is a place of discomfort, where roses are hard to come by, and the thorns reign. The writer describes their people as the poor ones, whose wealth lies in their persistence, stories, and bones. The green hill is a recurring symbol in the song, representing a place of peace and solace that the writer and their people carry with them everywhere. The lyrics also address the changing times, the movement of people from the countryside to cities, resulting in a loss of connection with their roots. The song speaks to the resilience and fortitude of the writer's people, who are survivors and, despite their bad luck, continue to come back.
Line by Line Meaning
There's nothing for your comfort
The place where I was born is not a comfortable place.
in the place where I was born
The place where I was born is not a comfortable place.
Someone's got the roses
Others have a privileged life, while I and my people have a difficult life.
'cause my people got the thorns;
I and my people have a difficult life.
My people are the poor ones,
I and my people don't have a lot of money or material wealth.
their country made of stones
The country where I and my people come from is made of stones and it has a difficult terrain.
Their wealth is in persistence,
I and my people's wealth is not material, but rather it is found in their persistence and resilience.
in stories and in bones
Our wealth is found in our stories and history, as well as in the bones of our ancestors.
and one green hill, one green hill
Despite all of our hardships, we carry the memory of one green hill with us everywhere we go.
one far green hill we carry everywhere
Despite all of our hardships, we carry the memory of one green hill with us everywhere we go.
The tide must have a turning,
Things will eventually change.
the wind must have a change
Things will eventually change.
Children go to cities
Young people leave their hometowns and go to the cities.
where the stars look strange
The city is a strange and unfamiliar place.
And memory's a winding path,
Memories are complex and often difficult to navigate.
shining in the rain
Memories can be emotional, even when it is difficult to see through them clearly.
To places where we parted
We remember the places where we parted from those we care about.
and we shall not meet again
We know that we will never see those people again.
And somewhere in the story,
At some point in the past,
it came as no surprise
I was not surprised by what happened next.
One time, for all time, the rain got in my eyes…
On one occasion, rain got in my eyes and this memory stays with me forever.
It might be tears of laughter,
One's emotions can be complex and intertwined.
it might be tears of rage
One's emotions can be complex and intertwined.
You hate it and you love it
You can have mixed feelings about a place or situation.
and it rattles at your cage
Your situation can sometimes be frustrating or feel like you are trapped.
My people are survivors,
I and my people are resilient and tough.
living in the cracks
We make do with what we have, even in less-than-ideal conditions.
Whatever bad luck hands them,
No matter what adversity we face,
they keep on coming back
We keep pushing forward and resiliently get through tough times.
to one green hill, one green hill
No matter where we go or what we face, one green hill remains a constant for us.
one far green hill we carry everywhere
No matter where we go or what we face, one green hill remains a constant for us.
Contributed by Mia R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.