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.
The Brisk Young Butcher
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He started out of London town all on a certain day.
Says he, "A frolic I will have my fortune for to try,
I will go into Leicestershire some cattle for to buy."
When he arrived at Leicester town he came into an inn
He called for a hostler and boldly he walked in
He called for liquors of the best and being a rambling blade
When she took up a candle to light him up to bed
And when she came into the room these words to her he said,
"One sovereign I will give to you all to enjoy your charms."
And this fair maid all night did sleep all in the butcher's arms.
'Twas early the next morning he prepared to go away
The landlord said, "Your reckoning, sir, you have forgot to pay."
"Oh, no," the butcher did reply, "Pray do not think it strange
One sovereign I gave your maid, and I haven't got the change."
They straightway called the chambermaid and charged her with the same,
The golden sovereign she lay down for fear she'd get the blame.
The butcher, he then went home well pleased with what was past,
And soon this pretty chambermaid grew thick about the waist.
'Twas in a twelvemonth after, he came to town again
And then as he had done before he stopped at that same inn.
'Twas then the buxom chambermaid she chanced him for to see
She brought a babe just three months old and placed him on his knee.
The butcher sat like one amazed and at the child did stare
But when the joke he did find out, how he did stamp and swear
She said, "Kind sir it is your own, pray do not think it strange,
One sovereign you gave to me, and here, I've brought your change."
So come all you brisk and lively blades, I pray be ruled by me,
Look well into your bargains before your money pay
Or soon perhaps your folly will give you cause to range.
Whenever you sport with pretty maids you're sure to get your change.
The song "The Brisk Young Butcher" by Steeleye Span tells the story of a young butcher who sets out on a journey to buy cattle in Leicestershire. Upon arriving at an inn in Leicester, he quickly sets his eyes on the lovely chambermaid and offers her a sovereign to sleep with him. The next morning, when he is asked to settle his bill, he claims he gave his only money to the maid and did not have any change. The landlord calls the chambermaid, and she pays the bill with the same sovereign.
A year later, the butcher returns to the same inn and encounters the same chambermaid. She brings a three-month-old baby boy and places him on his lap, revealing that he is the baby's father. She explains that the baby is his own, and she returned the change he gave her. The song ends with a warning to be cautious while dealing with pretty maids, lest one gets their "change."
The song's narrative is similar to many traditional British songs from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, particularly "The Crafty Maid's Policy." The themes of sexual escapades and women outsmarting men are recurrent in these songs. Also, the song was written by a man named J. Herman Boklen, and it was first published in his book Ballads and Songs of Derbyshire, in which he collected folk songs from the region of Derbyshire.
Line by Line Meaning
It's of a brisk young butcher as I have heard them say,
This tale speaks of a lively and energetic butcher, as they tell it.
He started out of London town all on a certain day.
He left London one particular day to go on an adventure.
Says he, "A frolic I will have my fortune for to try,
He thinks it is time for a lighthearted adventure that could possibly reward him.
I will go into Leicestershire some cattle for to buy."
He plans to go to Leicestershire to purchase some livestock.
When he arrived at Leicester town he came into an inn
When he got to Leicester, he went to an inn.
He called for a hostler and boldly he walked in
He approached a hostler and entered the inn boldly.
He called for liquors of the best and being a rambling blade
As an adventurous chap, he asked for the best drinks available, a wandering lad.
He quickly fixed his eyes upon the lovely chambermaid.
He immediately took notice of the charming chambermaid.
When she took up a candle to light him up to bed
When she picked up a candle to show him to his room.
And when she came into the room these words to her he said,
When she entered the room, he spoke these words to her.
"One sovereign I will give to you all to enjoy your charms."
He offered her one pound for the pleasure of her company.
And this fair maid all night did sleep all in the butcher's arms.
She spent the entire night sleeping in his arms.
'Twas early the next morning he prepared to go away
The following morning, he got ready to leave.
The landlord said, "Your reckoning, sir, you have forgot to pay."
The landlord reminded him that he still needed to pay his bill.
"Oh, no," the butcher did reply, "Pray do not think it strange
The butcher responded that it wasn't an issue.
One sovereign I gave your maid, and I haven't got the change."
He gave the chambermaid one pound and didn't have the change to pay the bill fully.
They straightway called the chambermaid and charged her with the same,
They immediately contacted the chambermaid and accused her of not paying the bill.
The golden sovereign she lay down for fear she'd get the blame.
She placed the gold pound on the table in fear of being blamed for the incident.
The butcher, he then went home well pleased with what was past,
The butcher returned home happy with his experience.
And soon this pretty chambermaid grew thick about the waist.
The chambermaid became pregnant shortly after.
'Twas in a twelvemonth after, he came to town again
He returned to the same town a year later.
And then as he had done before he stopped at that same inn.
As he had previously done, he stopped at the same inn.
'Twas then the buxom chambermaid she chanced him for to see
The now curvaceous chambermaid saw him at that moment.
She brought a babe just three months old and placed him on his knee.
She placed her three-month-old infant on his lap.
The butcher sat like one amazed and at the child did stare
The butcher was bewildered and stared at the baby.
But when the joke he did find out, how he did stamp and swear
When he discovered the prank, he became enraged.
She said, "Kind sir it is your own, pray do not think it strange,
She said that the child was his and urged him not to be surprised,
One sovereign you gave to me, and here, I've brought your change."
She reminded him of the one pound he had given her and showed him his change in the form of the child.
So come all you brisk and lively blades, I pray be ruled by me,
So, my dear lively friends, I hope you'll heed my advice.
Look well into your bargains before your money pay
Examine your purchases and seller before making any payments.
Or soon perhaps your folly will give you cause to range.
Otherwise, you might get yourself in the same situation as him and wander about aimlessly.
Whenever you sport with pretty maids you're sure to get your change.
If you play around with charming women, you're bound to get what's coming to you.
Contributed by Ruby H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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.