He became widely known for his version of "Wind Beneath My Wings" (1982), as well as his own compositions "Durham Town (The Leavin')" (1969) and "I Don't Believe in If Anymore" (1970), his 1970 hit "New World in the Morning" and his 1975 hit "The Last Farewell" (his only single to hit the US Billboard Hot 100, making it to the Top 20).
Whittakers first chart success came in 1969 when "Durham Town (The Leavin')" was his first UK Top 20 hit. In 1970 came two follow-up hits, "I Don't Believe In If Anymore" (Top 10) and "New World In The Morning" (Top 20), and 1971 brought two smaller hit singles "Why" and "Mamy Blue".
Whittaker was absent from the UK singles chart until 1975, when "The Last Farewell" went Top 3, after which it was another eleven years until "Skye Boat Song" returned him to the Top 10 of the singles chart.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Whittaker had success in Germany, with German language songs produced by Nick Munro (unable to speak German at that time, Whittaker sang the songs phonetically). In time he became more fluent in German and sang and was interviewed in German on Danish television in November 2008. Whittaker retired from touring in 2013.
Early One Morning
Roger Whittaker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard a maid sing in the valley below
"Oh don't deceive me, Oh never leave me,
How could you use, a poor maiden so?"
Remember the vows that you made to me truly
Remember how tenderly you nestled close to me
Gay is the garland, fresh are the roses
I've culled from the garden to bind over thee.
Here I now wander alone as I wonder
Why did you leave me to sigh and complain
I ask of the roses, why should I be forsaken,
Why must I here in sorrow remain?
Through yonder grove, by the spring that is running
There you and I have so merrily played,
Kissing and courting and gently sporting
Oh, my innocent heart you've betrayed
How could you slight so a pretty girl who loves you
A pretty girl who loves you so dearly and warm?
Though love's folly is surely but a fancy,
Still it should prove to me sweeter than your scorn.
Soon you will meet with another pretty maiden
Some pretty maiden, you'll court her for a while;
Thus ever ranging, turning and changing
Always seeking for a girl that is new.
Thus sang the maiden, her sorrows bewailing
Thus sang the poor maid in the valley below
"Oh don't deceive me, Oh never leave me,
How could you use, a poor maiden so?"
The lyrics of Roger Whittaker's "Early One Morning" depict a young woman's heartbreak and betrayal as she laments the departure of her lover. The song opens with the woman hearing a bird's song in the morning and wishing that her lover had not left her alone. Then, she asks him to remember the promises that he had made to her truly, and the moments they shared together, as she binds him with a "gay garland, fresh roses" that she has picked from the garden. However, she continues to wander alone, wondering why he left her to be forsaken, and questioning the reasons for her sorrow.
As the woman walks through the grove where they had previously played, the memory of kissing and courting him, as well as the tenderness of her heart, is shattered when she realizes that he has betrayed her. She is hurt but still yearns for his love, hoping that his scornful treatment of her will one day prove to be sweeter than his love. The song ends with the realization that her lover will soon court another girl, and she will remain heartbroken in the valley, remembering the love that she once had for him.
Overall, the song conveys the pain and sorrow of a woman who has been betrayed by her lover, and her desperate attempts to hold on to the love that she once had for him, despite the harsh reality of the situation. It serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of love and the heartbreak that can ensue when it is not reciprocated.
Line by Line Meaning
Early one morning, just as the sun was rising
At the break of dawn, as the sun began to peek up, I woke up to a sound in the valley below.
I heard a maid sing in the valley below
I listened to a young woman, singing out her heart's aches and pains in the valley beneath me.
"Oh don't deceive me, Oh never leave me,
How could you use, a poor maiden so?"
"Don't you dare deceive me or abandon me, how could you treat a poor maiden like me so cruelly?" The girl begs her lover to be truthful and respectful with her.
Remember the vows that you made to me truly
Remember how tenderly you nestled close to me
She reminds her partner of the promises he made to her, and the sweetness of their love for each other.
Gay is the garland, fresh are the roses
I've culled from the garden to bind over thee.
She adorns him with a wreath of flowers, freshly picked from the garden as a symbol of her love.
Here I now wander alone as I wonder
Why did you leave me to sigh and complain
The girl is struggling with being alone and is confused about why her lover has abandoned her, causing her to sigh and complain.
I ask of the roses, why should I be forsaken,
Why must I here in sorrow remain?
She speaks to the roses she picked for her love, asking why she has been left alone and must endure such pain.
Through yonder grove, by the spring that is running
There you and I have so merrily played,
Kissing and courting and gently sporting
Oh, my innocent heart you've betrayed
She recalls the joy they had together, playful and in love in the grove by the stream, but now feels that he has betrayed her innocent heart.
How could you slight so a pretty girl who loves you
A pretty girl who loves you so dearly and warm?
Though love's folly is surely but a fancy,
Still it should prove to me sweeter than your scorn.
The girl is wondering how he could hurt her when she loves him so much, and even though love can be foolish, it should still be a better alternative to his cruel treatment.
Soon you will meet with another pretty maiden
Some pretty maiden, you'll court her for a while;
Thus ever ranging, turning and changing
Always seeking for a girl that is new.
The girl believes that her lover will soon move onto another pretty girl to court for a short time, as he never seems content with just one woman, always seeking out someone new and different.
Thus sang the maiden, her sorrows bewailing
Thus sang the poor maid in the valley below
"Oh don't deceive me, Oh never leave me,
How could you use, a poor maiden so?"
In her melancholy, the girl continues singing her sad song, begging for her lover's honesty and commitment, and wondering how he could use and hurt a poor maiden like herself.
Contributed by Anthony L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ysgol3
By a mile the best version of this song I've ever heard.
Just wonderful, thank you!
@pochogabino1953
:)
@jaakkotoppi5147
The best of Roger, I rember when I was young, I love this
@jimmymackinnon715
king of whistlers!!! a cool dude!!
@sixtinedoat2806
C'est la chanson de Spike dans Buffy contre les vampires! ❤
@davidchamberlain5425
No.1 whistler.
@claudiapadilla9238
Excelente
@raulantonio65
Fantastic song.
@franchescaceleste2154
TRUEST TALLENT !!!
@turidauneknudsen3543
Ingen over, ingen ved siden av <3 heilt fantastisk både stemme og whisling - så vakkert så vakkert <3