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/
The Road to Santiago
Oysterband Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Flesh farewell, the soul goes bare,
Your face is just a mask you wear,
But masks are hidden faces;
All night long from bar to bar,
The devil is a falling star,
He knows who you really are
And he walks in hidden places.
On the road, on the road, on the road
To Santiago:
The wind can howl, waters roar,
Night come down and your feet get sore,
We'll walk that wild Atlantic shore ...
And the devil walks behind us
On the road to Santiago.
This is what the devil sells:
Broken vows and broken spells,
Voices out of empty wells,
Fire in December;
Burning horses, burning trees,
Steps to climb up on your knees,
Missing days and missing keys,
Dreams you can't remember!
On the road, on the road, on the road
To Santiago:
The wind can howl, waters roar,
A priest goes dancing with a whore,
We'll walk that wild Atlantic shore
And the devil walks behind us
On the road to Santiago.
Holy bandits, band of hope,
Hauling an unholy rope
Halfway up the slippery slope:
That's where you'll find us.
We met the devil a-strolling round
On the midnight side of town
He said, "Halfway up? That's halfway down."
There's no need to remind us,
You don't need to remind us ...
On the road, on the road, on the road
To Santiago:
The wind can howl, waters roar,
A priest goes dancing with a whore,
We'll walk that wild Atlantic shore
And the devil walks behind us.
On the road, on the road, on the road
To Santiago:
The wind can howl, waters roar,
You won't be who you were before,
We'll walk that wild Atlantic shore ...
And the devil walks behind us
On the road to Santiago.
The Road to Santiago by Oysterband is a song that explores the journey to Santiago de Compostela, a city in the northwest of Spain, that is known for its pilgrimages made by people seeking spiritual enlightenment. The lyrics dive deep into the symbolism of what this journey can represent. The song starts off by saying that in order to truly embark on this journey, we must peel away our flesh, our external selves and allow our souls to be fully exposed. It’s a journey taken in order to find a deeper meaning or purpose, to go beyond the surface and look into the hidden places of our existence.
The song continues with a warning that the devil will follow us along the way. The road to spiritual enlightenment is never easy, and there will be obstacles and temptations along the way. The devil is seen as the embodiment of these temptations, as he tries to lure us away from our purpose with broken promises and a false sense of security. We are warned that it won’t be an easy journey, as we may feel lost or our feet may become sore, but we must keep moving forward. The road to Santiago represents the journey we must take in order to find our true selves, the journey that forces us to confront our deepest fears and desires, and to face the devil within ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Carnival is what you dare,
Challenging yourself is like participating in a carnival
Flesh farewell, the soul goes bare,
When you strip the flesh, the soul becomes bare
Your face is just a mask you wear,
We wear masks to hide our real faces
But masks are hidden faces;
Masks are the way to conceal our true selves
All night long from bar to bar,
Roaming from one bar to another throughout the night
The devil is a falling star,
The devil is like a falling star
He knows who you really are
He knows your true self
And he walks in hidden places.
The devil is present in hidden places
The wind can howl, waters roar,
Stormy winds and raging waters
Night come down and your feet get sore,
Nighttime arrives, and your feet begin to hurt
We'll walk that wild Atlantic shore ...
Strolling on the untamed Atlantic shore
And the devil walks behind us
The devil's presence is felt around us
This is what the devil sells:
This is what the devil deals in
Broken vows and broken spells,
The devil's offerings are ruined pledges and ineffective spells
Voices out of empty wells,
The devil's whispers from empty wells
Fire in December;
Fire's blaze in December
Burning horses, burning trees,
Burning horses and trees
Steps to climb up on your knees,
Climbing steps on your knees
Missing days and missing keys,
Lost keys and days
Dreams you can't remember!
Dreams that faded away from memory
Holy bandits, band of hope,
A gang of devout crusaders, a group of optimists
Hauling an unholy rope
Pulling an evil rope
Halfway up the slippery slope:
Halfway up the precarious slope
That's where you'll find us.
That's where you'll locate us
We met the devil a-strolling round
We encountered the devil wandering around
On the midnight side of town
On the midnight side of the town
He said, 'Halfway up? That's halfway down.'
The devil remarked, 'Halfway up? That's the same as halfway down.'
There's no need to remind us,
We do not require any reminder
You don't need to remind us ...
We do not require any reminder
You won't be who you were before,
You will not be the same person again
Contributed by Allison R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
iamkloot2
One of the finest bands you could ever wish to see live
Carolina Hernández de Zabalo
Una muy chula canción, vaya con los Oysterband!!
Álvaro Menéndez
Los 'Oysterband' cantando su mítico 'The Road to Santiago'... ¡Un abrazo al Santo!
mellamokatie
I'm so obsessed with song... well, all of their songs. I live in the states but I hope to see them live one day!
viejocharlie
Esta canción recuerdo que la usaron los de la Televisión de Galicia en un vídeo cuando el Compostela ascendió a 1ª (o puede que fuese cuando ascendió a 2ª). Ahí queda el dato.
Ruth Acosta Trujillo
Ojo! Los vi en Ortigueira y no tocaron esta canción!!! Una de mis favoritas de todos los tiempos!!!
Geri Thomas
Not actually a video but what a brilliant song
MrMiguesin
Genial
gaspode18
All night long from bar to bar The devil is a falling star He knows who you really are He walks in hidden places Yep, I've had nights like that..........
sebastian von Nebenan
gaspode18
You don't need to remind us...
;)