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.
Sheepcrook And Black Dog
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I give it to you
Here's my bag and my budget
I bid it adieu
Here's my sheep-crook and my black dog
I leave them behind
Fine laurel, fine floral
You've proved all unkind
All to my dear Dinah these words I did say
Tomorrow we'll be married love, tomorrow is the day
'Tis too soon dear Willy my age is too young
One day to our wedding is one day too soon
I'll go into service if the day ain't too late
To wait on a fine lady it is my intent
And when into service a your or two bound
It's then we'll get married and both settle down
A little time after a letter was wrote
For to see if my dear Dinah had changed her mind
But she wrote that she'd lived such a contrary life
She said that she'd never be a young shepherd's wife
The lyrics of Steeleye Span's Sheepcrook And Black Dog tell the story of a young shepherd named Willy who is giving up his life and livelihood to pursue a new future with his beloved Dinah. He starts by presenting his sheep-crook and black dog, symbols of his pastoral life, to Dinah before bidding farewell to his bag and budget. Willy is clearly determined to leave his old world behind, as he sings "Fine laurel, fine floral / You've proved all unkind", suggesting that the natural world has been less than kind to him.
In the next verse, Willy expresses his love for Dinah and suggests that they get married the following day. Dinah, however, is hesitant, declaring herself too young to wed. Willy proposes a compromise, suggesting that he go into service and wait on a fine lady while they wait for the right time to get married.
The final verse reveals that Dinah has ultimately rejected Willy's proposal, claiming that she has lived a "contrary life" and could never be a young shepherd's wife. The song ends on a mournful note, as Willy's hopes for a new life with Dinah are dashed.
Overall, Sheepcrook And Black Dog is a melancholic and bittersweet song about love, ambition, and the sacrifices we make to pursue our dreams. It is both a celebration of the pastoral life and a recognition of its limitations, and the story of Willy and Dinah resonates with anyone who has had to leave behind something they loved in pursuit of something else.
Line by Line Meaning
Here's my sheep-crook and my black dog
I offer you my tools and my companion
I give it to you
I bestow them upon you
Here's my bag and my budget
I give you my belongings and my finances
I bid it adieu
I say farewell to it
Here's my sheep-crook and my black dog
I leave behind my tools and my companion
I leave them behind
I abandon them
Fine laurel, fine floral
Fantastic laurel, awesome floral
You've proved all unkind
You've shown yourself to be unkind
All to my dear Dinah these words I did say
To my beloved Dinah, I spoke these words
Tomorrow we'll be married love, tomorrow is the day
We will be wedded tomorrow, my love
'Tis too soon dear Willy my age is too young
It's too early, William, I'm too young
One day to our wedding is one day too soon
Getting married tomorrow is too hasty
I'll go into service if the day ain't too late
If it is not too late, I'll find employment in household service
To wait on a fine lady it is my intent
My goal is to serve a noble lady
And when into service a your or two bound
When I am employed for a year or two
It's then we'll get married and both settle down
We'll marry and establish a life together then
A little time after a letter was wrote
Some time later, a letter was sent
For to see if my dear Dinah had changed her mind
To check if Dinah had changed her opinion
But she wrote that she'd lived such a contrary life
However, she replied that she had lived a contradictory life
She said that she'd never be a young shepherd's wife
She mentioned that she would not marry a young shepherd
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
chrisharro
From the golden era of Fairport/Steeleye/Pentangle English folk of the late 60's early 70's - what a beautiful combination of two old songs sung with passion by Maddy Prior - man that stuff was good!
j mo
Maddy Prior you turn that song into the greatest ever tragedy, it is a sad song but your wonderful voice elevates it to a place known only to the angels. Thank you so much for periodically lifting my life into your wonderful aura.
Gingerlyn Summer
Great group and song. I was in college in the '70s when people from the group that did Renaissance & Medieval festivals and called themselves Pagans played this stuff for me. I loved it! I actually fell in love with Fairport Convention's "Liege and Lief" while in high school, but didn't know until college there were other great bands who did the same kind of music. I bought a bunch of Steeleye And Penangle in those days, and still listen to it It's vibrant, exciting music that will never grow old (and considering that some of these songs are hundreds of years old, that's a very long time!)
oneoflokis
Yup! How true! 🙂👍 (A budding little (neo) Pagan like me (though I didn't really know I was one at the time) was introduced to music by Steeleye when I was still at school. That was in the 1980s! I fell in love with All Around My Hat (too young to have seen it on TOTP when it was a hit), Come Ye Oer fra France, Long Lankin (THAT one sent a shiver down my spine so it did! And so on. 🙂👍)
Rock on Steeleye Span - the best folk rock band in the business!
mickigoe
Definitely my favourite Steeleye track of them all. The first time I heard it was when the band performed it in Dublin - 1971 maybe - and it brought the house down. Nobody had heard it before - "Below the Salt" was to be released the following week. For a "new" song to receive such an astonishing ovation was amazing.
Peter Holmes
One of Maddy's best songs. Goose bumps stuff :~))
Magenta
This Old English song is one of the most beautiful songs ever and I love the way Maddy sings it. Hauntingly lovely.
Ron Olin
There is good music, and there is music that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. This is one of the latter.
oneoflokis
Yes - Maddy Prior has that sort of piercing "edge" to her voice, too, which I like! 🙂👍
ron de don don
This is definitely one of the latter