Fresh from a successful string of regional headline tour dates, they have also toured the UK with Keston Cobblers’ Club and recorded a live video session for ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris so far this year. They made their festival debut in 2012 at Festibelly, on the same line-up as acts including Bastille and We Were Evergreen and, having spent the latter part of 2013 touring the festival circuit (including Green Man, LeeFest, Standon Calling and London FolkFest ) they return this summer to make their debut at Cambridge Folk Festival in addition to Lyme Folk Weekend, Hop Farm, Larmer Tree, Wilderness and Green Man festivals.
They released their debut record The Boatswain’s Refuge EP in May 2013. Produced by BBC Folk Award nominee Ben Walker and recorded at the historic Crypt Studios in north London, the EP was released via Folkroom Records and radio highlights include BBC Radio 2 amongst others. They were also asked to record a song for For Folk’s Sake’s annual Christmas compilation in 2013 and their version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen was championed by both BBC Radio 6 and Amazing Radio.
"One of, if not the single most promising folk act to emerge so far this decade."
(7BitArcade)
"Beautifully mellifluous"
(Genevieve Tudor, BBC)
"Utterly impossible not to sing, stamp, clap along"
(Sofar Sounds)
Daniel
Patch and The Giant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Step into the light,
And out of the dark
They hauled you away, I heard someone say:
"Don't ever stop."
Daniel, you talk of dreams
But they tapped out your heart,
They hauled you away, the cynics, they say:
"It's all what it seems."
Daniel, you talk of lust
But the man in the moon
Saw your love for undress
His slippery aunt seems to take the command,
And your flag to the cross,
And your shoes to the stand, you said-
I am a warship, I long to see land
I am a warship, I long to see land
I am a warship, I long to see land!
But there ain't
Nothing
Left.
Time to draw the line,
You're acting like a fool
Trying to save these souls,
Tell me Daniel, who'll save you?
Put you away all the time
It's all you have and more
Tell me you're a soldier
You're a killer
You're a lover
You're a sinner
You're a whore!
You're a sinner, you're a whore
You're a sinner, you're a whore
You're a sinner, you're a whore
Daniel, you talk of theft
But they took all your heart
Til you had nothing left
Your might starts to faint at the feet of these saints,
They took all that you're worth,
You left all that you ain't
You said shame will befall those that laugh at my name
You said shame will befall those that laugh at my name
You said shame will befall those that laugh at my name!
Time to draw the line,
You're acting like a fool
Trying to save these souls,
Tell me Daniel, who'll save you?
Put you away all the time
It's all you have and more
Tell me you're a soldier
You're a killer
You're a lover
You're a sinner
You're a whore!
Time to draw the line,
You're acting like a fool
Trying to save these souls,
Tell me Daniel, who'll save you?
Put you away all the time
It's all you have and more
Tell me you're a soldier
You're a killer
You're a lover
You're a sinner
You're a whore!
The lyrics of Patch and the Giant’s “Daniel” are full of conflict and contradiction, and the song seems to be an exploration of identity and the struggle to come to terms with who you are. The eponymous Daniel is someone who talks about love, dreams, and lust but has had his heart broken and his dreams shattered by those who want to take advantage of him. He is seen as a fool by those who want to exploit him, but he is also a soldier, a killer, a lover, a sinner, and a whore.
Throughout the song, Daniel is struggling to find his own identity, and he seems to be torn between several different identities. He talks of love and dreams, but he is also seen as someone who is easily taken advantage of by others. He talks of lust, but he is also someone who is struggling to find his own place in the world. He is a warship who longs to see land, but he is also someone who is lost and searching for meaning in his life.
The lyrics of “Daniel” are full of ambiguity and uncertainty, and they seem to be a reflection of the struggles that many people go through in trying to define themselves and their place in the world. In the end, it is unclear whether Daniel will be able to find peace and acceptance, but the song seems to suggest that he will continue to struggle with his identity and his place in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Daniel, you talk of love
The singer is discussing the concept of love
Step into the light,
The singer is told to come out of the shadows
And out of the dark
The singer is asked to leave behind his troubles
They hauled you away, I heard someone say:
The artist was taken somewhere by force, and someone heard about it
"Don't ever stop."
The artist is advised to keep going despite the challenges
Daniel, you talk of dreams
The singer talks about his dreams
But they tapped out your heart,
The singer's heart was broken by his dreams' failure
And tore out the seams
His hopes have been destroyed
They hauled you away, the cynics, they say:
The artist is taken away again, and pessimists commented on it
"It's all what it seems."
The situation's appearance matches what people expected it to be.
Daniel, you talk of lust
The singer talks about his desire
But the man in the moon
The man in the moon
Saw your love for undress
Saw the singer's desire for nudity
His slippery aunt seems to take the command,
Someone tries to take control of the situation.
And your flag to the cross,
Certain things dear to the singer are lost
And your shoes to the stand, you said-
The artist's shoes are on a stand and he said:
I am a warship, I long to see land
The artist sees himself as a warship that wants to reach land
But there ain't
But there is
Nothing
Nothing
Left.
Left.
Time to draw the line,
It's time to set some boundaries
You're acting like a fool
The artist is acting foolishly
Trying to save these souls,
The singer is trying to help people
Tell me Daniel, who'll save you?
Who will save the artist?
Put you away all the time
The singer is always being locked away
It's all you have and more
Being locked away is his entire life
Tell me you're a soldier
The singer is asked if he is a soldier
You're a killer
The artist is asked if he is a killer
You're a lover
The artist is asked if he is a lover
You're a sinner
The singer is asked if he is a sinner
You're a whore!
The singer is called a whore!
Daniel, you talk of theft
The artist talks about theft
But they took all your heart
But someone took the artist's heart
Til you had nothing left
To the point where he has nothing left
Your might starts to faint at the feet of these saints,
The singer's strength is failing in front of these pious people
They took all that you're worth,
His worth has been stripped from him
You left all that you ain't
He has nothing left that he isn't
You said shame will befall those that laugh at my name
You said those who make fun of me will be shamed
Time to draw the line,
It's time to set some boundaries
You're acting like a fool
The artist is acting foolishly
Trying to save these souls,
The artist is trying to help people
Tell me Daniel, who'll save you?
Who will save the singer?
Put you away all the time
The singer is always being locked away
It's all you have and more
Being locked away is his entire life
Tell me you're a soldier
The artist is asked if he is a soldier
You're a killer
The artist is asked if he is a killer
You're a lover
The singer is asked if he is a lover
You're a sinner
The artist is asked if he is a sinner
You're a whore!
The singer is called a whore!
Contributed by Callie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
The Live Sessions
love this track, so good
Charis Talbot-Jones
you guys are the best!!!!
rotovegas1
Brilliant track and video. Looking forward to seeing you at the Cambridge Folk Festival this week.
David Rance
Really good!! But poor Daniel!
reverie
I remember hearing u at elderflower when I was little being trying to find ur band ever since. Love your songs I hope your all well.
DanDrmr
Really enjoyed watching that
:)
graeme kelly
Good sound young Mr Owen and friends