Tensions between the band grew during the production in 1970 of their first album, Hark! The Village Wait to the point where they never again worked together after its completion, but the music itself shows no signs of these difficulties. While having a rock sensibility there is a greater sense of the authentic folk tradition than even in the best of Fairport, and a particular beauty arising from the two pairs of voices. The Woods being replaced by admired folk stalwart Martin Carthy, with violinist Peter Knight to widen the musical textures, the group late in 1970 recorded their most admired record Please to see the King. Ten Man Mop followed in 1971, more accomplished but generally felt to be less exciting. The expensive gatefold sleeve swallowed the band's royalties, and was referred to as a tombstone, since Hutchings and Carthy then left, to pursue Hutchings' new vision of a specifically English strand of folk rock with The Albion Band, and Steeleye Mk 2 folded.
However the inclusion of the less celebrated and more rock orientated replacements Rick Kemp and Bob Johnson led to the most commercially successful phase in the band's existence, vocalist Maddy Prior becoming the primary focus of the band, and a run of well received albums, from Below the Salt and Now we Are Six, their first with drummer Nigel Pegrum, to their eighth, and most commercially successful, All Around my Hat, in 1975.
Still active, they have a claim to be one of the longest-lived and perhaps the most commercially successful of all the folk rock bands of the era, thanks to their hit singles Gaudete and All Around My Hat, 3 top 40 albums and even a certified "gold" record with All Around My Hat.
Tim Hart died of lung cancer on 24 December 2009, aged 61.
Australia
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I was a young man, my age seventeen,
I ought to have been serving Victoria, my Queen,
But them hard-hearted judges, oh how cruel they be
For to send us poor lads to Australia.
I fell in with a damsel, she was handsome and gay,
And to keep her like a lady, I went on the highway,
And for that I was sent to Australia.
Australia, Australia, I would ne'er see no more
Worn out with the fever, cast down to Death's door,
And if I ever live, say, seven years more,
I would soon bid adieu to Australia.
Now the judges, they stand with their whips in their hands
And they drive us like horses to plough up the land.
You should see us poor young fellows, a-working in the gaol-yard,
How cruel is our fate in Australia.
Australia, Australia, I would ne'er see no more
Worn out with the fever, cast down to Death's door,
And if I ever live, say, seven years more,
I would soon bid adieu to Australia.
The song "Australia" by Steeleye Span is a traditional folk song that tells the story of a young man who was sent to Australia for committing a crime. The song talks about the harshness of the punishment and how difficult life was for the young man and his fellow convicts. The first verse talks about how the young man was supposed to be serving the Queen but was sent to Australia instead due to the hard-hearted judges. He then fell in love with a woman and turned to a life of crime to keep her happy, ultimately leading to his conviction.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "Australia, Australia, I would ne'er see no more", expressing the young man's longing to be free of the harsh conditions of his imprisonment. The verses that follow describe the conditions in the Australian prison and the cruel treatment he and his fellow convicts received. The judges are depicted as whip-wielding taskmasters who drive the prisoners like horses to plough the land.
Overall, the song "Australia" sheds light on the dark history of the convict transportation system in Australia, which saw thousands of British and Irish convicts transported to Australia to serve their sentences.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a young man, my age seventeen,
As a youthful seventeen-year-old, I should have been serving Queen Victoria.
I ought to have been serving Victoria, my Queen,
I should have been serving the Queen Victoria
But them hard-hearted judges, oh how cruel they be
However, those ruthless judges decided to be cruel.
For to send us poor lads to Australia.
To punish us, they sent us underprivileged boys to Australia.
I fell in with a damsel, she was handsome and gay,
I met a pretty and joyful lady.
I neglected my work more and more everyday,
I started neglecting my work day by day.
And to keep her like a lady, I went on the highway,
I resorted to robbing people on the road to provide her with a luxurious life.
And for that I was sent to Australia.
As punishment, I was sent to Australia.
Australia, Australia, I would ne'er see no more
I never want to see Australia again.
Worn out with the fever, cast down to Death's door,
I am debilitated with the fever and am very close to dying.
And if I ever live, say, seven years more,
If I miraculously survive for seven years more.
I would soon bid adieu to Australia.
I will leave Australia without any delay.
Now the judges, they stand with their whips in their hands
The judges stand with their whips in their hands.
And they drive us like horses to plough up the land.
They treat us like horses, forcing us to work in the fields.
You should see us poor young fellows, a-working in the gaol-yard,
It is sad to see us young offenders working in the prison yard.
How cruel is our fate in Australia.
Australia has dealt us a very cruel fate.
Contributed by Ruby V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ben - Moderator
on Bonny Moorhen
Hi Stuart, We have corrected the description above.
Stuart Tartan
on Bonny Moorhen
This description of the song completely misses the point in every way. It IS NOT about a bird.
It is an allegorical Jacobite-era song about Bonny Prince Charlie (the bonny moorhen). The colours mentioned, for instance, are the colours of the Clan Stuart tartan.