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.
The Game
Roy Harper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's not counting the tally
It's down to what comes up before the day
And the trees in the orchard were taken from a narrow view of time
Where the minds of the tortured perpetuated patron saints of crime
Oh civilisation.
I can fit into your puzzle but it's hardly, hardly ever a hold
The habits I've got are more than 10.000 years old
And we cannot sell our souls to learning morals
Big brother is no place for us to slide
We cannot live by numbers or on laurels
And hardly on how far from death we hide.
And it's not a case of rampant paranoia
But just an age I'd love to see unborn
Not that I'd be missing playing Goya
More like I feel awkward passing on
Civilisation, civilisation down to my children
Without a question.
While the prophets of freedom, battery farming brains for narrow minds
Have decided, yes they decided that meaning is far beyond the lives they left behind
As two thirds of the population dine
On scraps in shadow lengthening with time
While propaganda spreads the same old theme
You is me and we can change the game, bullshit.
Oh but how many times have we written these lines
And delivered these signs and not made it happen
Walking the tightrope of taking our head off
Losing the rhythm, idealising and all criticising
And not realising that we've changed and left and we've gone.
And sad to be leaving the things we believe in but time has a way and we fly
The next age is born and the old hands are gone and done in the wink of an eye
No point in passing bad reason good guessing, no time for massing much more than can flourish with love.
And right now, my darling, I'm lying here dreaming of feeling, no daylight between us
So wherever you are and whenever I'm there is someplace we've got to be ours
Can we right-heartedly stand in this light and see what might turn out to be crazy enough, enough to be we ?
When we've had a past sad enough to last for sometime into the future
These storms have torn and true love is alone and the past is almost a failure
Consciences burn in the programme turn, computing the social behaviour
But yoke revolts, the foundation bolts and cries for yet another saviour.
And I'd pack my things on a pair of wings and tomorrow I'd be parting
With the summer birds and the winter herds for a place to face a new heart in
But it makes no difference, where I am I'm in the game first hand
There are no certain answers and no time to understand
The rules are set to paradox, coercion and blind faith
The goal's a changing paradise, a moment out of date
The dream is righteous grandeur fit to flood the universe
The fact is more than meets the eye but less than runs the earth, running the earth.
And the prisoner of the present paces up and down inside his cell
He's the living replacement, somersaulting from this psychic well
Screaming : 'I'm the sponsor of a hell'
Voices like the sea inside a shell
Telling me I cannot stake a claim
Possession is a clue but not the game
So please leave this world as clean as when you came.
So please leave this world as clean as when you came
Please leave this world as clean as when you came
Please leave this world as clean as when you came
Please leave this world as clean as when you came.
The lyrics of Roy Harper's "The Game" portray a profound disillusionment with modern society, its values, and its treatment of the environment. Instead of blindly following the status quo, Harper urges for a return to more natural, intuitive behaviors and an emphasis on love and connection over individualistic gain. He critiques the way in which people have become disconnected from both themselves and the environment, constantly "walking the tightrope" of societal expectations and losing touch with their true selves. Additionally, he points out the injustices and propaganda perpetuated by those in power, particularly with regards to the vast wealth disparities and suffering experienced by the majority of the population while the select few reap the benefits.
The lyrics are riddled with imagery - an owl fixing its prey, trees taken from a narrow view of time, the sea inside of a shell, and more - each contributing to the song's haunting, thought-provoking quality. As a whole, "The Game" is a poignant call to action and a reminder that lasting change starts with individual action and mindfulness.
Line by Line Meaning
There's an owl in the valley fixing his prey
There's a predator watching and waiting for his chance to strike
He's not counting the tally
He doesn't care about keeping score
It's down to what comes up before the day
It's based on what happens before morning comes
And the trees in the orchard were taken from a narrow view of time
The trees were planted with limited foresight
Where the minds of the tortured perpetuated patron saints of crime
The people who were oppressed became criminals in order to survive
Oh civilisation.
These problems are a result of our society
I can fit into your puzzle but it's hardly, hardly ever a hold
I can try to conform to your expectations, but it's almost impossible to succeed
And I'll tell you, yeah yeah, tell you the trouble
I'm warning you about the problems you'll face in trying to control me
The habits I've got are more than 10.000 years old
My behavior is deeply ingrained and goes back thousands of years
And we cannot sell our souls to learning morals
We can't sacrifice our true selves in order to be taught right from wrong
Big brother is no place for us to slide
We shouldn't give in to authoritarian control
We cannot live by numbers or on laurels
We can't reduce our lives to statistics or rely on past achievements
And hardly on how far from death we hide.
We can't base our existence solely on avoiding death
And it's not a case of rampant paranoia
I'm not being unreasonably fearful
But just an age I'd love to see unborn
But rather a time in the future I wish I won't witness
Not that I'd be missing playing Goya
It's not that I'm looking forward to something else
More like I feel awkward passing on
It's just that I'm uncomfortable with the idea of not seeing progress happening
Civilisation, civilisation down to my children
The issues we face as a society will be passed down to future generations
Without a question.
Without doubt, this is certain to happen
While the prophets of freedom, battery farming brains for narrow minds
Those who claim to promote freedom are actually controlling and limiting people's thoughts
Have decided, yes they decided that meaning is far beyond the lives they left behind
Those in power have decided that their version of meaning is more important than the experiences of those they rule
As two thirds of the population dine
As the majority of the people struggle to make ends meet
On scraps in shadow lengthening with time
On barely enough food, while the situation gets worse over time
While propaganda spreads the same old theme
Propaganda continues to promote the same ideas without progress
You is me and we can change the game, bullshit.
The idea that we can easily change things together is a lie
Oh but how many times have we written these lines
How many times have we done this before
And delivered these signs and not made it happen
And tried to make change but failed
Walking the tightrope of taking our head off
Trying to balance between following the rules and being ourselves
Losing the rhythm, idealising and all criticising
Becoming lost and disorganized, while being overly critical of everything
And not realising that we've changed and left and we've gone.
Not being aware of how much things have changed and how much we've moved on
And sad to be leaving the things we believe in but time has a way and we fly
It's hard to let go of your ideals, but time moves on and so do we
The next age is born and the old hands are gone and done in the wink of an eye
Time moves so quickly that whole eras can come and go in an instant
No point in passing bad reason good guessing, no time for massing much more than can flourish with love.
There's no use sticking to bad arguments or blindly guessing, we should focus on things that can thrive with love
And right now, my darling, I'm lying here dreaming of feeling, no daylight between us
I'm dreaming of being intimately connected to someone special, with no barriers or secrets between us
So wherever you are and whenever I'm there is someplace we've got to be ours
No matter where we are or when we meet, we should cherish the time we have together
Can we right-heartedly stand in this light and see what might turn out to be crazy enough, enough to be we ?
Can we stand together in the face of uncertainty and find something that's worth fighting for, something that truly represents us?
When we've had a past sad enough to last for sometime into the future
When we've been through tough times that will affect us for a long time
These storms have torn and true love is alone and the past is almost a failure
We've been battered by hardships and true love is hard to find, and it feels like our past hasn't been successful
Consciences burn in the programme turn, computing the social behaviour
We're being pressured to ignore our conscience and go along with societal norms
But yoke revolts, the foundation bolts and cries for yet another saviour.
But we're starting to rebel against this control, and we're asking for a new type of leader or change
And I'd pack my things on a pair of wings and tomorrow I'd be parting
I can leave any time I want and start something new
With the summer birds and the winter herds for a place to face a new heart in
With the changing of seasons, I can find a new place to start over and find meaning
But it makes no difference, where I am I'm in the game first hand
But in the end, no matter where I go or what I do, I'm still stuck in the game of life
There are no certain answers and no time to understand
We can't always know what's going on or find answers, and time moves too quickly
The rules are set to paradox, coercion and blind faith
The rules of the game of life are contradictory, controlling, and based on a blind belief system
The goal's a changing paradise, a moment out of date
The ultimate goal is a constantly shifting ideal, and we're always one step behind it
The dream is righteous grandeur fit to flood the universe
Our dreams and hopes are grand and expansive, enough to fill the entire universe
The fact is more than meets the eye but less than runs the earth, running the earth.
Reality is more complex than it seems, but ultimately it's the mundane details that truly drive the world forward
And the prisoner of the present paces up and down inside his cell
People are trapped by their current circumstances, unable to escape or change their fate
He's the living replacement, somersaulting from this psychic well
We're all replaceable and interchangeable, and we're all struggling to find our place in life
Screaming : 'I'm the sponsor of a hell'
We're all struggling to find meaning in our lives and we often feel like we're in a hellish situation
Voices like the sea inside a shell
Our thoughts and worries are like a vast, endless sea that's contained within us
Telling me I cannot stake a claim
We're being told that we don't have a right to claim or own anything in this world
Possession is a clue but not the game
Ownership or control over things is important, but it's not the ultimate goal
So please leave this world as clean as when you came.
We should all try to make a positive impact on the world, and leave it in a better state than when we first arrived
Please leave this world as clean as when you came
This is a message that bears repeating, as we all have a responsibility to take care of this world
Please leave this world as clean as when you came
No matter who we are or where we come from, this simple message applies to us all
Please leave this world as clean as when you came.
Let's all do our part to make the world a better, cleaner, and more positive place
Contributed by Christian C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@bharris3730
In the 1970's, I was in high school- smallsville Kentucky (USA). There was a distant radio station for soldiers in Fort Knox, Ky. It was a very faint reception, though clear enough for a signal through my department store stereo. As a teenager, I went to great lengths with a roll of lamp cord wire to improve that reception. This was because there were such great experiences as this recording... (It was my bigger window into the distant WORLD of art- music). The Game, was the tune the station most often played. Others are also different, but equally wonderful. (I often called and requested it via a toll free number).
I remember having to special order this LP, as an import, at the town record store. "Who?" - "Roy Harper", I said. It seemed a bit of a struggle to fulfill.
When this album arrived, I was also intrigued by the album art (photography)- and the art company that produced it - "Hypnosis". That's all I remember, other than the skill of that work too. But it was only a short time later, still a teenager, I picked up a Joni Mitchell album Hejira. It too was also a great visual photographic design (and great music). As I looked at the footnotes, again, coincidentally, "Hypnosis", created the art- which won some awards. This was all high octane fuel for a young artist who remaind to be inspired by the (not well known where I was) great music like this. The record (a record) was a full package, when music was a differnt package... and a physical aquisition. (Roy even wrote out the lyrics and comments in his own handwriting on the jacket sleeve of the original LP).
Dreams fueled and alive, I moved to the Northeast (US) after school and college. I eventually became a successful photographer, inspired by the visuals and the music like this as my background soundtrack- inspiration. Thanks Roy. I also really like your penmanship (??). Yes, I think that enfluenced my handwriting as well. I sometimes get positive comments on my penmanship, only because it looks a bit like yours.
I might suggest reading more on-line about the making of this album. There were names I saw that surprised me. I can not footnote those sources, so I'll leave it to you the reader/researcher to discern the accuracey of the sources. It was a surprise for me (maybe). It may be for you too, but it is fitting of it's greatness. This is a great album that (for me) has stood the test of time, and THAT is even an understatement. It seems so fitting that it came from Abbey Road Studios. It was of that time, and energy. A marvelous gift of creativity.
@michaeldera4298
I was an impressionable spotty teenager when I bought this . Listened to it over and over again simply digesting the varied music. When an old cricketer I loved but wouldn't admit to my heavy rock mates . Hallucinating light had me baffled but strangley loved it . All grown ups are silly children struck a chord . Sadly lost the album many years ago . And missed it. Iam in my 60s now and was overjoyed to find it on cd. Now the lyrics have connected. . Roy and his son nick have always been on my gig list .
@davidpeel8431
I have the same story, but now listening to an 'Old Cricketer' I realize it is just as much about cricket as it is about life and the journey we are all on, and the exit. The Game is brilliant and it rocks, soo cool.
@solly2072
Love , love , love this . Still listen to this. As a matter of fact, I’m listening to this right now
@blindpink
So am i 👍
@gudlisner501
I’ve been a fan and attended his gigs since the Greek St days and entering through the dark corridor into a tiny smoke filled coffee bar, the concert halls and then all the way to Clonakilty in County Cork. He had a really hot band when he toured this particular album, sadly it wasn’t the big breakthrough that we all hoped for. We loved him for kicking as hard as he could against “the man”.
@johnwadsworth1297
Great album saw him playing it live brilliant back up talented musicians a1 loved the night never forget it
@510dani4
Graduated in 74, working a job in 75 or so and heard this on WMMS FM Cleveland. Couldn't leave work soon enough to buy the album!!
@johnwadsworth1297
Brilliant great song saw him sing it live demontfort Leicester great night 😅
@JohnBrown-dh5kn
Bought this album when it came out just down loaded it after all this time why is he not a superstar so under appreciated.
@robertarmoneit598
I was turned on to Roy Harper when Led Zeppelin III was released in 1970 - Hat's off to Roy Harper. My first LP bought was "One of Those Day's In England" then "The Game" and many more since then.With each LP, Roy brought in many guest musicians to complete the band at a given time to create very memorable music. My hat is off to Roy Harper and fellow musicians.