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
Poor Man's Heaven
Seth Lakeman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a dream that I had this last night
There's plenty of land, soil and sea
We won't have to struggle and fight
It's a poor man's heaven, well how about when
We won't have nothing to fear, no
With real feather beds to rest those heads
It's a poor man's heaven to be free
A poor man's heaven to believe
It's a poor mans vision up above
A poor man's heaven to be loved
Yeah, come on now
We'll roll up their banks, shoot their crates
We won't give it up 'till we heard
With the rich man's son, we'll have that fun
For sticking their shovel and dirt
We'll live on champagne, ride that train
We'll drink it from the day until midnight
If someone should dare to ask out there
We'll punch and put out his lights
It's a poor man's heaven to be free
A poor man's heaven to believe
It's a poor mans vision up above
A poor man's heaven to be loved
Yeah, come on now
Yeah
We'll live at our ease, take all we please
We won't have no-one to fend for
If someone gets smart, we'll take him apart
And spread him all over the floor
It's a poor man's heaven, well how 'bout when
We won't have nothing to fear, no
With real feather beds to rest those heads
We'll all have one of our own
It's a poor man's heaven to be free
A poor man's heaven to believe
It's a poor mans vision up above
A poor man's heaven to be loved
Yeah, come on now
Yeah, it's a poor man's heaven
Come on now, hey
Yeah, come on now, come on
It's a poor mans heaven
Yeah, yeah, a poor man's heaven
Yeah, come on now, come on
It's a poor mans heaven
Yeah, yeah, a poor man's heaven
Yeah, come on now, come on
It's a poor mans heaven
Yeah, yeah, a poor man's heaven
The song "Poor Man's Heaven" by Seth Lakeman is a narrative about the dream of a man who envisions a life where there is no struggle or fight. He describes a place where there is an abundance of land, soil, and sea - a place where there is no fear, and where all can have their own feather beds to rest their heads. The singer envisions a world where the poor finally have the opportunity to live like the wealthy, where they can drink champagne, ride trains, and not have to defend themselves or their resources.
The lyrics speak to a longing for a life without social or economic oppression. The singer imagines a world free from societal constraints, where they have the freedom to take what they please without fear of retribution. The use of violent imagery throughout the song - such as rolling up banks and shooting crates - suggests that the singer's dream is born out of desperation.
In conclusion, "Poor Man's Heaven" is a song about the desperate desire for a better life, free from the constraints of poverty and oppression. It expresses a longing for a life of ease and abundance, where those who have been historically disadvantaged can finally have their share of the pie.
Line by Line Meaning
Kind friends gather round
Let's come together and talk about this dream I had
There's a dream that I had this last night
I had a dream last night that I want to share with you
There's plenty of land, soil and sea
There's so much to share, we don't have to fight over anything
We won't have to struggle and fight
Life will be easy and peaceful without any conflict
It's a poor man's heaven, well how about when
Imagine how great it would be for the less fortunate if they could experience a paradise-like existence
We won't have nothing to fear, no
There will be no threats, dangers or worries in our utopia
With real feather beds to rest those heads
We'll have comfortable beds that we can call our own
We'll all have one of our own
Everyone will have their own bed to sleep in
It's a poor man's heaven to be free
Freedom is the ultimate luxury that poor people crave
A poor man's heaven to believe
Hope and faith are priceless to those with little else
It's a poor mans vision up above
To those at the bottom of the ladder, heaven can be found here on Earth
A poor man's heaven to be loved
Affection and connection with others is worth more than any material possession
We'll roll up their banks, shoot their crates
We'll take what we need from the rich and powerful by force if necessary
We won't give it up 'till we heard
We won't stop until we get what we're after
With the rich man's son, we'll have that fun
We'll enjoy ourselves at the expense of those who were born into wealth
For sticking their shovel and dirt
We'll exact revenge for the exploitation and oppression of working-class people
We'll live on champagne, ride that train
We'll indulge in luxury and travel in style
We'll drink it from the day until midnight
We'll drink and celebrate without regard for time
If someone should dare to ask out there
If anyone questions our right to live this way
We'll punch and put out his lights
We'll respond with violence and aggression
We'll live at our ease, take all we please
We'll take whatever we want without consequences or opposition
We won't have no-one to fend for
We won't have to worry about protecting ourselves or our possessions
If someone gets smart, we'll take him apart
We'll attack anyone who tries to challenge us
And spread him all over the floor
We'll use violence to maintain our power and authority
Yeah, come on now
Let's keep this dream alive
Yeah
Expressing agreement and enthusiasm
Come on now, hey
Encouraging others to join in
Yeah, come on now, come on
Stay with me, let's keep this vision alive
Yeah, yeah, a poor man's heaven
A paradise for those who have very little
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: TRAD, SETH LAKEMAN, SETH BERNARD LAKEMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@writetovagelis1975
Watched these guys opening for Tori Amos in Italy and was blown away by their sound.
@WvSoldier2012
This is killer! I live in the appalachian mountains of west virginia and bluegrass has always moved me like this music just did...had no idea what I was missin! It's got some energy to it for sure...
@Meliann11
Just discovered Seth Lakeman and I'm utterly blown away. Talent plus heart and soul. Brilliant!
@willrichardson519
11 days and counting to Buxton '19...
@drumsnbikes
i'm just learning about Seth Lakeman, and i'm loving everything i'm hearing so far. :)
@MrSticklebricks
wicked performance. seth and band, you guys are awesome.
@ladytrucker777777
Wonderful talent to make a persons heart sing listening to this ......
@markcarlton4125
Seeing him live in December at the Sage Gateshead . Can't wait , such a talented lad 👍
@willrichardson519
How was it?
@anthonycowen1496
the guy is class