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.
Drake
Show Of Hands Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I stand unsteady on the shore
The ebbing tide drags my steps from under me
Now it will carry me once more
To trace a circle round the oceans of the earth
I'll place a band of Spanish gold
On this cold finger of the land of my birth
Out of the night I'll send them fear and flame
In oaken ships of fiery death
Their straying children they'll gather at my name
And learn to fear a dragon's breath
From these red cliffs I will dive into the sun
And into history
Until from Plymouth Hoe the beating of my drum
From leaden slumber will summon me
In times of trial will recall my restless bones
And read once more upon the page
How a poor Westcountry man once stood before a throne
And how his plunder bore a golden age.
The song "Drake" by Show of Hands is an exploration of the life and legacy of Sir Francis Drake, one of England's most famous explorers and naval commanders. The opening lines of the song set the stage for a journey across the oceans, with the western counties of England pointing towards the sea as the singer stands unsteadily on the shore. The ebbing tide foreshadows the cyclical nature of Drake's life and adventures, which the singer hints will continue to carry him forward.
The chorus of the song revolves around Drake's golden legacy, which the singer suggests will be preserved by placing a band of Spanish gold on the cold finger of the land of his birth. The Spanish gold represents the spoils of Drake's victories against the Spanish Armada and other Spanish ships, which earned him a reputation as a fierce and successful privateer. The chorus also alludes to Drake's fearsome reputation among the Spanish, who both feared and respected him as a "dragon" capable of breathing fire.
Line by Line Meaning
The western counties point to the sea
The counties in the west are towards the direction of the sea
I stand unsteady on the shore
I am not steady while standing on the shore
The ebbing tide drags my steps from under me
The tide is pulling away and making it difficult for me to stand still
Now it will carry me once more
The tide will take me away again
To trace a circle round the oceans of the earth
To travel around the whole world's oceans
I'll place a band of Spanish gold
I will wear a band made of Spanish gold
On this cold finger of the land of my birth
On the finger that is from my birthplace
They would steal to have and hold
Others would steal it if they had the chance
Out of the night I'll send them fear and flame
I will send them terror and destruction from the darkness of the night
In oaken ships of fiery death
In ships made of oak that appear to be on fire and cause destruction
Their straying children they'll gather at my name
The people will gather their lost children when they hear my name
And learn to fear a dragon's breath
They will know to be afraid of the fire that comes from a dragon
From these red cliffs I will dive into the sun
I will jump from these red cliffs towards the sun
And into history
And into the pages of history books
Until from Plymouth Hoe the beating of my drum
Until the sound of my drum beating can be heard from Plymouth Hoe
From leaden slumber will summon me
Will wake me up from a dream or sleep as if made of lead
In times of trial will recall my restless bones
During difficult times, people will remember my fighting spirit even if my bones are at rest
And read once more upon the page
And read once again from a written record
How a poor Westcountry man once stood before a throne
The story of a man from the Westcountry who stood before royalty despite being poor
And how his plunder bore a golden age.
And how his looting brought about a period of prosperity.
Contributed by Jayce C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jay bee
just found out about this band literally 10 minutes ago from a friend & i'm impressed ! I always enjoy mellow acoustic music & this is fantastic. Thanks to the uploader for posting this beautiful piece of music :)
HandoftheKing
They should play this in schools. This song carries the same message as Roots. If we don't appreciate our history and our stories, we'll forget who we are. MInd you that that's probably what our leaders want. They're happy for every other culture and nation to be celebrated but not this one. (This is is not in anyway a racist or xenophobic sentiment). A common culture is what makes a happy society, and can bring it's various races and creeds together.
Chris Dansey
Drake might have been born in Devon but he grew up and learned to sail in Kent
Lizzie Cornish
Ah, but only because he was born in Devon, m'deario....
welshpenguin7
I could play this to death - it's superb. As for you Daily Telegraph-type racist tossers - these lads show a type of English nationalism that attacks no one else but says to address your own faults. Some of it is ironic, like posing by Kernow, which is a Celtic country claimed by the Germanic English, and the use of Drake's Drum, a direct copy of Arthur's - Arthur, the man who fought against the English invaders of these isles... The very acceptable face of English Nationalism
welshpenguin7
I am home - when'e you going back to Saxony or Schleswig-Holsten ?
Carolinus
Settled it w Vortigern years back. We’re all in the same boat now.