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 Sender
Seth Lakeman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A year ago, my true love and I,
Cold creek copper stone,
Crossed the bridge and we headed home,
Light that kills your eyes,
Beat my lovers eyes,
A child will put you right,
Above our heads.
Beneath this willow tree,
Silent words they comfort me,
Technicolours touch the sky,
Casting shadows from you and I,
Memories turn to grey,
Weary hearts they say,
In time will put to rest,
They′ll go riding by,
Above our heads,
Above our heads,
Above our heads.
Wrapped in mystery,
She searched those corners of ruined streams,
Ones that travelled so far,
Found her in that dug out bar,
Lust is twisting turn,
Weeping eyes they burn,
Night of love undressed,
They'll go riding by,
Above our heads,
Above our heads.
Is it passed you by,
One paper promise now locked inside,
The star is young and old,
Sent when left and cold,
Sender′s sweet surprise,
To meet your lovers eyes,
Time will cut you dead,
They'll go burning by,
Above our heads,
Above our heads,
Above our heads,
Above our heads.
The Sender by Seth Lakeman is a song which speaks of love, loss, and the passage of time. The opening line, "The long and heartless sky," sets a mournful tone for the rest of the song. The singer reminisces about his "true love" who crossed "the bridge and (they) headed home" a year ago. The light of the sun beats down upon them, highlighting the beauty of their love. The imagery of children riding by above their heads lends an air of innocence to the scene.
The second verse shifts in focus to a willow tree which offers comfort to the singer. The use of color is significant here, as "Technicolours touch the sky, / Casting shadows from you and I." The singer acknowledges that memories eventually fade to grey and hearts grow weary with time, but love perseveres. The third verse introduces a new character, a woman who is searching for something in the "ruined streams" of life. She is described as lustful and weeping, in sharp contrast to the love portrayed in the previous verses. The final verse is a sort of musing on the passage of time, with the star "young and old" and the sender's sweet surprise that "will go burning by, / Above our heads."
Overall, the song highlights the bittersweet nature of life and love, with a focus on the beauty that can be found amidst heartache and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
The long and heartless sky,
The sky seems emotionally empty and uninviting
A year ago, my true love and I,
The singer reminisces about love that once existed
Cold creek copper stone,
The setting of the singers return home
Crossed the bridge and we headed home,
The singer and his love returned to their home
Light that kills your eyes,
Bright lights can be overwhelming and painful
Beat my lovers eyes,
The singer almost blinded his lover with a bright light
A child will put you right,
Children can help fix and heal bad situations
They go riding by,
Children continue living their lives while adults worry about the past
Above our heads.
The children's innocence can be seen in the sky
Beneath this willow tree,
The singer is taking a moment to reflect and be still
Silent words they comfort me,
Peace and quiet can be therapeutic
Technicolours touch the sky,
The sky is vibrant with colorful sunsets
Casting shadows from you and I,
The singer and his love create a shadow together under the tree
Memories turn to grey,
Memories fade over time and lose their emotional attachment
Weary hearts they say,
Tired hearts can lead to negative emotions
In time will put to rest,
Overtime, emotions will become less intense and manageable
They'll go riding by,
Children will continue living their lives while adults get older and wiser
Wrapped in mystery,
Something is unknown or not transparent
She searched those corners of ruined streams,
The woman in the song searched for something in a damaged part of her life
Ones that travelled so far,
The object of her search has been out of reach for a long time
Found her in that dug out bar,
She finally found what she was looking for in an unexpected place
Lust is twisting turn,
Desire can lead to unpredictable and sometimes negative consequences
Weeping eyes they burn,
Crying can be painful and cause discomfort
Night of love undressed,
A night of passion and romance occurred
They'll go riding by,
Children will continue living their lives while adults become distant memories
Above our heads,
Invisible to everyday life, but still present and watching over us
Is it passed you by,
Did you fail to notice something important?
One paper promise now locked inside,
A promise was made but never fulfilled, and is now hidden away
The star is young and old,
The singer is reflecting on the beauty of the night sky
Sent when left and cold,
The star was sent during a time of loneliness and despair
Sender′s sweet surprise,
The person or thing that sent the star brought hope and joy
To meet your lovers eyes,
The hope is to share the joy with someone you love
Time will cut you dead,
Time is relentless and unforgiving
They'll go burning by,
The past will eventually fade away and become less important
Above our heads,
The sky and stars are constant, even if everything else changes
Above our heads,
The skies and stars are a reminder that life goes on and change is inevitable
Above our heads,
The vastness and beauty of the sky serves as a companion to those stuck in their own heads
Above our heads,
The sky and stars are a reminder of the universe's grandeur and magnificence
Writer(s): Seth Lakeman, Daniel Goddard
Contributed by Aria R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.