Few survivors from the golden age of British folk-rock have kept their reputations intact. Of the generation of troubadours who came of age in the folk clubs of London in the mid-1960s, some have passed away, others have surrendered to the regurgitation of the blandest form of acoustic folk music. But among the survivors, there is one figure whose body of work, comprising 23 studio LPs and almost as many live and compilation releases, has come to stand for a particularly single-minded form of integrity. That man is Roy Harper.
Now officially ‘retired’, and living in a secluded corner of Ireland, Harper has recently been hailed as a key influence by a much younger generation of devoted starsailors who instinctively recognise his innovations, his refusal to compromise and his visionary world view. It is rumoured that Joanna Newsom insisted she’d only play her recent UK shows if he would support her. The likes of Fleet Foxes, Joanna Newsom, and Jim O’Rourke are avowed fans; and in previous decades he has enjoyed public endorsements and tributes from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Kate Bush, Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour and many more.
Biography
Born in 1941, Harper lost his mother within a few weeks of his birth and was brought up in the outskirts of Manchester by his father and stepmother, a Jehovah's Witness. Harper developed a deep hatred of organised religion and ran away, aged 15, to join the Royal Air Force. The rigid discipline required did not suit him. In order to be discharged early he pleaded insanity and was committed to an institution where he received ECT. A former participant in the skiffle revolution in the mid-50s, around 1964 Harper found himself joining the stream of bohemian rambler-buskers hitching and singing their way around Europe and North Africa. On his return to Britain he pitched in to the London coffee-house folk scene and secured a residence at legendary folk club Les Cousins, where he was spotted by the obscure Strike label.
Beginning with 1966’s Sophisticated Beggar, Harper’s music has consistently rattled the cage of received ideas. His versatile, poetic sensibility was employed in a wide range of song styles from romantic love songs to late-night mantras to blackly comedic throwaway numbers. A brilliant, percussive guitar stylist in his own right, he extended the form of folk music over the next few years, allowing himself the space to stretch out in long, lyrically dense and mantrically repetitive odysseys of poetic thought. “I was writing long poems in the 50s,” says Harper, “none of which unfortunately made it past the first few moves of living quarters. My first inspiration was John Keats’s Endymion.”
The first inklings of his expansive approach on record came on the ten minute “Circle” on 1967’s Come Out Fighting Genghis Smith – produced by Shel Talmy – and was vastly ramped up on the following year’s Folkjokeopus, which contained an 18 minute “McGoohan’s Blues”, named after the lead actor of TV’s The Prisoner and whose enigmatic verses were laced with anti-establishment rants.
By this time Harper was a favourite at the outdoor Hyde Park Festivals, where he was exposed to the wider attention of the underground scene. Now produced and managed by Peter Jenner, and signed to EMI’s progressive label Harvest, his 1969 LP Flat Baroque And Berserk reflected his reputation as a bloodyminded, truculent troubadour, reflecting turbulent times with anger, wrath and sardonic humour, singing – like the mistle thrush after which his next opus would be named – into the eye of the storm.
Stormcock (1971) is generally regarded as a masterpiece: a sprawling but focused suite of four lengthy tracks which explored the inner space of Abbey Road Studio to rhapsodic effect. Like Astral Weeks refracted through the pages of OZ magazine, the songs span an enormous spectrum of experience, from the frontline of social unrest to the secluded, birdsong-infested lanes of the English countryside. Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page added guitar, disguised as ‘S Flavius Mercurius’, highlighting a relationship with the group that had begun at the 1970 Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music. “Hats Off To (Roy) Harper”, an incoherent, gutsy blues workout on Led Zeppelin III, paid tribute to the singer’s status as a beacon of integrity for the underground scene.
Harper enjoyed a special relationship with Led Zeppelin, and his subsequent albums began to move into harder rock territory with the addition of various key collaborators including, as well as Page, orchestral arranger/keyboardist David Bedford, David Gilmour, Chris Spedding, Bill Bruford and John Paul Jones. Lifemask (1972) contained several songs written for the film Made, directed by John Mackenzie, which starred Harper as an edgy, high-maintenance rock star. Valentine (1974) was launched with a gig featuring Page and Bedford plus Ronnie Lane and Keith Moon. He was invited to sing lead on the single “Have A Cigar” from Pink Floyd’s classic album Wish You Were Here (1975). In the same year Harper released HQ, a rock based album notable for the closing track, “When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease”, an elegiac hymn to unchanging ways and mortality which BBC DJ John Peel insisted should be played in the event of his death.
With the dawn of the 1980s Harper took part in a musical exchange with Kate Bush, who guested on The Unknown Soldier (1980), while Harper returned the favour by appearing on Bush’s hit single “Breathing”. Harper rode the unsteady waves of the music industry during the early 1980s but kept up a productive output that saw his music taking on a prophetic role, expressing more explicit concerns with environmental disaster, religious fundamentalism, urban poverty and the first Gulf War, on releases like Once (1990) and The Dream Society (1998), through to his most recent studio album, The Green Man (2000). In 1994, exhibiting typical desire for autonomy and self-sufficiency, he set up his own record label, Science Friction, to curate and rerelease his entire back catalogue, along with a clutch of CDs of live and unreleased material covering his entire career. In his book, The Passions Of Great Fortune (2003), he published his complete lyrics together with photos, annotations and re-evaluations of every one of his songs.
With a new series of reissues in 2011, Roy Harper’s incredible, visionary catalogue of work enters the digital domain in time for his music to take on a new, urgent and timely appeal, in an age in which the hypocrisies and injustices he railed against are more present than ever before. It’s been a damned good innings and he’s still not out.
McGoohan's Blues
Roy Harper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wondering whether the water the wind of the where
I fear that someday he might ask me if mine is the blame
And I've got no reply save to tell him it's all just a game
And Heather and I lay together and I was in love
She weighted up the gains and the losses and gave me the shove
The fear of mankind's untogetherness pounds in my heart
The deceit of my friends the betrayals of which I am part
And howls with the dancing wind
To see my two feet standing here questioning
And I'm just a social experiment tailored to size
I've tried out the national machine and the welfare surprise
I'm the rich man the poor man the peace man the war man the beast
The festive consumer who ends up consumed in the feast
And my fife eyed promoter is clutching two birds in the bush
He's a thief he's as bad as the joker they're both in the rush
He's telling me Ghandi was handy and Jesus sold his ring
(Dunno who to, God maybe)
"And everyone knows dat dis dough's gonna make me de king"
And O how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see my two feet standing here questioning
Meanwhile the ticket collectors are punching their holes
Into your memories your journeys and into your souls
Your life sentence starts and the judge hands you down a spare wig
Saying: "Get out of that and goodbye old boy have a good gig"
And the town label makers stare down with their gallery eyes
And point with computer stained fingers each time you arise
To the rules and the codes and the system that keeps them in chains
Which is where they belong with no poems no love and no brains
And O how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see my two feet standing there questioning
Meanwhile the TV commercials are sweeping the day
Brainwashing innocent kids into thinking their way
The wet politicians and clergymen have much to say
Defending desires of the sheep they are leading astray
And Ma's favourite pop star is forcing a grin he's a smash
Obliging the soft-headed viewers to act just as flash
The village TV hooks its victims on give away cash
The addicts are numbers who serve to perpetuate trash
And O how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see my stupid poetry shuffleing
And the bankers and tycoons and hoarders of money and art
Full up with baubles and bibles and full of no heart
Who travel first class on a pleasure excursion to fame
Are the eyes that are guiding society's ludicrous aim
And the village is making its Sunday collection in church
The church wobbles 'twixt hell and heaven's crumbling perch
Unnoticed the money box loudly endorses the shame
As the world that Christ fought is supported by using his name
And O how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see my stupid poetry burbling
And the pin-striped sardine-cum-magician is packed in his train
Censoring all of the censorship filling his brain
He glares through his armour-plate vision and says "Hmm, insane"
The prisoner is taking his shoes off to walk in the rain
And the luminous green prima donna is sniffing the sky
She daren't tread the earth that she's smelling her birth was too high
Her bank balance castle is built on opinion and fear
Which is all she allows within three hundred miles of her ear
And O how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see my stupid poetry burbling
And I've seen all your pedestal values your good and your bad
If you really believe them your passing is going to be hard
And I've thought through our thought and I know that its blind silly season
Occurs when our reasoning is trying to fathom a reason
And if you really know it's all a joke but you're just putting me on
Well it's sure a good act that you've got 'cos you never let on
But if all of that supersale overkill world is for real
Well there's nowhere to go kid so you might as well start to freewheel
And O how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see my two feet standing there burbling
And I had this dream in here same time as standing awake
These various visions rushed through as I giggled and quaked
The distant guns thunder my end and I duck for a while
Auntie Lily is handing me candy she chuckles I smile
And our village is where I was born and it's where I will die
And I'll never be able to leave it whatever I try
The ebb and the flow of the forces of life pass me by
Which is all that I'll know from my birth to my last gasping sigh
And O how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see the dying lying there obeying
My age and my time
The blood fire wine and rhyme
That fills my dream reminds me of an atom in a bubble on a wave
That held its breath for one sweet second then was popped and disappeared
Into fruitful futilities meaningless meaning
Meaningless meaning
Under the toadstool lover down by the dream
Everything flowing over rainbows downstream
Silver the turning water flying away
I'll come to see you sooner I'm on my way
And there's a mirror that I'm looking straight through
And I get it
And there's a doorway that I'm ducking into
To forget it
But flashing just beyond the sky the shattering midnight gathers
And reminding me behind my mind the earth quakes the sun flakes flutter
Over the mountain fairground
Candy flies stay
Under the moonshine fountain
I'm on my way
Lemon tree blossom ladies
Poured my tea
After the blue sky breezes following me
There's a river that I'm making it with
And I know it
And I'm floating to I don't care where
I just go it
But flashing just beyond the sky the shattering midnight gathers
And reminding me behind my mind the earth quakes the sun flakes flutter
Daffodil April petal hiding the game
Forests of restless chessmen life is the same
Tides in the sand sun lover watching us dream
Covered in stars and clover rainbows downstream
And the question in the great big underneath is forever
And the fanfare that I'm forcing through my teeth answers "Never"
But the flashing just beyond the sky the shattering midnight gathers
And reminding me behind my mind the earth quakes the sun flakes flutter
The pumpkin coach and the rags approach and the wind is devouring the ashes
The lyrics to "McGoohan's Blues" by Roy Harper contain a lot of social commentary and critique. The song opens up with a father reflecting on his child, Nicky, questioning the world around him. The fear of being unable to provide a response to his son's inquiry plagues him, as he ultimately resorts to dismissing the world's problems as "just a game". The lyrics highlight the struggle of individuals belonging to the system and trying to navigate their way through the complexities of a society dictated by consumerism and conformity. Harper's disdain for the establishment is evident in many lines throughout the song, including references to brainwashing through TV ads and the betrayal of friends.
As the song progresses, Harper touches on the emotional turmoil of love and relationships, specifically his own experiences. He speaks of being in love with Heather, who despite being physically intimate, ultimately rejects him due to her rationality-based decision making. The lyrics highlight the contrast between love and reason, two forces that often seem in opposition in modern life. Harper goes on to criticize the capitalist system, highlighting the manipulative nature of wealth and power-seeking tycoons, hoarders of money and art often without hearts to match.
Lastly, the song takes on an introspective tone, where Harper reflects on his personal journey through life. The lyrics paint a picture of someone trying to find meaning in the chaotic world around them, seeking to escape the confines of societal norms and expectations. The final lines of the song allude to ashes being consumed by the wind, hinting at the ephemeral nature of life and existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Nicky my child he stands there with the wind in his hair
Nicky, my child, stands confidently, his hair blowing in the wind
Wondering whether the water the wind of the where
Contemplating the mysteries of life, questioning the origins of water and wind
I fear that someday he might ask me if mine is the blame
I worry that one day he may blame me for his problems or shortcomings
And I've got no reply save to tell him it's all just a game
I have no answer for him, except to say that life is unpredictable and should be approached as a game
And Heather and I lay together and I was in love
Heather and I shared intimate moments and I was deeply in love with her
She weighted up the gains and the losses and gave me the shove
She carefully considered the pros and cons of our relationship and decided to end it
The fear of mankind's untogetherness pounds in my heart
I am deeply disturbed by the lack of unity and connection among people
The deceit of my friends the betrayals of which I am part
I am burdened by the dishonesty of my friends and the times when I have betrayed others
And O how the sea she roars with laughter
The sea laughs mockingly
And howls with the dancing wind
The wind howls in rhythm with the sea
To see my two feet standing here questioning
To witness my uncertainty and questioning of the world
Meanwhile the ticket collectors are punching their holes
Ticket collectors continue their monotonous job, punching holes in tickets
Into your memories your journeys and into your souls
They leave a mark in people's memories, symbolizing their journeys and impact on their souls
Your life sentence starts and the judge hands you down a spare wig
Your predetermined fate begins and the judge gives you a meaningless token
Saying: 'Get out of that and goodbye old boy have a good gig'
Telling you to move on and create a successful life despite the emptiness
And the town label makers stare down with their gallery eyes
The judgmental people of the town watch with critical eyes
And point with computer stained fingers each time you arise
And criticize every step you take using their technological prowess
To the rules and the codes and the system that keeps them in chains
They adhere to the oppressive rules and codes that keep them trapped
Which is where they belong with no poems no love and no brains
This is their rightful place, devoid of creativity, affection, and intelligence
Meanwhile the TV commercials are sweeping the day
TV commercials dominate the day
Brainwashing innocent kids into thinking their way
Manipulating impressionable children to adopt their beliefs
The wet politicians and clergymen have much to say
Corrupt politicians and religious leaders have their own agenda
Defending desires of the sheep they are leading astray
Protecting their own self-interests while misleading their followers
And Ma's favourite pop star is forcing a grin he's a smash
My mother's beloved pop star, despite appearing happy, is controlled by the industry
Obliging the soft-headed viewers to act just as flash
Encouraging gullible viewers to imitate his extravagant lifestyle
The village TV hooks its victims on give away cash
The TV in the village tempts people with promises of easy money
The addicts are numbers who serve to perpetuate trash
The addicted viewers are mere statistics, contributing to the perpetuation of shallow content
And the bankers and tycoons and hoarders of money and art
The wealthy elite, obsessed with material possessions and wealth
Full up with baubles and bibles and full of no heart
They possess material possessions and religious beliefs, but lack compassion
Who travel first class on a pleasure excursion to fame
They indulge in luxurious travels while seeking fame and recognition
Are the eyes that are guiding society's ludicrous aim
They hold the power and dictate society's absurd goals
And the village is making its Sunday collection in church
The villagers are donating money to the church on Sundays
The church wobbles 'twixt hell and heaven's crumbling perch
The church struggles between evil and its diminishing influence
Unnoticed the money box loudly endorses the shame
The collection of money in the church highlights the hypocrisy
As the world that Christ fought is supported by using his name
The world, which goes against the teachings of Christ, exploits his name for its own benefit
And the pin-striped sardine-cum-magician is packed in his train
The deceitful and flashy entertainer is in a crowded train
Censoring all of the censorship filling his brain
Engaging in self-censorship to maintain his image and reputation
He glares through his armour-plate vision and says 'Hmm, insane'
He looks at the world with a distorted perspective and dismisses any criticism
The prisoner is taking his shoes off to walk in the rain
The imprisoned individual finds solace in nature, even if it means getting wet
And the luminous green prima donna is sniffing the sky
The attention-seeking diva is detached from reality, exploring the wonders of the sky
She daren't tread the earth that she's smelling her birth was too high
She is afraid to engage with the world, as she believes she is superior
Her bank balance castle is built on opinion and fear
Her wealth and status are based on the opinions of others and her own fears
Which is all she allows within three hundred miles of her ear
She only accepts information within her comfort zone and refuses to listen to different perspectives
And I've seen all your pedestal values your good and your bad
I have observed the values and virtues you hold dear, both the positive and negative
If you really believe them your passing is going to be hard
If you truly believe in these values, it will be difficult for you to move on or evolve
And I've thought through our thought and I know that its blind silly season
I have analyzed our thoughts and realized that they are illogical and absurd
Occurs when our reasoning is trying to fathom a reason
It happens when we try to make sense of something using flawed reasoning
And if you really know it's all a joke but you're just putting me on
And if you are aware that everything is just a joke but pretending not to be
Well it's sure a good act that you've got 'cos you never let on
You are skilled at acting and never reveal your true thoughts or feelings
But if all of that supersale overkill world is for real
But if this exaggerated and excessive world is actually real
Well there's nowhere to go kid so you might as well start to freewheel
There is no escape or destination in this world, so you might as well go with the flow
And I had this dream in here same time as standing awake
I experienced a dream while being awake, blending reality with fantasy
These various visions rushed through as I giggled and quaked
Different visions and ideas flooded my mind, evoking both laughter and fear
The distant guns thunder my end and I duck for a while
The sound of distant guns symbolizes my impending doom, causing me to momentarily seek safety
Auntie Lily is handing me candy she chuckles I smile
In the midst of chaos, Auntie Lily offers me comfort and joy by giving me candy
And our village is where I was born and it's where I will die
I was born and will ultimately meet my end in this village
And I'll never be able to leave it whatever I try
No matter what I do, I will forever be tied to this village
The ebb and the flow of the forces of life pass me by
I observe the constant fluctuation of life's experiences from a passive standpoint
Which is all that I'll know from my birth to my last gasping sigh
This is the only reality I will ever know, from the moment of my birth until my final breath
The blood fire wine and rhyme
Symbolizes the energy, passion, indulgence, and creativity of life
That fills my dream reminds me of an atom in a bubble on a wave
These elements fill my dreams and evoke the fleeting and temporary nature of existence
That held its breath for one sweet second then was popped and disappeared
Like an atom trapped in a bubble on a wave, life is fragile and easily lost
Into fruitful futilities meaningless meaning
The pursuit of meaningful existence ultimately leads to futile endeavors and empty significance
Meaningless meaning
The paradoxical idea of finding meaning within meaninglessness
Under the toadstool lover down by the dream
Finding solace and intimacy in a hidden, fantastical realm
Everything flowing over rainbows downstream
Everything exists in a continuous flow of experiences, symbolized by rainbows flowing downstream
Silver the turning water flying away
The water glistens and moves swiftly, appearing as if it's flying away
I'll come to see you sooner I'm on my way
I promise to visit you soon, as I am already on my journey
And there's a mirror that I'm looking straight through
I see beyond the surface of things, looking directly into the truth
And I get it
And I understand
And there's a doorway that I'm ducking into
I am avoiding a metaphorical entrance or exit, seeking shelter or escape
To forget it
To temporarily escape or ignore the truth
But flashing just beyond the sky the shattering midnight gathers
However, beyond the sky, a chaotic midnight approaches
And reminding me behind my mind the earth quakes the sun flakes flutter
And deep within my subconscious, the earth trembles and the sun's rays become unstable
Over the mountain fairground
Above the mountain, a lively and vibrant scene
Candy flies stay
Sweet treats are scattered and remain in the air
Under the moonshine fountain
Beneath the moonlit fountain
I'm on my way
I am continuing my journey
Lemon tree blossom ladies
Women adorned in lemon blossoms
Poured my tea
Served me tea
After the blue sky breezes following me
The cool wind following my every step through the clear blue sky
Covered in stars and clover rainbows downstream
Surrounded by stars and clovers, like rainbows flowing downstream
And the question in the great big underneath is forever
The question that exists within the depths of our being is eternal
And the fanfare that I'm forcing through my teeth answers 'Never'
And the exaggerated enthusiasm and excitement I express hides the truth that the answer is 'Never'
But flashing just beyond the sky the shattering midnight gathers
But beyond the sky, a disruptive and turbulent midnight is approaching
And reminding me behind my mind the earth quakes the sun flakes flutter
And deep within my subconscious, the earth trembles and the sun's rays become unstable
Daffodil April petal hiding the game
April daffodils hide the illusions and deception of life
Forests of restless chessmen life is the same
Analogizing life to a chessboard where individuals are constantly striving and competing
Tides in the sand sun lover watching us dream
The ebb and flow of the tide symbolizes the cycle of life, while the sun observes our dreams
Covered in stars and clover rainbows downstream
Surrounded by stars and clovers, like rainbows flowing downstream
And the question in the great big underneath is forever
The question that exists within the depths of our being is eternal
And the fanfare that I'm forcing through my teeth answers 'Never'
And the exaggerated enthusiasm and excitement I express hides the truth that the answer is 'Never'
But flashing just beyond the sky the shattering midnight gathers
But beyond the sky, a disruptive and turbulent midnight is approaching
And reminding me behind my mind the earth quakes the sun flakes flutter
And deep within my subconscious, the earth trembles and the sun's rays become unstable
The pumpkin coach and the rags approach and the wind is devouring the ashes
The fairytale-like carriage and the tattered clothing signify the fleeting nature of material possessions, while the wind consumes the remnants of past identities
Contributed by Wyatt N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.