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
I'll Haunt You
Seth Lakeman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On board ship the rumours ride
No one meets my eye
I've thrown your ring out on the tide
I pray my curses fly
To haunt you
Haunt your bed
Tap the windows you'll wake in dread
I pray that you'll love me instead
I'll haunt you, I'll haunt your bed
I've walked alone upon this deck
A thousand times or more
Half a year from my return
These cries fly back to shore
You promised me our love was strong
You said that you'd be true
Go tell yourself I'm long gone
'Cause here's what I will do
I'll haunt you
Haunt your bed
Tap the windows, wake in dread
I pray that you'll love me instead
I'll haunt you, I'll haunt your bed
I'll haunt you
Sleep in fear
Whisper secrets in your ear
A world away but I'll be near
I'll haunt you here
Fear me
Whenever you're sleeping
I will be watching over you
("Fear me..." repeats)
A year at sea since your letter came
To shatter all my plans
You set me free, changed your name
I stretch out these cold hands
to haunt you, haunt your bed
Tap the windows, wake in dread
I prayed that you'd love me instead
I'll haunt you, I'll haunt your bed
And I'll haunt you
Sleep in fear
Whisper secrets in your ear
A world away but I'll be near
I'll haunt you here
I'll haunt you, haunt your bed
Tap the windows, wake in dread
I prayed that you'd love me instead
I'll haunt you, I'll haunt your bed
I'll haunt you
("Fear me.." repeats)
The song "I'll Haunt You" by Seth Lakeman is a haunting tale of lost love and revenge. The singer is on a ship, feeling isolated and alone, and has thrown his lover's ring into the ocean. He is consumed by anger and betrayal; he feels that he has been lied to and that his love has been taken for granted. He vows to haunt his former lover in order to get his revenge.
The lyrics of "I'll Haunt You" are both chilling and powerful. The images of tap-tapping on windows and whispers in ears create a sense of foreboding and fear. The repetition of the phrase "I'll haunt you" gives the song a haunting quality that lingers long after the last note is played. The singer's desperation to be loved and his determination to make his former lover love him again are palpable and poignant.
The song ultimately explores the consequences of holding onto bitterness and anger. The singer's desire for revenge may be understandable, but it ultimately leads him to a dark place. He may be haunting his former lover, but he is also haunting himself.
Line by Line Meaning
On board ship the rumours ride
There are rumors being circulated on the ship I am on.
No one meets my eye
People around me are avoiding making eye contact.
I've thrown your ring out on the tide
I have gotten rid of the ring that you gave me by throwing it into the sea.
I pray my curses fly
I'm hoping that my curses have an impact on you.
To haunt you
My ultimate goal is to haunt you.
Haunt your bed
I want to haunt the place where you rest.
Tap the windows you'll wake in dread
I will tap your windows every night, causing you to wake up feeling scared.
I pray that you'll love me instead
I still hope that you will return my feelings of love and affection.
I'll haunt you, I'll haunt your bed
My repeated reminder that haunting you is my main goal.
I've walked alone upon this deck
I have spent significant amounts of time alone on the ship's deck.
A thousand times or more
I've been on this deck countless times.
Half a year from my return
It will be six months before I return home.
These cries fly back to shore
My voice carries all the way back to the people on the shore.
You promised me our love was strong
You promised me that our love was unbreakable.
You said that you'd be true
You assured me that you'd stay faithful and honest.
Go tell yourself I'm long gone
Forget about me and move on.
'Cause here's what I will do
I'm going to take a certain course of action.
I'll haunt you, haunt your bed
Continues to reiterate his ultimate goal.
Tap the windows, wake in dread
Stressing the tap on windows that will continue to mysteriously happen.
Sleep in fear
Sleep with the knowledge that something is going to happen to you.
Whisper secrets in your ear
He will whisper terrifying secrets into your ear.
A world away but I'll be near
Though he may be far away at sea, he will still be haunting you.
Fear me
Attachment to the theme of fear, to stress the impact of his haunt.
Whenever you're sleeping
He will strike whenever she is sleeping, a helpless and vulnerable moment.
I will be watching over you
He will be watching over the person, as someone would watch over something they want, but cannot have.
A year at sea since your letter came
It has been a year since the last time the singer heard from the person addressed in the song.
To shatter all my plans
The letter she sent him ruined all of his plans.
You set me free, changed your name
She broke up with him and changed her identity.
I stretch out these cold hands
He feels mournful and lonely, but still persists his actions.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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