Steeleye Span formed in 1969 from members of Fairport Convention and out of… Read Full Bio ↴Steeleye Span formed in 1969 from members of Fairport Convention and out of the ashes of Sweeney's Men creating a distinctive fusion of both British folk with electric rock music. The resulting first version of the band was formed by ex-Fairport bassist Ashley Hutchings and built around two pairs of vocalists, Tim Hart and Maddy Prior and Gay & Terry Woods. Rhythm was to be supplied largely by Hutchings' bass, and without drums.

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.

Calling On Song
Steeleye Span Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Good people pray heed a petition
Your attention we beg and crave
And if you are inclined for to listen
An abundance of pastime we'll have

We have come to relate many stories
Concerning our forefathers time
And we trust they will drive out your worries

Of this we are all in one mind

Many tales of the poor and the gentry
Of labor and love will arise
There are no finer songs in this country
In Scotland or Ireland likewise

There's one thing more need be mentioned
The dances are danced all in fun

So now you've heard our intention
We'll play on to the beat of the drum

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "A Calling-On Song" by Steeleye Span are about a group of people who are asking for the attention of the listeners. The group promises to share many stories related to the time of their forefathers which will definitely drive away the worries of the listeners. The stories range from poor people to the gentry and are related to labor and love. This group claims that there are no finer songs in the country, Scotland or Ireland that are better than these stories. Finally, the group draws everyone's attention to the fact that the dances are performed for fun and entertainment purposes. The drum beat starts and the group plays on.

Line by Line Meaning

Good people pray heed a petition
We kindly ask for your attention and consideration

Your attention we beg and crave
We are desperate for you to listen to us

And if you are inclined for to listen
If you are willing to listen

An abundance of pastime we'll have
We have plenty of entertainment to share

We have come to relate many stories
We are here to share stories from our heritage

Concerning our forefathers time
Specifically, we will talk about the history of our ancestors

And we trust they will drive out your worries
We hope that our stories will alleviate any of your concerns

Of this we are all in one mind
We all agree on this purpose

Many tales of the poor and the gentry
We will tell stories about both the lower and upper classes

Of labor and love will arise
The stories will cover topics of work and romance

There are no finer songs in this country
We believe that the music we offer is of the highest quality

In Scotland or Ireland likewise
Other nearby countries also have great music, but this is on par

There's one thing more need be mentioned
Lastly, we have one more thing to say

The dances are danced all in fun
Our dances are purely for entertainment purposes

So now you've heard our intention
We have explained our purpose

We'll play on to the beat of the drum
And now we'll perform for you

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Ben - Moderator

on Bonny Moorhen

50w

Hi Stuart, We have corrected the description above.

Stuart Tartan

on Bonny Moorhen

50w

The song Bonny Moorhen by Steeleye Span is a traditional Scottish ballad that tells the story of a bird, the Bonny Moorhen, and its journey through the glen and over the sea. The narrator of the song expresses affection and admiration for the bird and asks others to toast its health when they are out drinking. The Bonny Moorhen is described as having a rainbow of feathers, including blue, which is unusual for a bird, and invites it to come to the narrator. However, in the second verse, the song takes a darker turn as the narrator reveals that the bird has gone over the sea and will not return until the summer. But when it does return, only certain people will know, suggesting that not everyone will be happy about the Bonny Moorhen's return. The third verse introduces a new element to the story, two men named Ronald and Donald who are out on the fen, presumably trying to hunt or harm the bird. The narrator calls for the Bonny Moorhen to come to them for safety. Overall, the song is a mix of admiration for the beauty of nature and a warning about the dangers that can lurk in it. The Bonny Moorhen represents something pure and innocent, but there are those who would try to harm it, and the song is a call to protect it.

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.

just now