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/
Our Lady of the Bottles
Oysterband Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She shuffles down alone
Big mustaches watch her
From behind their mobile phones
She's out in any weather
A mouse dolled up in feathers
With tuppence in her pocket
To give the dog a bone
CHORUS
Our lady of the bottles, what can we do?
Our lady of the bottles, pray for me,
I'll pray for you
Our lady of the bottles, what can we do?
Our lady of the bottles, pray for me,
I'll pray for you
There's a crack in the window
Where the wind comes whistling through
A crack where the crocodiles
Come in two by two
The landlord's on a bender
The fleas say no surrender
And we all wake up in the morning black and blue
CHORUS
We poor sheep
We have gone astray
We piss our lives away
We are in disrepair
Angles sleep while the tigers play
So the Good Book say
We piss our lives away
We do it day by day
And we don't care
One day that's coming
The poor will get their own
With nothing left to cry for
And bread instead of stone
There'll be Heaven for the living
And God will get forgiven
She'll be up high on a holy golden throne
CHORUS
"Our Lady of the Bottles" by the English folk-rock band, Oysterband, tells the story of a woman who seems to be struggling with addiction and poverty while facing the muffled scrutiny of onlookers. The streets she walks are dimly lit, and the only company she keeps is the alcohol contained in the bottles she carries around in a plastic bag. The lyrics evocatively describe the struggles of her life, exemplified by her having only "tuppence" in her pocket, not even enough to survive. Despite all the difficulties, the woman remains resilient and strong – shuffling down the street in any weather, a mouse dressed up in feathers, an archetype of the tenacity of the human spirit in even the bleakest circumstances.
The chorus, with its repeated refrain, "Our lady of the bottles, what can we do? Our lady of the bottles, pray for me, I'll pray for you" reveals the singer's empathy with the singer. They acknowledge the hardships that the "Lady" has to endure and resolve to ask god for help. The line "we piss our lives away" appears like a commentary on the helplessness of the singer themselves, who recognize that they have been equally complicit in perpetuating a society where those who are down and are not given a proper chance to rise.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a street full of moonshine
The street is dimly lit and filled with people who indulge in illicit activities.
She shuffles down alone
A lady walks down the street alone in distress.
Big mustaches watch her
Men with big mustaches stare at the lady, scrutinizing her every move.
From behind their mobile phones
Despite using their phones, the men still keep an eye on the lady.
She's out in any weather
The lady walks in every weather condition, determined to find what she's looking for despite the odds.
A mouse dolled up in feathers
The lady appears vulnerable and small, but is dressed up in fancy clothes that give her an air of sophistication.
With tuppence in her pocket
The lady is poor, and all she has is a small amount of money.
To give the dog a bone
The lady's intent with the money is to help a furry friend in need.
Our lady of the bottles, what can we do?
A plea for help for the lady who's struggling in the street.
Our lady of the bottles, pray for me,
I'll pray for you
A call to join together in prayer and support for each other.
There's a crack in the window
There's an opening through which the wind whistles.
Where the wind comes whistling through
The wind passes through the crack, making a whistling sound.
A crack where the crocodiles
Metaphorically, the crack acts as an opening for danger in the form of crocodiles.
Come in two by two
The danger arrives in pairs.
The landlord's on a bender
The landlord indulges in an excessive drinking spree.
The fleas say no surrender
Despite the disturbance caused by the bender, fleas seem unaffected and stubborn.
And we all wake up in the morning black and blue
Everyone wakes up feeling battered and bruised due to the wild night before.
We poor sheep
We have gone astray
Human beings are compared to sheep that have lost their way.
We piss our lives away
We waste our time and energy on things that don't matter.
We are in disrepair
Angles sleep while the tigers play
Metaphorically, we are broken, and while we're asleep, dangerous things happen.
So the Good Book say
We piss our lives away
The Bible confirms that human beings often waste their lives away.
We do it day by day
Wasting life is a daily habit.
And we don't care
Despite knowing our actions are questionable, we don't care.
One day that's coming
The poor will get their own
The future will be better for the poor, and they will get what they want.
With nothing left to cry for
And bread instead of stone
The poor will no longer have any reasons to cry, and will have their basic needs met.
There'll be Heaven for the living
And God will get forgiven
In the future, life will be great for those who are alive and those who believe in God.
She'll be up high on a holy golden throne
The lady will eventually be in a better place, possibly in heaven.
Our lady of the bottles, what can we do?
Our lady of the bottles, pray for me,
I'll pray for you
A final call to pray for the lady in the street.
Contributed by Kaelyn I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.