Richard Thompson OBE (born 3 April 1949, Notting Hill, London) is a British… Read Full Bio ↴Richard Thompson OBE (born 3 April 1949, Notting Hill, London) is a British singer/songwriter and guitarist. Highly regarded for his guitar techniques, Thompson was awarded the Orville H. Gibson award for best acoustic guitar player in 1991. Similarly, his songwriting has earned him an Ivor Novello Award and, in 2006, a lifetime achievement award from BBC Radio. Thompson made his debut as a recording artist as a member of Fairport Convention in September 1967. He left the group in 1971 and began recording with his wife as Richard & Linda Thompson, before their marriage dissolved in 1983. Since then, Thompson has maintained a critically-acclaimed solo career.

He continues to write and record new material and performs live frequently throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.

Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. On 5 July 2011, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa was conferred on Thompson by the University of Aberdeen, in a ceremony at the University's Elphinstone Hall.

Sumer is Icumen In
Richard Thompson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Summer has come in
Sing loudly, cuckoo!
Seed grows and meadows bloom
And the wood springs forth anew.
Sing, cuccu!

The ewe bleats after the lamb
The cow lows after the calf

The bull leaps, the buck farts.
Murie sing, cuccu!

Cuccu, cuccu,
You sing well, cuccu.
Never be quiet now, ever!

Sing cuccu nu, sing cuccu!
Sing cuccu, sing cuccu nu!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Richard Thompson's song "Sumer is Icumen In" describe the arrival of summer and the various signs of life emerging during this time. The song begins with a call to celebrate the season, represented by the cuckoo bird singing loudly. As nature wakes up from the harshness of winter, the seed grows and meadows come to bloom, while the woods come forth anew with vitality. The repetition of the phrase "Sing, cuccu!" reinforces the joyousness of the season and calls upon the listener to do the same.

The second part of the song focuses on the sounds of the farm animals, with the ewe bleating after the lamb and the cow lowing after the calf. The bull leaps and the buck farts, adding a humorous touch to the song. Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of a time of rebirth and new beginnings, as the warm weather brings about the growth and flourishing of both animals and nature.

Line by Line Meaning

Summer has come in
The warm and sunny season of summer has arrived.

Sing loudly, cuckoo!
Make joyful and celebratory music, cuckoo bird!

Seed grows and meadows bloom
The earth is coming to life as plants grow and flowers bloom in the meadows.

And the wood springs forth anew.
The forest is coming back to life with fresh new growth and foliage.

Sing, cuccu!
Keep singing, cuckoo bird!

The ewe bleats after the lamb
The baby sheep calls out for its mother and she responds with a bleat.

The cow lows after the calf
The young cow calls out for its mother and she responds with a lowing sound.

The bull leaps, the buck farts.
The male animals display their excitement in various ways, with the bull jumping and the buck letting out a fart.

Murie sing, cuccu!
Keep singing joyfully, cuckoo bird!

Cuccu, cuccu,
Cuckoo bird, cuckoo bird,

You sing well, cuccu.
You are a talented singer, cuckoo bird.

Never be quiet now, ever!
Keep singing without pause, forever!

Sing cuccu nu, sing cuccu!
Sing 'cuccu nu', cuckoo bird, keep singing!

Sing cuccu, sing cuccu nu!
Sing 'cuccu', cuckoo bird, sing 'cuccu nu'!

Contributed by Maya K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Parvel Shunk

7y↑2

I was very fortunate to see Thompson play this in concert.. It was pretty awesome.

Neil Diamondo

I love this song. Heard it on folk hour radio 2. It's the song at end of the wicker man

Jeffrey Spear

10y↑3

Good to know that people are still singing coo coo a little too lewdly.

Mike

10y↑6

lol @ ppl who think that bc it's medieval it cant have wordplay in it... have u ever read any premodern anything ever in ur life? wordplay has always been an important, valued, n humorous part of english (and human, in general) communication. chaucer's full of puns and bawdy jokes, so are anglo-saxon written works & all sorts of other texts both before and after this song's period.

D. D.

4y↑1

"It is time for you to keep your appointment with the Wicker Man".

Bruchag

12y

just great fun this...visually in the show, and the word play too...

Pinkie Pie

10y↑6

I cannot help but forget that this is a song from the 12th century written by anglo saxon peasants

Bruchag

11y↑1

Its ok, I know all about the song and its "place". I own the whole album audio and DVD and have seen and heard this "set" live in our Royal Concert Hall, with Debra and Judith assisting. My point is RT has a wicked sense of humour and is stressing the words in a certain way to add an ambivalence.