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.
Galtee Farmer
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He brought her to Enniscorthy boys to sell her at the fair
Said the son all to the father, "I'll do the best I can
The price of her is twenty guineas but look I'll take one pound"
Up comes a Dublin buyer for to bid I am inclined
The price of her is twenty guineas but look I'll give one pound
So quickly then he paid for her before time look around
Put a saddle and a bridle and a jockey all on her back
You would swear she was a racer after coming off the track
Says the son all to the father "There's a mare for sale close by
She looks so bright and handsome and enticing in my eye"
She looks so bright and handsome and the jockey turned around
Said the price of her is fifty guineas but look I'll take five pounds
Says the son all to the father, "Now be quick and make up your mind
The price of her is fifty guineas but look he'll take five pounds"
So quickly then they paid for her and away from the fair they went
And as they jogged along the road they were both well content
When they came to the little cottage at the bottom of the lane
Who should run to meet them but the little daughter Jane
"Mamma, mamma here comes the lads, but the mare they did not sell
But they've hocked her mane and docked her tail
But you'd know her old jog well"
"Oh what did you get that mare clipped for she looks so thin and old
What did you get that mare clipped for she'll surely catch a cold
I'll sit down at the table and I'll let my temper cool
I've been married to you these forty years and you're only a born fool"
The song "Galtee Farmer" is a traditional Irish folk song that tells the story of an old farmer and his son who bring an old mare to Enniscorthy fair to sell. The son, eager to make a sale, offers the mare for one pound, much less than what she's worth. A Dublin buyer overhears the conversation and offers the same amount, quickly buying the mare. He later puts a saddle, bridle, and a jockey on her, making her look like a champion racehorse.
The son then sees another mare for sale and convinces his father to buy her, again for much less than her asking price. However, when they arrive home and show the mare to the farmer's wife, she realizes that they've simply clipped the old mare's mane and tail, making her look thin and old. She scolds her husband for making such a foolish purchase after forty years of marriage.
The song's lyrics are a commentary on the tendency of people to be lured into making quick decisions based on appearances, rather than taking the time to truly understand the value of what they are purchasing. The old mare may have been old and unimpressive, but she had value and could have served a purpose on the farm, rather than being sold for a small sum. The song teaches a valuable lesson about the importance of taking the time to consider the true value of what we are buying or selling, rather than being swayed by appearances or quick deals.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh there was an old Galtee farmer and he had an old Galtee mare
Once upon a time, there lived an old farmer in Galtee who owned an old mare
He brought her to Enniscorthy boys to sell her at the fair
He took her to Enniscorthy with a plan to sell her in the fair
Said the son all to the father, "I'll do the best I can
The son told his father that he will do his best to sell the mare
The price of her is twenty guineas but look I'll take one pound"
The buyer offered to buy the mare for one pound although it was originally priced at twenty guineas
Up comes a Dublin buyer for to bid I am inclined
A buyer from Dublin showed up at the auction to bid for the mare
The price of her is twenty guineas but look I'll give one pound
The Dublin buyer also offered to buy the mare for one pound
So quickly then he paid for her before time look around
The Dublin buyer paid for the mare hastily, before anyone else could make a better offer
And he went into a stable and he pulled her in behind
The buyer took the mare to a stable and hid her from view
Put a saddle and a bridle and a jockey all on her back
He put a saddle, a bridle, and a jockey on her back, disguising her as a racehorse
You would swear she was a racer after coming off the track
The disguised mare looked like a genuine racehorse
Says the son all to the father "There's a mare for sale close by
Later on, the son spotted another mare for sale nearby
She looks so bright and handsome and enticing in my eye"
The son thought the other mare looked attractive and appealing
She looks so bright and handsome and the jockey turned around
The jockey also thought the other mare looked good and attractive
Said the price of her is fifty guineas but look I'll take five pounds
The seller priced the other mare at fifty guineas, but was willing to sell her for five pounds
Says the son all to the father, "Now be quick and make up your mind
The son asked his father to decide quickly whether to buy the other mare or not
The price of her is fifty guineas but look he'll take five pounds"
The seller dropped the price of the mare down to five pounds
So quickly then they paid for her and away from the fair they went
They bought the other mare and left the fair quickly
And as they jogged along the road they were both well content
As they were travelling along the road, they were happy with their purchases
When they came to the little cottage at the bottom of the lane
When they arrived at a cottage located at the end of the lane
Who should run to meet them but the little daughter Jane
Their daughter Jane ran to meet them
"Mamma, mamma here comes the lads, but the mare they did not sell
Jane told her mother that the men were back, but they did not sell the mare
But they've hocked her mane and docked her tail
The men actually had their mare's mane and tail clipped off
But you'd know her old jog well"
Despite the changes, they would still recognize their old mare
"Oh what did you get that mare clipped for she looks so thin and old
The mother was surprised and angrily asked why they clipped the mare's hair off, making her look skinny and old
What did you get that mare clipped for she'll surely catch a cold
She also thought the mare might catch a cold because of her lack of hair
I'll sit down at the table and I'll let my temper cool
The mother decided to sit down and calm down before doing or saying anything rash
I've been married to you these forty years and you're only a born fool"
The mother scolded her husband for making a foolish decision
Contributed by Muhammad J. 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.