1) Show Of Hands are England's most successful acoustic roots duo - Steve Knightley and Phil Beer. Their widespread appeal is based on the combined power of Steve's original songs, the quality of their vocals and harmonies, and their multi-instrumental virtuosity. Their performances feature guitars, mandocello, fiddle, cuatro, viola and concertina.
Packing venues from the smallest village hall to the Royal Albert Hall in London, the duo continue to produce original music popular the world over.
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2) Show of Hands from Southern California existed in the late 90's/early 00's and played Hardcore. They have a 7inch still available on Smorgasbord Records called A New Day Not Forgotten, a demo, and a song called 'Naked Jake' on the compilation CD As the Sun Sets.
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3) Show of hands was a little-known progressive folk band which released one album in 1970 called Formerly Anthrax.
Cousin Jack
Show Of Hands Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Scarred like the face of the moon
Our tongue is no lon-ger spo-ken
And the Towns all a-round face ruin
Will there be work in New Bruns-wick?
Will I find gold in the Cape?
If I tunnel way down to Australia
Oh will I ever escape.
Where there's a mine or a hole in the ground
That's what I'm heading for that's where I'm bound
So look for me under the lode and inside the vain,
Where the copper the clay the arsnic and tin
Run in your blood and under your skin
I'll leave the county behind I'm not coming back
Oh follow me down cousin Jack.
The soil was to poor to make Eden,
Granite and sea left no choice
Though visions of heaven sustained us,
When John Wesley gave us a voice
Did Joseph once come to St Michaels Mount
Two thousand years pass in a dream
When you're working your way in the darkness,
Deep in the heart of the seam.
Where there's a mine or a hole in the ground
That's what I'm heading for that's where I'm bound
So look for me under the lode and inside the vain,
Where the copper the clay the arsnic and tin
Run in your blood and under your skin
I'll leave the county behind I'm not coming back
Oh follow me down cousin Jack.
I dream of a bridge on the Tamar
It opens us up to the East
And the English they live in our houses
The Spanish fish in these seas
Where there's a mine or a hole in the ground
That's what I'm heading for that's where I'm bound
So look for me under the lode and inside the vain,
Where the copper the clay the arsnic and tin
Run in your blood and under your skin
I'll leave the county behind I'm not coming back
Oh follow me down cousin Jack.
The lyrics of Show Of Hands's song Cousin Jack tell a story of a man who is leaving his barren and broken hometown, where there is no work and the towns are facing ruin. He dreams of finding work in New Brunswick, of finding gold in the Cape, or of tunneling way down to Australia to escape from his current situation. He is heading towards any mine or hole in the ground, where he hopes to strike it rich among the copper, clay, arsenic and tin that run in his blood and under his skin. He is not coming back to his county and invites others to follow him down, becoming a cousin Jack.
The song reflects the harsh realities of life for many people in the 19th century who lived in areas where the mining industry had declined, leaving them with few opportunities for work and a bleak future. The references to St Michaels Mount, John Wesley, and Joseph are reminders of the deep history and cultural identity of the Cornish people, who often had to leave their homes to find work in other areas. The dream of a bridge on the Tamar represents a hope for a better future, where the English and Spanish can live and work together in harmony.
Line by Line Meaning
This land is bar-ren and bro-ken,
The land is unproductive and scarred
Scarred like the face of the moon
The land is pockmarked and barren
Our tongue is no lon-ger spo-ken
The local language is in decline
And the Towns all a-round face ruin
The surrounding towns are in a state of decline
Will there be work in New Bruns-wick?
Is there work to be found in New Brunswick?
Will I find gold in the Cape?
Will I strike it rich in the Cape?
If I tunnel way down to Australia
If I go to the other side of the world
Oh will I ever escape.
Will I ever find a better life?
Where there's a mine or a hole in the ground
I'm heading for places where there are mines or excavations
That's what I'm heading for that's where I'm bound
That's where I'm going
So look for me under the lode and inside the vain,
You'll find me in the veins of ore underground
Where the copper the clay the arsnic and tin
Where the metals are mined
Run in your blood and under your skin
It's in your blood, part of your heritage
I'll leave the county behind I'm not coming back
I'm leaving this place and I'm not coming back
Oh follow me down cousin Jack.
Come with me cousin Jack
The soil was too poor to make Eden,
The soil is too barren to be sustainable
Granite and sea left no choice
The natural environment doesn't allow for much else
Though visions of heaven sustained us,
Our dreams of a better life kept us going
When John Wesley gave us a voice
Our religion gave us a sense of purpose
Did Joseph once come to St Michaels Mount
Did Joseph of Arimathea once come here?
Two thousand years pass in a dream
It feels like it's been two thousand years since then
When you're working your way in the darkness,
When you're deep underground, working in the mines
Deep in the heart of the seam.
In the middle of the ore deposit
I dream of a bridge on the Tamar
I dream of a better future
It opens us up to the East
It connects us to the wider world
And the English they live in our houses
The English have taken over
The Spanish fish in these seas
Foreigners are exploiting our resources
Contributed by Nora S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@carolinemortimer5141
In 1845, my G G Grandfather went out to real de Monte in Mexico where he was a surgeon. He went back to Cornwall in 1851 to marry and took his wife back to Real where five of their six children were born. On one occasion his house was broken into by bandits and little Ellen just four years old died of fright. She was on of the first people to be buried in the English Cemetery. In Real today they still make pasties, Mexican style with chili. It was the Cornish that brought Football to Mexico where the various mines played one another. Thank you for recognising our Cornish ancestors.
@swizzzy5699
Why isn’t this band more popular
@dbrew2u
A hauntingly Beautiful song so very well done .
@christopherwykes3489
The greatest folk musicians in the country !
@shirleyemberley6401
Can never get enough of this.
@matthewhopkins1475
What a wonderful song, by an exceptional folk band
@grahamaxford
A great version of a moving, evocative song. Well done
@markfretwell1
Brilliant thanks for uploading this I caught them in Ipswich on this tour and this is always great for a sing a long :-)
@HobbyHistoryUK
Fantastic band
@Bjornlooser
Having a Cornish/Welsh family name and heritage and now living in Australia, I can really relate to this - Show of hands are true folk artists :)