Lakeman grew up with his two brothers Sean and Sam in the village of Buckland Monachorum in West Devon, England. He began playing music with his parents and two brothers at an early age. As The Lakeman Brothers, the three brothers released their debut album Three Piece Suite in 1994. Later that same year they were invited by two Yorkshire based singers Kathryn Roberts and Kate Rusby to join them as a backing group on a tour of Portugal. After the tour the five musicians became a permanent group and called themselves Equation. The group were signed in a record deal with Time Warner in 1995. After three full albums (Return to Me in 1996, Hazy Daze in 1998, and The Lucky Few in 2000), and tours in the UK, Europe and the United States, Lakeman left Equation in 2001. With his brother Sam he appeared on Sam's wife Cara Dillon's eponymous debut album, which featured Lakeman on fiddle, guitar and vocals. The album won two awards at the 2002 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
In 2002 Lakeman released his first solo album, The Punch Bowl, which received wide critical acclaim including a review in fRoots magazine which said: "The songs don't just glide smoothly by.....they get their claws into you".
Kitty Jay, Lakeman's second solo album was released in 2004. The title track of the album tells the story of Jay's Grave, a well known location on Dartmoor. That same year he collaborated with Devon singer-songwriter Steve Knightley and young local singer Jenna Witts on the album Western Approaches.
A UK tour in Autumn 2005 followed his Mercury Music Prize nomination, after which Lakeman and his band (regularly brother Sean on guitar, Ben Nichols on bass, Andy Tween on drums), toured extensively with folk-rock band The Levellers, who took to closing their set with a "fiddle off" between Lakeman and Levellers' fiddler Jonathan Sevink. Other support tours with Billy Bragg and Jools Holland brought Lakeman's music to a wider audience.
In March 2006 Lakeman began a UK tour in order to promote his new album Freedom Fields which was released on iScream. He signed to a new major record label, Relentless Records, promptly releasing a new single "Lady of the Sea" in early August 2006.
His fourth solo album, Poor Man's Heaven, was released on 30 June 2008 with an accompanying tour. It introduced a rockier edge to the folk of the previous albums. His fifth solo album, Hearts & Minds, was released on 19 July 2010. Lakeman released his sixth album called Tales From The Barrel House on 18 November 2011.
www.sethlakeman.co.uk
Childe The Hunter
Seth Lakeman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The greatest tale I have to tell you,
It was a bleak and barren moor.
In ancient days he fell.
There rode a man of high renown
His name it came as hunter Childe.
Every day he chased heath and waste
On a moor so black and wild.
The wind blew in and that hunter
Fell upon a bed of snow.
The night drew in and that thunder
Stuck him in a steady hole.
He looked up high and he begged her
"Let me see my lover home".,
The moon called out to the hunter
"Come into the shadows".
He drew a knife from off his back,
Upon the ground his horse was lying.
He cut a measure, just full size
To rest there for the night.
With his finger dipped in blood
He scrabbled words along the stones,
"Upon my will, God fulfill,
Rest these heavy bones".
The wind blew in and that hunter
Fell upon a bed of snow.
The night drew in and that thunder
Stuck him in a steady hole.
He looked up high and he begged her
"Let me see my lover home".,
The moon called out to the hunter
"Come into the shadows".
Take a warning when you`re in the wild,
Against the skyline, off the high road.
For the memory of hunter Childe
Should rest you on your way.
He was a man of high renown,
His name it came, then blew away.
Upon his will the moon to steal,
In the shadows he will lay.
The wind blew in and that hunter
Fell upon a bed of snow.
The night drew in and that thunder
Stuck him in a steady hole.
He looked up high and he begged her
"Let me see my lover home".,
The moon called out to the hunter
"Come into the shadows"
The song "Childe the Hunter" by Seth Lakeman narrates a tragic tale of a hunter named Childe, who falls prey to the unforgiving and unpredictable nature of the wilderness. The song opens with an invitation to the listeners to hear the thrilling and unsettling story of Childe's fate. The bleak and barren moor sets the stage for the unfolding of a dark legend. The singer describes Childe's pursuit of his prey in the black and wild moor, which he did every day. However, one day, the thunderstorm and snowstorm overpowered him, and he fell into a hole, unable to move. In his moment of desperation, he pleaded with the moon to let him see his lover home. As if to answer his plea, the moon called him to the shadows.
The chorus of the song artfully expresses Childe's final moments as he prepares for his inevitable demise. He takes out his knife and cuts a measure full size to lie there for the night. Using his own blood, he inscribes a message upon the stone, commanding God to rest his bones upon his will. The chorus repeatedly underscores the haunting scene on the bleak moor, where the wind blows, and the thunder strikes the hunter in the steady hole as he begs to see his lover home.
"Childe the Hunter" is a captivating song with a mysterious and ominous feeling. Seth Lakeman's voice is full of powerful emotions and passion as he weaves the story of Childe with the perfect blend of melancholy and sorrow, leaving the listener feeling like they have just experienced a unique and unforgettable piece of art.
Line by Line Meaning
Come and listen, brave and tall,
Listen carefully, you who are brave and tall,
The greatest tale I have to tell you,
I have a fantastic story to share with you,
It was a bleak and barren moor.
The story takes place on a desolate moor.
In ancient days he fell.
The story is set in the distant past and begins with the fall of the artist.
There rode a man of high renown
A man of great reputation rode across the moor.
His name it came as hunter Childe.
He was known as Childe, the hunter.
Every day he chased heath and waste
Every day he hunted on the barren wasteland.
On a moor so black and wild.
On a dark and untamed moor.
The wind blew in and that hunter
The hunter was caught in a sudden gust of wind,
Fell upon a bed of snow.
causing him to fall onto a bed of snow.
The night drew in and that thunder
As darkness fell, a storm with thunder began to rage,
Stuck him in a steady hole.
and he became trapped in a deep hole.
He looked up high and he begged her
He gazed upwards and pleaded with the moon,
"Let me see my lover home".,
"Please allow me to see my beloved one more time."
The moon called out to the hunter
The moon beckoned to the hunter,
"Come into the shadows".
"Come into the shadows with me."
He drew a knife from off his back,
The hunter drew a knife from his back,
Upon the ground his horse was lying.
after realizing his horse had died and was lying on the ground.
He cut a measure, just full size
He cut a piece of wood, the exact size of his horse,
To rest there for the night.
to use it as a makeshift bed for the night.
With his finger dipped in blood
With his finger covered in his own blood,
He scrabbled words along the stones,
he wrote words into the stones with great effort,
"Upon my will, God fulfill,
"May God fulfill my final wish,
Rest these heavy bones".
and allow these heavy bones to rest."
Take a warning when you`re in the wild,
This tale suggests a word of caution for those venturing into the wilderness.
Against the skyline, off the high road.
Be especially alert against the skyline and on remote paths.
For the memory of hunter Childe
Remember the tale of hunter Childe
Should rest you on your way.
as you continue on your journey.
He was a man of high renown,
Childe was a man of great reputation,
His name it came, then blew away.
but his name has since been forgotten.
Upon his will the moon to steal,
He wished for the moon to steal his soul,
In the shadows he will lay.
so he may forever rest in the shadows.
Contributed by William D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.