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.
Captain Coulston
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who fought his way all on the sea and never was controlled
For six long weeks in summer gales we sailed upon the sea
All bound for New York City, that city fair to see.
The captain and his lady they came on deck each day
To help us with our merriment, going to Amerikay
The merriment being over, we're going to bed one night
He said : 'My boys, do not go down you need not think on sleep'
'For in a few hours more we shall be slumbering in the deep'
'For a pirate ship is coming down upon the western sea'
'To rob us of our property going to Amerikay'.
The pirate ship came up to us and ordered us to stand
'Your gold and precious loading, this moment I demand'
'Your gold and precious cargo, resign to me this day'
'Or not a soul you'll ever bring unto Amerikay'.
The battle it commenced, brave boys, and blood in streams did flow
While undaunted did our passengers, the pirate overthrow
The cries of women and children lying in the hull below
While the captain and his passengers the pirate did overthrow.
The pirate ship surrendered just by the break of day
And we brought her as a bounty unto Amerikay.
The lyrics to Steeleye Span's song "Captain Coulston" tell the tale of a heroic captain who fought off a pirate attack during a voyage to New York City. The opening lines of the song invite the listener to join Captain Coulston, a man who is both brave and unyielding, on his journey. It is revealed that the Captain's lady is also on board and joins in on the festivities with the crew. However, the party is cut short when the Captain is alerted to an impending pirate attack. In what becomes a fierce battle, the passengers and crew come together to defeat the pirates and save their cargo and their own lives.
The song is a classic sea shanty, a type of folk song that was often sung on sailing ships to help pass the time and provide a rhythm for sailors to work to. "Captain Coulston" is a perfect example of this, with its catchy melody, upbeat tempo, and simple, repetitive lyrics that lend themselves well to a group singalong.
Interestingly, the song was actually composed by Steeleye Span's lead guitarist, Bob Johnson, who wrote it in 1972 as part of a collaboration with the British Museum of Folklore. The museum sent Johnson a collection of traditional sea shanties to use as inspiration, but he ended up writing this original composition instead, which was then included on Steeleye Span's album, "Below the Salt."
Line by Line Meaning
Come and join with Captain Coulston, that hero stout and bold
Join Captain Coulston, who is a brave and courageous hero
Who fought his way all on the sea and never was controlled
He fought through challenges on the sea and was always in control
For six long weeks in summer gales we sailed upon the sea
We sailed through difficult weather conditions for six weeks on the sea
All bound for New York City, that city fair to see.
Heading to New York City for a beautiful sightseeing experience
The captain and his lady they came on deck each day
The captain and his partner came on deck every day
To help us with our merriment, going to Amerikay
To assist in our enjoyment on the way to Amerikay
The merriment being over, we're going to bed one night
After the fun, we retired to bed that night
The captain he came upon deck to see if all was right.
The captain went on deck to check if everything was okay
He said : 'My boys, do not go down you need not think on sleep'
He said, 'Do not go to bed, my boys, do not worry about sleep'
'For in a few hours more we shall be slumbering in the deep'
'We will be asleep in the ocean depths in a few more hours'
'For a pirate ship is coming down upon the western sea'
'A pirate ship is approaching us from the western sea'
'To rob us of our property going to Amerikay'.
'To steal our belongings as we're heading to Amerikay'
The pirate ship came up to us and ordered us to stand
The pirate ship approached us and commanded us to stop
'Your gold and precious loading, this moment I demand'
'I demand your valuable cargo and possessions right now'
'Your gold and precious cargo, resign to me this day'
'Give up your valuable cargo today'
'Or not a soul you'll ever bring unto Amerikay'.
'Or else no one will reach Amerikay alive'
The battle it commenced, brave boys, and blood in streams did flow
The fight began, and blood flowed in streams
While undaunted did our passengers, the pirate overthrow
Our passengers fearlessly overcame the pirate
The cries of women and children lying in the hull below
The sounds of women and children crying from the lower decks
While the captain and his passengers the pirate did overthrow.
The captain and passengers successfully defeated the pirate
The pirate ship surrendered just by the break of day
The pirate ship surrendered at daybreak
And we brought her as a bounty unto Amerikay.
We brought the pirate ship as a prize to Amerikay
Contributed by Colin N. 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.