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.
Scarecrow
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The King is brooding day and night
Black with hate, cursing fate
To be ill when the foe is in sight
The priests they kneel in the chancel in solemn peaceful prayer
The King is laughing, grim and slow
Three brothers die, he hung them high
The priests they crouch o'er their books and scratch away at history
The King he rises from his bed
Leads his men, rides again
But before he sees the border he is dead
The priests they walk in procession with the coffin of state
The King he leaves his work undone
It is his fate, despite his hate
That his foe lives on to fight his son
In Steeleye Span's song "Scarecrow," the lyrics seem to depict a power struggle between a corrupt King and the Church as they both try to maintain control over the people. The priests go fishing for Friday's meal while the King is "brooding day and night" and "cursing fate" for being ill when he needs to face his enemies. While the priests pray solemnly in the chancel, the King is "laughing, grim and slow" and hangs three brothers on a gibbet, displaying his cruel tactics to maintain power.
The priests, in contrast to the King, seem to be focused on recording history and the events around them, "scratching away at history." However, despite their best efforts to preserve knowledge, the fate of the King is sealed. He leads his men into battle but dies before reaching the border, leaving his work undone. Meanwhile, the priests carry the coffin of state and accept that the King's hatred was his downfall, and his enemy will continue to fight his son.
Overall, the lyrics of "Scarecrow" seem to explore the themes of power, corruption, and the futility of violence. The King's ruthless tactics ultimately lead to his demise, while the priests, despite their passive roles, are the ones who continue to carry out the traditions and carry the weight of the King's mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
The priests go down to the river to fish for Friday's meal
The priests go to fish by the river for their meal on Friday.
The King is brooding day and night
The King is constantly troubled and thinking deeply.
Black with hate, cursing fate
The King is filled with hatred and despises his own fate.
To be ill when the foe is in sight
The King feels sick when he sees his enemy near.
The priests they kneel in the chancel in solemn peaceful prayer
The priests kneel in the church, praying in peace and solemnity.
The King is laughing, grim and slow
The King is very slowly and a bit grimly laughing.
Three brothers die, he hung them high
He killed three brothers and hung them high.
On a gibbet they died a cruel show
Their death was cruel and public as they were hung in a gibbet.
The priests they crouch o'er their books and scratch away at history
The priests are crouching over their books, working on history.
The King he rises from his bed
The King gets out of bed.
Leads his men, rides again
The King leads his men and rides out once more.
But before he sees the border he is dead
But before he can reach the border, he dies.
The priests they walk in procession with the coffin of state
The priests walk in a procession, carrying the state's coffin.
The King he leaves his work undone
The King leaves his work unfinished.
It is his fate, despite his hate
It's his destiny, despite his hostility.
That his foe lives on to fight his son
His enemy lives on to fight his son.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Rick Kemp, Maddy Prior
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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.