Skyclad is a British Heavy Metal band with strong folk influences in their… Read Full Bio ↴Skyclad is a British Heavy Metal band with strong folk influences in their music. They were formed by former Sabbat vocalist Martin Walkyier, and Satan / Blind Fury / Pariah guitarist Steve Ramsey in 1990 to represent the "ultimate Pagan Metal band".

From the start, they have incorporated a diverse range of influences from British folk music to German Thrash Metal which has fed their constantly evolving sound. They are widely considered the inventors of Folk Metal.

The lineup remained stable for the recording of 2000's Folkémon, but founding member Walkyier left the band in 2001, citing various reasons, such as financial difficulties or the bands unwillingness to tour in South America owing to security concerns as the final straw, though other band members have commented that his somewhat pessimist personality was one of the major contributing factors to the groups lineup instability. Walkyier went on to form The Clan Destined. For many fans, Walkyiers lyrics and delivery style were one of the bands central attractions, and there were fears that his departure spelled the end of the band. After replacing drummer Jay Graham (who left shortly after Walkyier) and moving Kevin Ridley onto vocals, the group sprang into action to remedy these fears with 2002's No Daylights...Nor Heel Taps which featured studio recordings of "Irish Pub versions" of Skyclad classics by the new line-up, proceeded by a single, 2001's "Swords of a Thousand Men". The single's title track, a cover tune (originally recorded by Tenpole Tudor), also appeared on Folkémon as a bonus track, although in a different version. The single featured two recordings of the track, one of them with Ridley on vocals and one with Ridley sharing the microphone with Ten Pole Tudor's vocalist Edward Tudor-Pole. The single/album release was accompanied by the 'The Same...But Different' tour, the largest Skyclad had undertaken for many years. Also in 2001 the band released Another Fine Mess, which featured live recordings from 1995 and the contents of the Outrageous Fourtunes EP.

2004's A Semblance of Normality marks the bands first new material from the post-Walkyier era (there had been some unpleasantness between Walkyier and the other band members over copyrights and royalties for his lyrics, as well as the release of tracks featuring him), keeps very much in the vein of previous releases, with Ridley's lyrics making an obvious effort to follow similar themes and styles to Walkyiers whilst retaining an individual identity. The album has probably been the most widely received of their releases, probably due to better distribution and word-of-mouth advertising, and has received much critical acclaim, especially in the English-speaking world, where, ironically (given the use of inventive wordplay in their titles and lyrics, much of it aimed at native English speakers), the band is almost unknown. However, in South America and mainland Europe they have been extremely popular for many years, especially in Germany and Greece.

Skyclad's current release is an EP, Jig-a-Jig, self-released by the Band. A new album was recorded in summer 2008, it is to be released in late 2008 or 2009.

Four songs from the band's latest releases are available for both streaming and download at the Skyclad page at MySpace.

Emerald
Skyclad Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Down from the glen came the marching men
With their shields and their swords
To fight the fight they believed to be right
To overthrow the overlords.

To the towns where there was plenty
They brought plunder, swords and flame
When they left the town was empty

And the children would never play again.

From the graves I heard the fallen
Above the battle cry
By the bridge near the border
There were many born to die

Then onward over the mountain
And outward toward the sea

They come to claim the Emerald
Without it they could not leave.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Skyclad's "Emerald" paint a vivid picture of a battle between forces fighting for power and control. The first stanza describes the arrival of the marching men, armed with weapons and determined to overthrow their overlords. The repetition of the phrase "to be right" indicates that each side believes that they are fighting for a just cause. The second stanza describes the destruction that these men wreaked upon the towns they encountered, leaving them empty and abandoned. The haunting line "the children would never play again" serves as a reminder of the human toll of war.

The third stanza takes on a more melancholic tone, as the singer listens to the cries of the fallen soldiers above the noise of the battle. The image of the bridge near the border is particularly poignant, suggesting that these soldiers may have been fighting over a border dispute between two neighboring territories. The final stanza describes the victors of the battle pressing on toward the sea, with the goal of claiming the Emerald. This mysterious object is not further defined in the song, but it is clear that the soldiers believe they cannot leave without it.

Line by Line Meaning

Down from the glen came the marching men
The soldiers are emerging from the valley, marching to their destination.

With their shields and their swords
The warriors armed themselves with protective shields and sharp swords.

To fight the fight they believed to be right
The soldiers believed their cause was just, and they were ready to engage in war.

To overthrow the overlords.
Their main objective was to remove those in power whom they considered oppressive.

To the towns where there was plenty
They went to areas that were prosperous.

They brought plunder, swords, and flame
They looted, destroying everything with their swords and setting fire to the buildings.

When they left the town was empty
After they left, the cities were abandoned and deserted.

And the children would never play again.
Their actions cut short the lives of the innocent children, who will never play again.

From the graves I heard the fallen
The artist hears voices from beyond the grave.

Above the battle cry
This sound is above the noise of the battle.

By the bridge near the border
This event took place near a bridge that separates two regions.

There were many born to die
Many of the soldiers who fought were inevitably destined to meet their demise.

Then onward over the mountain
Continuing their journey, the soldiers pressed on through the mountain pass.

And outward toward the sea
The soldiers continued their quest, moving further away from their place of origin and heading towards the coast.

They come to claim the Emerald
The warriors were in search of a particular gem.

Without it they could not leave.
The Emerald was an essential component that they needed to secure before they could proceed with their journey.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN DAVID ROBERTSON, BRIAN MICHAEL DOWNEY, PHILIP PARRIS LYNOTT, WILLIAM SCOTT GORHAM

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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