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/
Only When You Call
Oysterband Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I seem a bit too proud
If I talk incessantly
Of them and us and liberty
And a useless solidarity …
If I've got too much to say
About things too far away
The circumstance of you and me
With some truth and clarity …
Only when you call do I feel the beat of a human heart
Only when you call me
Only when we talk do I hear the sound of a woman now
Only when you call
When it's hard to stand by me
When I test your charity
When my shoulder bears a chip
That wears down relationships
Can we say it's only history?
Only when you call do I feel the beat of a human heart
Only when you call me
Only when we talk do I hear the sound of a woman now
Only when you call
She says: Love is as rich as the sea
With strange things swimming inside it
And people can drown and you're going to go down
If your head and your heart are divided
Only when you call do I feet the beat of a human heart
Only when you call me
Only when we talk do I hear the sound of a woman now
Only when you call
Only when you call
The song "Only When You Call" by Oysterband speaks to the theme of human connection and the importance of communication in relationships. The lyrics suggest that the singer is a person who may appear to be assertive and confident on the surface, but really only feels truly alive and connected when they are talking to someone they care about. The opening verses acknowledge the singer's tendency to talk too much and to become overly impassioned about political ideals or causes, but then goes on to say that all of these things fall away and become meaningless when compared with the simple act of hearing from the person they love.
The chorus is where the song's central sentiment and the title phrase come to the fore: "Only when you call do I feel the beat of a human heart/ Only when you call me/ Only when we talk do I hear the sound of a woman now/ Only when you call." The song is communicating that the singer only truly feels connected with the person they love when they are in communication with them. The image of the "beat of a human heart" conveys a sense of authentic emotion and intimacy that can only be achieved through the act of listening and sharing with another human being.
The verse that follows the chorus goes on to explore the singer's feelings of insecurity and fear of abandonment. It acknowledges that there may be times when they are not easy to be around, and that their own sense of pride or anger can sometimes put a distance between them and the people they love. However, instead of simply accepting this as an inevitable part of life, the singer is seeking reassurance and affirmation that their love will endure even through the hard times.
Overall, "Only When You Call" is a heartfelt and sincere expression of the need for human connection and the importance of maintaining relationships through communication and emotional vulnerability.
Line by Line Meaning
If I seem to talk too Loud
If it appears that I'm speaking in a very loud tone
If I seem a bit too proud
If I appear to be overly confident in my abilities
If I talk incessantly
If I talk continually without pausing or stopping
Of them and us and liberty
About the division between us and them in terms of freedom and rights
And a useless solidarity ...
And a meaningless commitment to unity
If I've got too much to say
If I'm talking too much
About things too far away
About things that are beyond our reach or distant in nature
If it's time to stop and see
If it's time to pause and observe
The circumstance of you and me
The current situation between us and our relationship
With some truth and clarity ...
With honesty and clear thinking
Only when you call do I feel the beat of a human heart
I only experience the feeling of being alive and connected with another person when you call me
Only when you call me
Only in your presence and when you initiate contact with me
Only when we talk do I hear the sound of a woman now
Only through conversation with you do I perceive what it means to be a woman
When it's hard to stand by me
When it's challenging to support me
When I test your charity
When I'm putting your love and compassion to the test
When my shoulder bears a chip
When I have a grudge or resentment towards others
That wears down relationships
That damages and weakens the bonds between people
Can we say it's only history?
Can we claim that it's just a past event and move on?
She says: Love is as rich as the sea
She declares: Love is as profound as the vastness of the ocean
With strange things swimming inside it
Containing all sorts of diverse and peculiar elements
And people can drown and you're going to go down
People can perish, and you might follow suit
If your head and your heart are divided
If you're experiencing a split between your thoughts and your emotions
Contributed by Elena A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.