They began playing together in 1999 and their first album as a duo was Through and Through (2001).
In 2002 they were both session musicians on Eliza Carthy's album Anglicana, and toured with her as part of her band The Ratcatchers.
However it was their second album, Bellow, in 2003 that drew attention. The tunes and songs were mostly traditional, grounded in the Morris tradition.
In the same year they won the "Horizon Award" in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards [1], followed by the "Best Duo" [2] category in 2004. A new album called simply Tunes came out in summer 2005 and another, and Songs followed in October of the same year.
Spiers and Boden were founding members of the folk band Bellowhead, which is a project that aims to combine traditional English folk music with a brass band sound.
Their new album, Vagabond, was released on Navigator Records on 26th May 2008.
Old Maui
Spiers & Boden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And soon the hills of the tropic isles we all shall see again.
Five sluggish moons have waxed and waned since from the shores sailed we,
And now we are bound from the Arctic ground, rolling down to old Maui.
Through many a gale of frost and hail, our big ship bore away,
And in the midst of a moonbeam's kiss we slept at St. Lawrence Bay,
And many's the day we whiled away on the bold Kamchatka Sea,
Rolling down to old Maui, me boys,
Rolling down to old Maui.
We're homeward bound from the Arctic ground,
Rolling down to old Maui.
Through many a blow of frost and snow and bitter squalls of hail,
Our spires were bent and our canvas rent as we brave the northern gale.
The cruel isles of ice-capped tiles that deck the Arctic sea,
Are many, many leagues astern as we sail to old Maui.
Rolling down to old Maui, me boys,
Rolling down to old Maui.
We're homeward bound from the Arctic ground,
Rolling down to old Maui.
An ample share of toil and care we whalemen undergo,
But when it's over, what care we how bitter the blast may blow?
We're homeward bound, that joyful sound across the Arctic sea,
We're homeward bound from the Arctic ground, rolling down to old Maui.
Rolling down to old Maui, me boys,
Rolling down to old Maui.
We're homeward bound from the Arctic ground,
Rolling down to old Maui.
Homeward bound from the Arctic ground,
Rolling down to old Maui.
The song Old Maui by Spiers & Boden takes us on a journey from the Arctic ground to the tropical isles of Maui. The lyrics are a retelling of the journey of a whaling ship and its crew, who have been away from home for five long months. The first stanza describes the crew's excitement as they approach the tropic isles of Maui after being battered by northern gales for months. The crew has spent many days braving cold and harsh elements on their voyage, but their journey is finally nearing an end as they head towards home.
The chorus of the song, "Rolling down to old Maui, me boys," is a reminder to the crew that they are finally homeward bound. Despite the harsh conditions they have faced, the crew is joyful knowing that they will soon be reunited with loved ones. The second and third stanzas highlight the difficulties they have faced on their journey, including frost, hail, and bitter squalls of hail. Despite these challenges, the crew perseveres and pushes on, knowing that they will soon be reunited with their homes and loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
Once more we are waft by the northern gales a-bounding over the main,
We are again being carried by the northern winds over the open sea.
And soon the hills of the tropic isles we all shall see again.
We will soon see the hills of tropical islands once more.
Five sluggish moons have waxed and waned since from the shores sailed we,
It has been five months since we set sail from the shores.
And now we are bound from the Arctic ground, rolling down to old Maui.
We are now heading from the Arctic ground towards old Maui in a rolling motion.
Through many a gale of frost and hail, our big ship bore away,
Our big ship navigated through many strong winds of frost and hail.
And in the midst of a moonbeam's kiss we slept at St. Lawrence Bay,
We slept at St. Lawrence Bay under the light of the moonbeam.
And many's the day we whiled away on the bold Kamchatka Sea,
We spent many days leisurely sailing on the Kamchatka Sea.
But now we are bound from the Arctic ground, rolling down to old Maui.
However, we are now heading from the Arctic ground towards old Maui in a rolling motion.
Rolling down to old Maui, me boys,
We are joyfully and energetically sailing towards old Maui.
Rolling down to old Maui.
We are rolling towards old Maui.
We're homeward bound from the Arctic ground,
We are heading back home from the Arctic ground.
Through many a blow of frost and snow and bitter squalls of hail,
We had to brave through many cold and harsh weather conditions.
Our spires were bent and our canvas rent as we brave the northern gale.
Our ship was hit by strong winds, causing our sails to tear and our mast to bend.
The cruel isles of ice-capped tiles that deck the Arctic sea,
The Arctic sea is full of cruel islands with icy caps.
Are many, many leagues astern as we sail to old Maui.
We are now leaving those cruel and icy islands far behind as we sail to old Maui.
An ample share of toil and care we whalemen undergo,
As whalemen, we face a lot of labor and hard work.
But when it's over, what care we how bitter the blast may blow?
Once it's all over, it doesn't matter to us how harsh the winds may be.
We're homeward bound, that joyful sound across the Arctic sea,
We are happily heading back home, sailing across the Arctic sea.
Homeward bound from the Arctic ground, rolling down to old Maui.
Heading back home from the Arctic ground in a rolling motion towards old Maui.
Contributed by Juliana C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.