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.

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Steeleye Span Lyrics

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Sometime in October,
We sailed from England's shore,
When we sailed into a raging storm
Like I've never ever seen before;
And all of the crew they were brave men,
But the captain, he was braver,
He said "Never mind the ship, me boys,
There's none of us here can save her."

Chorus: Let her go down,
Swim for your lives,
Swim for your children,
Swim for your wives,
But let her go down,
Just let her go down.
Lost in the open ocean,
There were some of the crew and me,
While the captain steered our wounded ship,
To the bottom of an angry sea,
And with his dying breath we all heard him say,
"Just the fortunes of a sailor."
And he said "Never mind the ship, me boys,
There's none of us here can save her."
Chorus:
He wondered if his shipmates
Were ready just to pray and give in,
So he called their names out one by one,
But there was no one else around but him,
He saw the ship go down in the fading light,
And he knew they couldn't save her.
He said "The captain lied when the captain cried,

There's none of us here can save her."
Chorus:

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the Steeleye Span song Let Her Go Down tell the story of a group of sailors sailing from England's shore in October that encounter a raging storm. The crew and captain are brave, but the ship is too damaged to be saved. The captain, facing death, instructs his crew to abandon ship and save themselves, but to let the ship go down. The chorus repeats this instruction, emphasizing the resignation and acceptance of the ship's fate.

The second verse speaks of the captain's determination to try and steer the ship to safety, despite the odds. The crew and the singer are lost in the open ocean, while the captain stays to try and save the ship. His dying breath reveals his acceptance of the sailor's fortunes - the dangers and risks that come with the profession. He repeats his earlier advice - to let the ship go down, as there is no way to save it.

Line by Line Meaning

Sometime in October,
In some unspecified October day,

We sailed from England's shore,
We departed from the coast of England,

When we sailed into a raging storm,
When we entered a violent storm while sailing,

Like I've never ever seen before;
Of a degree I had never witnessed before,

And all of the crew they were brave men,
Every member of the crew was brave,

But the captain, he was braver,
Nevertheless, the captain stood out for his bravery,

He said 'Never mind the ship, me boys,
He disregarded the ship and exclaimed,

There's none of us here can save her.'
The crew was incapable of rescuing it.'

Lost in the open ocean,
Incapacitated in the vast ocean,

There were some of the crew and me,
Some of the crew and I,

While the captain steered our wounded ship,
The captain guided our injured ship,

To the bottom of an angry sea,
Until it found the depths of the agitated sea,

And with his dying breath we all heard him say,
Using his last breath, we all heard him mention,

'Just the fortunes of a sailor.'
'The fate of a sailor.'

And he said 'Never mind the ship, me boys,
He uttered, 'Don't worry about the ship, gentlemen,

There's none of us here can save her.'
We cannot rescue her.'

He wondered if his shipmates
He questioned if his companions

Were ready just to pray and give in,
Would simply succumb and pray,

So he called their names out one by one,
Thus, he voiced their names individually,

But there was no one else around but him,
Yet, he found himself completely alone,

He saw the ship go down in the fading light,
As the light began to diminish, he observed the boat sink,

And he knew they couldn't save her.
He realized they were unable to rescue her.

He said 'The captain lied when the captain cried,
He claimed, 'The captain deceived us when he said,

There's none of us here can save her.'
We cannot rescue her.'

Chorus:
Chorus:

Let her go down,
'Let her sink,

Swim for your lives,
Swim with all your might,

Swim for your children,
Swim for your children,

Swim for your wives,
Swim for your wives,

But let her go down,
Nonetheless, let her sink,

Just let her go down.'
Simply let her sink.'

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: PETER KNIGHT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Ben - Moderator

on Bonny Moorhen

51w

Hi Stuart, We have corrected the description above.

Stuart Tartan

on Bonny Moorhen

51w

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.

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