Dance with Me
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.

Dance with Me
Steeleye Span Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

A knight he rode his lonely way
Thinking about his wedding day
As he rode through a forest near
The elf king's daughter did appear

Out she stepped from the elfin band
Smiling she held out her hand
Welcome Sir Knight, why such speed?
Come with me the dance to lead

Chorus
Dance, dance, follow me
Round and round the greenwood tree
Dance, dance, while you may
Tomorrow is your dying day
Dance with me, dance with me

Listen Sir Knight come dance with me,
Spurs of gold I'll give to thee
Dance neither I will give nor may
Tomorrow is my wedding day

Please Sir Knight come dance with me
A shirt of silk I'll give to thee
A shirt of silk so white and fine
My mother has bleached in the moon-beams shine

Chorus

Please Sir Knight come dance with me
A crown of gold I'll give to thee
Your crown of gold I'll freely take
But I'll not join your elfin wake

Do you refuse to dance with me
A plague of death shall follow thee
Between his shoulders a blow she dealt
Such a blow he'd never felt





Chorus

Overall Meaning

The song "Dance With Me" by Steeleye Span tells the story of a knight who is riding through a forest, thinking about his upcoming wedding day. As he is passing through, the daughter of the elf king appears before him, and she invites him to join in their dance. The knight is initially hesitant, as he tells her that tomorrow is his wedding day, and it would not be appropriate for him to dance with her. However, the elf king's daughter offers him spurs of gold, a shirt of silk, and even a crown of gold to entice him to dance.


Despite her efforts, the knight still refuses to dance with her and join in her elfin wake. As a result, she warns him that a plague of death will follow him. With the chorus urging the knight to dance with her while he still can, the story ends with the elf king's daughter hitting him with a blow that he had never felt before.


Line by Line Meaning

A knight he rode his lonely way
A knight was riding alone and feeling lonely


Thinking about his wedding day
The knight was thinking about his upcoming wedding


As he rode through a forest near
While riding through a nearby forest


The elf king’s daughter did appear
He encountered the daughter of the elf king


Out she stepped from the elfin band
She came out from among a group of elves


Smiling she held out her hand
She extended her hand with a smile


Welcome Sir Knight, why such speed?
The elf princess greeted him and asked why he was in a hurry


Come with me the dance to lead
She invited him to lead a dance with her


Dance, dance, follow me
The chorus is an invitation to dance


Round and round the greenwood tree
The dance would take place around a tree in the greenwood


Dance, dance, while you may
The chorus reminds the knight to dance while he still can


Tomorrow is your dying day
The princess foretells the knight's death tomorrow


Dance with me, dance with me
The invitation to dance is repeated


Listen Sir Knight come dance with me
The princess once again invites him to dance


Spurs of gold I'll give to thee
The princess offers him fancy gold spurs to entice him


Dance neither I will give nor may
The knight politely declines since he is unable to dance


Tomorrow is my wedding day
The knight explains that he cannot dance because he is getting married soon


Please Sir Knight come dance with me
The princess tries once more to convince him to dance


A shirt of silk I'll give to thee
This time, she offers him a fine silk shirt


A shirt of silk so white and fine
The shirt is described as very fine and white


My mother has bleached in the moon-beams shine
The princess explains that her mother bleached the shirt using moonlight


A crown of gold I'll give to thee
The princess offers the knight a crown of gold


Your crown of gold I'll freely take
The knight agrees to accept the crown of gold


But I'll not join your elfin wake
The knight declines to participate in the elfin wake, a potentially dangerous procession


Do you refuse to dance with me
The princess is frustrated that the knight won't dance with her


A plague of death shall follow thee
Angry at the knight's refusal, the princess curses him with death


Between his shoulders a blow she dealt
In response, the princess strikes the knight between the shoulders


Such a blow he'd never felt
The blow was particularly strong




Contributed by Jeremiah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Ben - Moderator


on Bonny Moorhen

Hi Stuart, We have corrected the description above.

Stuart Tartan


on Bonny Moorhen

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.