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
The Hurlers
Seth Lakeman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the summertime
Over worship
We hurlers climb
Over mountains
Valleys deep
Bells were ringing
Round our feet
Come, take this morning
Cried the priest
For all good hurlers
Are the devil's feast
He will curse you
Where you stand
Mark his circle
Upon our land
Oh hurler boys
Come on make your choice
He said oh, you hurler boys
Come on make your choice
Where you stand
Where you stand
Bold, brave and strong
We ran the day
'Til thunder rolled in
With silver rain
Through our fingers
Down our backs
The curse was rising
We were trapped
Oh hurler boys
Come on make your choice
He said oh, you hurler boys
Come on make your choice
Where you stand
Where you stand
Tall, straight and stubborn
We faced the sky
That lightning pierced us
Our voices cried out
Bodies silver
Our hearts of stone
We make no shadows
We stand alone
Oh hurler boys
Come on make your choice
He said oh, you hurler boys
Come on make your choice
He said oh, you hurler boys
Come on make your choice
He said oh, you hurler boys
Come on make your choice
Where you stand (you hurler boys)
Where you stand (you hurler boys)
Where you stand (you hurler boys)
Where you stand (you hurler boys)
Where you stand
Where you stand
The song "The Hurlers" by Seth Lakeman tells the story of a group of young men who participate in hurling, a popular field sport in Ireland, Scotland, and Cornwall. The lyrics take place on a Sunday morning during summertime when the hurlers climb mountains and valleys to participate in their sport. However, their practice is interrupted by a priest who warns them that the devil's curse is upon them. He asks them to choose between continuing with their game or to repent and join the church.
The hurlers continue with their sport, but the weather suddenly changes, and the cursed lightning strikes them, turning their bodies silver and their hearts into stone. They become outcasts and stand alone, haunted by the curse.
The song describes the tension between tradition and religion in Cornwall, where the practice of hurling was at risk of being abandoned due to religious pressure. It also highlights the importance of sport in Cornish culture and the pride of the young men who participate in it.
Overall, the song is a powerful combination of storytelling, traditional music, and historical context that demonstrates the importance of preserving cultural traditions while navigating religious and social change.
Line by Line Meaning
Sunday morning
It was a Sunday morning
In the summertime
It was summertime
Over worship
The event was happening during a worship service
We hurlers climb
A group of people called 'hurlers' climbed somewhere
Over mountains
They climbed over mountains
Valleys deep
They climbed through deep valleys
Bells were ringing
Bells were audible in the surroundings
Round our feet
The bells were ringing around them
Come, take this morning
The priest invited them to take this morning
Cried the priest
The priest shouted
For all good hurlers
The priest was addressing a group of people called 'good hurlers'
Are the devil's feast
The priest believed that the good hurlers were the devil's feasts
He will curse you
The priest warned them that the devil will curse them
Where you stand
The curse will happen right where they were standing
Mark his circle
The priest instructed them to mark the devil's circle
Upon our land
The circle should be marked on the land they were standing on
Oh hurler boys
The priest addressed the group of people called 'hurler boys'
Come on make your choice
The priest urged them to make a choice
Bold, brave and strong
The hurler boys were brave, bold and strong
We ran the day
They dominated during the day
Til thunder rolled in
Until there was thunder
With silver rain
The rain was silver in color
Through our fingers
The rain was falling through their fingers
Down our backs
The rain was running down their backs
The curse was rising
The curse was getting stronger
We were trapped
They were trapped
Tall, straight and stubborn
The hurler boys were tall, straight and stubborn
We faced the sky
They were facing the sky
That lightning pierced us
Lightning struck them
Our voices cried out
They screamed out in pain or terror
Bodies silver
Their bodies turned silver
Our hearts of stone
Their hearts were like stone, strong and unyielding
We make no shadows
Their silver bodies did not cast any shadows
We stand alone
They were standing alone
He said oh, you hurler boys
The priest again addressed the hurler boys
Where you stand (you hurler boys)
The priest reiterated that the curse will happen where they were standing
Where you stand
The curse will happen where they were standing
Contributed by Logan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Indy
Have the lyrics 'we make no shadows, we stand alone' tattooed on my arm. Love him. Great song
jessi _sefiria
i love this song, its so nice to listen to, its nice and calm.
Flora Miles
He has such a distinct style of singing - so intense: and he certainly loves to linger on his consonants! He's fantastic.
Formerly Fossil
If you've never played the violin you don't know how incredible it is that he can sing while playing it. For most violinists this is impossible unless the violin in held against the chest, but he can sing while holding it under his chin.
🕉Somerset-In-The-Blood🕉
Heard this years ago on Radio Wales & I was hooked going to see him tonight in Bristol 3rd gig 🙂
SaraKaikk
Going to see him on Sunday night!!! SO EXCITED :D
Zeb Graham-Howard
Shivers up my spine of past life music....I am a celt...
Warrison
@gnamp I don't like to criticise him because I do think he is hugely talented, but I must admit none of his albums has had a huge impact on me since Freedom Fields, though admittedly anything would struggle against the way that album made me feel.
Roy Sandall
Thank you. Ruddy brilliant!!
Meganx
I saw him on Tuesday having a run!:)