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 Wee Wee Man
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Between the water and the wall
There i met with a wee wee man
And he was the least that ever I saw
His legs were scarce a finger's length
And thick and nimble was his knee
Between his eyes a flee could go
[Chorus]
His beard was long and white as as swan
His robe was neither green nor grey
He clapped his hands, down came the mist
And he sank and he's fainted clean away
He pulled up a stone six feet in height
And flung it farther than I could see
And though I'd been a giant born
I'd never had lifted it to my knee
O Wee Wee Man but thou are strong
Come tell me where thy dwelling be
I dwell beneath a bonny green bower
O will ye come with me and see?
[Chorus]
We rode on and we sped on
Until we came to a bonny green hall
The roof was made of the beaten gold
And purest crystal was the floor
There were pipers playing on every stair
And ladies dancing in glistering green
He clapped his hands, down came the mist
And the man and the hall no more were seen
[Chorus]
The song "The Wee Wee Man" by Steeleye Span is a fascinating tale about encountering a tiny, yet powerful man in the forest. The singer tells the story of meeting a "wee wee man" who was small in stature, but incredibly strong. The singer describes the man's physique, with legs that are "scarce a finger's length," yet thick and nimble knees. His body is so small that a flee could fit between his eyes and he only had three inches between his shoulders. But despite his size, he had impressive strength, able to lift a stone six feet in height and fling it farther than the singer could see.
The singer is fascinated by the "wee wee man" and asks where he lives. The man takes the singer on a journey to his "bonny green bower," which is a beautiful green hall with a roof made of beaten gold and a pure crystal floor. The hall is alive with music, as pipers play on every stair, and ladies dance in glistering green. The singer is enchanted by the man's magical world, but suddenly the man claps his hands, and down comes the mist, and the hall and the man disappear.
The song is rich in folklore and mythology, with the mention of dancing fairies in their green dresses and the magical disappearing of the hall and the man. It's also interesting to note how the song juxtaposes the man's diminutive size with his great strength and magical powers. In essence, this song is a tale of wonderment, a glimpse into a world that is beyond the singer's imagination. It's a celebration of the mythical and the magical, where anything is possible.
Line by Line Meaning
'Twas down by Carterhaugh Father
I was walking by Carterhaugh and saw a strange man.
Between the water and the wall
He was standing between a river and a wall.
There i met with a wee wee man
I met a tiny man.
And he was the least that ever I saw
He was the smallest person I had ever seen.
His legs were scarce a finger's length
His legs were very short.
And thick and nimble was his knee
He had thick and agile knees.
Between his eyes a flee could go
There was a space between his eyes where a flea could easily pass.
Between his shoulders were inches three
There was only three inches between his shoulders.
[Chorus]
Refrain.
His beard was long and white as as swan
His beard was long and white like a swan.
His robe was neither green nor grey
His robe wasn't green or gray.
He clapped his hands, down came the mist
He clapped his hands and a mist appeared.
And he sank and he's fainted clean away
He fell down and fainted.
He pulled up a stone six feet in height
He lifted a six-foot stone.
And flung it farther than I could see
He threw the stone farther than I could see.
And though I'd been a giant born
Even if I were a giant, I couldn't lift it.
I'd never had lifted it to my knee
I wouldn't be able to lift it to my knee.
O Wee Wee Man but thou are strong
You're very strong, Wee Wee Man.
Come tell me where thy dwelling be
Please tell me where you live.
I dwell beneath a bonny green bower
I live under a beautiful green arbor.
O will ye come with me and see?
Will you come with me and see?
[Chorus]
Refrain.
We rode on and we sped on
We rode quickly.
Until we came to a bonny green hall
We arrived at a beautiful green hall.
The roof was made of the beaten gold
The roof was made of beaten gold.
And purest crystal was the floor
The floor was made of purest crystal.
There were pipers playing on every stair
There were bagpipe players on every stair.
And ladies dancing in glistering green
Ladies were dancing in glowing green dresses.
He clapped his hands, down came the mist
He clapped his hands, and the mist appeared again.
And the man and the hall no more were seen
The man and the hall disappeared.
[Chorus]
Refrain.
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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.