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.
Spotted Cow
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As from my cot' I strayed.
Just at the dawning of the day
I met with a charming maid.
'Good morning you, whither?' said I,
'Good morning to you now',
The maid replied, 'kind sir' she cried,
'No longer weep, no longer mourn,
Your cow's not lost my dear,
I saw her down in yonder grove,
Come love and I'll show you where'.
'I must confess you're very kind,
I thank you sir,' said she,
'We will be sure her there to find,
Come sweetheart, go with me'.
And in the grove they spent the day,
They thought it passed too soon,
At night they homeward bent their way,
While brightly shone the moon.
If he should cross the flowery dale,
Or go to view the plough,
She comes and calls, 'You gentle swain,
I've lost my spotted co
The song Spotted Cow by Steeleye Span tells a story of a chance meeting between a young man and a maid in the month of June. The young man comes across the maid and inquires about her well-being, to which she responds that she has lost her spotted cow. The young man promises to help her find the cow and shows her where it is. The two spend the day together in the grove where the cow was found, and the night falls before they head back home. The maid seems to be fascinated by the young man, and her final parting words suggest that she has developed a liking for him.
The lyrics of this song hint at a deeper meaning as the spotted cow is symbolic of the young maid's virginity. The song is set in the 17th or 18th century, and in those times, cows were used to represent the female's virtue. Therefore, the cow's presence in the grove could mean that the young maiden had decided to lose her virginity to the young man. The first verse indicates that the setting of the song is in the early hours, which suggests that the maid may have been sneaking around. In essence, the story of the song is about a young woman's sexual awakening in the arms of a young man.
Line by Line Meaning
One morning in the month of June,
The singer is talking about a particular day in June.
As from my cot' I strayed.
The singer left his home.
Just at the dawning of the day
It was early in the morning.
I met with a charming maid.
The artist encountered a young, attractive woman.
'Good morning you, whither?' said I,
The artist greeted the woman and asked where she was going.
'Good morning to you now',
The woman responded to the singer's greeting.
The maid replied, 'kind sir' she cried,
The woman addressed the singer respectfully and with emotion.
'I've lost my spotted cow'.
The woman explained that she had lost her cow.
'No longer weep, no longer mourn,
The artist reassured the woman not to worry.
Your cow's not lost my dear,
The artist told the woman that he had seen her cow.
I saw her down in yonder grove,
The singer saw the cow in a nearby grove.
Come love and I'll show you where'.
The artist offered to show the woman where the cow was.
'I must confess you're very kind,
The woman thanked the singer for his help and complimented him.
I thank you sir,' said she,
The woman expressed gratitude to the singer.
'We will be sure her there to find,
The woman agreed to go with the singer to find her cow.
Come sweetheart, go with me'.
The artist and the woman set off together.
And in the grove they spent the day,
The artist and the woman spent the entire day searching for the cow in the grove.
They thought it passed too soon,
The singer and the woman felt that the day went by too quickly.
At night they homeward bent their way,
As evening approached, the singer and the woman headed home.
While brightly shone the moon.
The moon illuminated their path.
If he should cross the flowery dale,
The artist's thoughts turn to if he were to walk across a flowery valley.
Or go to view the plough,
The artist also considered looking at a plow.
She comes and calls, 'You gentle swain,
The woman would call out to the singer, addressing him as a gentle or romantic man.
I've lost my spotted cow'.
The woman would continue to ask for help finding her cow.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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.