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.
Seventeen Come Sunday
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As I strolled out one May morning
One May morning so early
I overtook a handsome maid
And, my goodness, she was early
Her shoes were black and her stockings were white
She had a dark and rolling eye
And her hair hung over her shoulder
‘How old are you my fair pretty maid
How old are you my honey?
She answered me so cheerfully
‘Well, I'm seventeen come Sunday
‘Could you love me my fair pretty maid
Could you love me my honey?
She answered me so tearfully
‘Oh, I can't because of Mummy
‘But if you come to my Mummy's house
When the moon is shining brightly
‘Oh, I'll come down and let you in
‘And my Mummy shall not hear me
So he went to her Mummy's house
When the moon was brightly shining
And she came down and she let him in
And she rolled in his arms till the morning
She says ‘Kind sir, will you marry me?
I says ‘Oh no, my honey
For the fife and drum is my delight
And I'm happy in the army
The song “Seventeen Come Sunday” by Steeleye Span is based on a traditional folk song. The lyrics tell a story of a man who meets a beautiful young woman while out for a walk. He asks her how old she is and she tells him that she is “seventeen come Sunday.” He then asks her if she could love him, but she says she cannot because of her mother. However, she agrees to meet him secretly when the moon is shining brightly. They meet up and spend the night together, and she asks him to marry her, but he declines, saying that his true love is the fife and drum in the army.
The lyrics of the song reflect the themes of love, youth, and secrecy. The woman in the song is seen as innocent and pure, yet still willing to meet the man secretly. The man, on the other hand, values his career in the army more than his love for the woman. The song can be seen as a reflection of the societal norms of the time, where women were expected to be chaste and obedient, while men were free to pursue their passions.
Overall, “Seventeen Come Sunday” is a beautiful, melancholic song that tells a story of love and loss. It offers a glimpse into the lives of people in the past and the struggles they faced.
Line by Line Meaning
As I strolled out one May morning
One lovely morning in the month of May, I went for a walk
One May morning so early
It was early in the morning, during the month of May
I overtook a handsome maid
I saw a beautiful young woman walking ahead of me
And, my goodness, she was early
She was up and about very early in the morning
Her shoes were black and her stockings were white
She was wearing black shoes and white stockings
And her buckles they shone like silver
The buckles on her shoes were so shiny, they looked like silver
She had a dark and rolling eye
Her eyes were dark and appeared to be twinkling
And her hair hung over her shoulder
Her hair was long and draped over her shoulder
‘How old are you my fair pretty maid
I asked her how old she was
How old are you my honey?
I addressed her affectionately by calling her 'honey'
She answered me so cheerfully
She replied in a happy and positive manner
‘Well, I'm seventeen come Sunday
The young woman stated that she was seventeen years old, and would be turning eighteen on the next Sunday
‘Could you love me my fair pretty maid
I asked if she could love me
Could you love me my honey?
I asked her again, using an affectionate tone
She answered me so tearfully
Her response was emotional and tearful
‘Oh, I can't because of Mummy
She couldn't love me because of her mother's disapproval
‘But if you come to my Mummy's house
She suggested that if I came to her mother's house
When the moon is shining brightly
In the evening when the moon is full and shining
‘Oh, I'll come down and let you in
She promised to come down and let me in
‘And my Mummy shall not hear me
She assured me that her mother wouldn't know
So he went to her Mummy's house
I went to her mother's house
When the moon was brightly shining
It was a clear and bright night with a full moon
And she came down and she let him in
She kept her promise and let me into the house
And she rolled in his arms till the morning
We spent the night holding each other in our arms until morning
She says ‘Kind sir, will you marry me?
The young woman asked me to marry her
I says ‘Oh no, my honey
I declined her offer
For the fife and drum is my delight
I explained that I was happy being a soldier and marching to the sound of the fife and drum
And I'm happy in the army
I revealed that I was content serving in the army and did not wish to settle down and get married
Contributed by Nolan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Geoff Baker
I love it when Benji forgets the words and makes something up. Rick Kemp had a habit of doing that I seem to recall.
Love this band and this recording.
Perhaps when Jesse comes back they should keep Violetta as well.
Steeleye goes 8-piece!
Hotelechomike
I remember seeing Steeleye doing this at the Manchester Free Trade Hall during the "Live at Last" tour with John Kirkpatrick on accordian & Nigel Pegrum behind the drum kit. And of course Tim Hart.
susan esquer
awesome jam session!
david Graham
Makes the on the back of my neck, stand up!
Takes me back 50 years !!
bckelly99
Love this song
360 Decrees
I'd like to hear them do it in the same key as Percy Grainger's version.
Mario Zammit
Lovely rendition but really miss John Kirkpatrick's accordion.