Senior Service
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.

Senior Service
Steeleye Span Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Kemp-Prior

Sally's in the alley and Nancy's on the game
Emily is pregnant and wondering who to blame.
We raise our port and lemon and toast a reply
That the senior service satisfy.

See the bold man-of-war steaming into port
Guns fully primed, the 24-pounder sort
And down on the deck for a full broadside
Back on the high seas with the rising tide.

Here's a little steam ship chugging up the channel
Small smoke stack and a red smoking funnel.
He brings the girls presents of stockings and tights,
Comes regular as clockwork every tuesday night.

Sally's in the alley and Nancy's on the game
Emily is pregnant and wondering who to blame.
We raise our port and lemon and toast a reply
That the senior service satisfy.

Here come the sailor boys, matthew, luke and john
I like 'em with tattoos, i like 'em young and strong.
Here come the sailor boys a-rousting up the town
Their rigging is up but their sails are down.

-instrumental-

Here's a skipper of a clipper with a broken bowsprit
Heading for dry dock and a new refit
There's an oil tanker of the modern kind
A thousand foot length of throbbing steam turbine.

Sally's in the alley and nancy's on the game
Emily is pregnant and wondering who to blame.
We raise our port and lemon and toast a reply
That the senior service satisfy.

Here come the sailor boys, George, John and Paul.
I like 'em lithe and lissom, like 'em slim and tall.
Here come the sailor boys whistling up the quay,
Blue peter up the mast where all the girls can see.

Sally's in the alley and nancy's on the game
Emily is pregnant and wondering who to blame.




We raise our port and lemon and toast a reply
That the senior service satisfy.

Overall Meaning

The song Senior Service by Steeleye Span describes the nightlife in a port town, where sailors come ashore seeking entertainment. Sally and Nancy are prostitutes, and Emily is pregnant with uncertainty over the father. The lyrics suggest a culture of heavy drinking in response to the decadence and debauchery of the sailors' shore leave. Despite the questionable behavior, there is a certain sense of loyalty and camaraderie among the locals, as they raise their drinks in tribute to the sailors and their work. The lyrics also paint a picture of the various types of ships that enter the port, from warships with powerful guns to tiny steamers that bring presents to the women. The song ultimately celebrates the allure of the sea and the seafaring lifestyle as a whole.


Line by Line Meaning

Sally's in the alley and Nancy's on the game
Sally and Nancy are prostitutes


Emily is pregnant and wondering who to blame
Emily is pregnant and unsure who the father is


We raise our port and lemon and toast a reply
We lift our glasses and make a toast


That the senior service satisfy.
May the military satisfy our desires


See the bold man-of-war steaming into port
A large military ship is arriving in the harbor


Guns fully primed, the 24-pounder sort
The ship's guns are loaded and ready to fire


And down on the deck for a full broadside
The ship is preparing to fire all of its guns at once


Back on the high seas with the rising tide.
The ship will soon return to sea with the tide


Here's a little steam ship chugging up the channel
A small steam ship is sailing up the waterway


Small smoke stack and a red smoking funnel.
The ship's smokestack is small and releasing red smoke


He brings the girls presents of stockings and tights,
The ship brings gifts of hosiery for the women


Comes regular as clockwork every tuesday night.
The ship arrives every Tuesday like clockwork


Here come the sailor boys, matthew, luke and john
The sailors named Matthew, Luke, and John are arriving


I like 'em with tattoos, i like 'em young and strong.
The singer is attracted to young, strong sailors with tattoos


Here come the sailor boys a-rousting up the town
The sailors are exploring and causing excitement in town


Their rigging is up but their sails are down.
The ship's rigging is in place, but the sails are not raised


Here's a skipper of a clipper with a broken bowsprit
A captain of a ship with a broken bowsprit is arriving


Heading for dry dock and a new refit
The ship is going to the dock for repairs and renovations


There's an oil tanker of the modern kind
A modern oil tanker is present


A thousand foot length of throbbing steam turbine.
The oil tanker is powered by a large steam turbine


Here come the sailor boys, George, John and Paul.
The sailors named George, John, and Paul are arriving


I like 'em lithe and lissom, like 'em slim and tall.
The artist prefers thin and tall sailors


Here come the sailor boys whistling up the quay,
The sailors are walking cheerfully up the key


Blue peter up the mast where all the girls can see.
The flag indicating a ship is about to leave is raised on the mast, signaling to the women that the sailors will soon depart




Contributed by Gianna F. 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.