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.
Lady Diamond
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There was a lord, a lord lived in the North Country
He was a man of wealth and fame
He only had one child, a child but only one
And Lady Diamond was her name
She did not love a lord, she did not love a king
She loved a kitchen boy, and William was his name
And he gave his heart to Lady Diamond.
Chorus
"And his hair shines like gold," said Lady Diamond
"And his eyes like crystal stones," said Lady Diamond
"Bright as the silver moon" she said, "bright as the sun that shines"
"Bright as the silver moon" she said, "bright as the sun that shines"
On Lady Diamond
Verse 2
It was a Winter's night the lord could get no rest
To Lady Diamond's room he came
He sat down on her bed just like a wondering ghost
Now Lady Diamond tell me plain
"Do you love a lord", he said, "or do you love a king?"
"I love a kitchen boy, and William is his name.
And better I love that boy than all your well-bred men;
I have his heart", said Lady Diamond.
(Instrumental Break - verse)
Oh where are all my men, he said, that I gave meat and fee
Go fetch the kitchen boy and bring him here to me.
They dragged him from the house and hung him on a tree,
And they gave his heart to Lady Diamond.
Chorus
The song Lady Diamond by Steeleye Span tells the story of a lord living in the North Country who had a daughter named Lady Diamond. She fell in love with a kitchen boy named William despite her father's disapproval. In the chorus, Lady Diamond describes William's physical features as shining hair like gold, crystal stone-like eyes, and brightness like the silver moon and sun. In the second verse, Lady Diamond's father visited her room one winter's night, asking if she loved a lord or a king. Lady Diamond answered truthfully that she loved William and his heart belonged to her. However, her father did not approve of their relationship and had William brought to him. He was then hanged on a tree, and his heart was given to Lady Diamond.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a lord, a lord lived in the North Country
Once upon a time, there was a wealthy lord who resided in the North Country
He was a man of wealth and fame
He was very affluent and renowned
He only had one child, a child but only one
The lord had just one offspring
And Lady Diamond was her name
The daughter's name was Lady Diamond
She did not love a lord, she did not love a king
Lady Diamond did not have romantic feelings for nobles or monarchs
She loved a kitchen boy, and William was his name
Instead, she was in love with a servant boy named William
And though he brought her joy, he also brought her shame
While William made her happy, their social class difference concerned her
And he gave his heart to Lady Diamond.
Nevertheless, William had fallen in love with Lady Diamond
"And his hair shines like gold," said Lady Diamond
Lady Diamond spoke highly of William, describing his shiny, golden hair
"And his eyes like crystal stones," said Lady Diamond
She also compared his eyes to sparkling crystal stones
"Bright as the silver moon" she said, "bright as the sun that shines"
She expressed how radiant William's overall appearance was
"Bright as the silver moon" she said, "bright as the sun that shines"
Again, she mused on the beauty of William
On Lady Diamond
Overall, Lady Diamond couldn't help but gush about William's good looks
It was a Winter's night the lord could get no rest
One wintery night, the Lord couldn't fall asleep
To Lady Diamond's room he came
The Lord went to Lady Diamond's chambers
He sat down on her bed just like a wondering ghost
He sat on her bed hesitantly, like a lost soul
Now Lady Diamond tell me plain
He asked Lady Diamond a direct question
"Do you love a lord", he said, "or do you love a king?"
The Lord asked if Lady Diamond loved nobility or the monarchy
"I love a kitchen boy, and William is his name.
Lady Diamond proudly professed her affection for William
And better I love that boy than all your well-bred men;
She explained that her love for William exceeded any feelings she had for high-born men
I have his heart", said Lady Diamond.
She announced that William reciprocated her feelings
Oh where are all my men, he said, that I gave meat and fee
The Lord demanded to know the whereabouts of his servants who he paid well
Go fetch the kitchen boy and bring him here to me.
He instructed to bring William to him
They dragged him from the house and hung him on a tree,
The Lord's men took William from the house and lynched him
And they gave his heart to Lady Diamond.
As a cruel gesture, they presented his heart to Lady Diamond
Contributed by Isabelle H. 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.