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.
Three Drunken Maidens
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Came from the Isle of Wight
They drunk from Monday morning
Nor stopped till Saturday night
When Saturday night did come me boys,
They wouldn't then go out
These three drunken maidens,
They pushed the jug about.
Then in comes bouncing Sally,
Her cheeks as red as blooms
Move up me jolly sisters,
And give young Sally some room
For I will be your equal
Before the night is out
These four drunken maidens,
They pushed the jug about.
There's woodcock and pheasant,
There's partridge and hare
There's all sorts of dainties,
No scarcity was there
There's forty quarts of beer, me boys,
They fairly drunk them out
These four drunken maidens,
They pushed the jug about.
But up comes the landlord,
He's asking for his pay
It' a forty pound bill, me boys
These gals have got to pay
That's ten pounds apiece, me boys,
But still they wouldn't go out
These four drunken maidens,
They pushed the jug about.
Oh where are your feathered hats,
Your mantles rich and fine
They've all been swallowed up,
In tankards of good wine
And where are your maidenheads,
You maidens frisk and gay
We left them in the alehouse,
We drank them clean away
The song "Three Drunken Maidens" by Steeleye Span is a traditional folk song that tells the tale of three drunken maidens who come from the Isle of Wight and drink non-stop from Monday morning to Saturday night. As the weekend comes to a close, a fourth drunken maiden, named Sally, joins them, and they continue to drink and push the jug around. The lyrics go on to describe the various types of food and drink consumed and the hefty bill that they have to pay, which they split amongst themselves. The final verse takes on a more humorous tone, as the maidens reveal that they have lost their feathered hats and maidenheads in their alcohol-fueled revelry.
One interpretation of the song is that it is a cautionary tale about the dangers of excessive drinking, as the maidens' binge leads to financial hardship and perhaps even the loss of their dignity. However, another interpretation is that the song celebrates the freedom and uninhibited joy that comes with letting loose and having a good time. The energetic and upbeat melody certainly encourages the latter view.
Overall, "Three Drunken Maidens" is a fun and raucous song that captures the spirit of traditional folk music. Its vivid descriptions of drunken revelry, combined with its catchy melody and singalong-worthy chorus, make it a popular tune at pubs, parties, and other social gatherings.
Line by Line Meaning
There were three drunken maidens
Three women were inebriated
Came from the Isle of Wight
They arrived from the Isle of Wight
They drunk from Monday morning
They drank copiously from Monday morning
Nor stopped till Saturday night
They would not discontinue until Saturday night
When Saturday night did come me boys,
Once Saturday night arrived
They wouldn't then go out
They refused to depart
These three drunken maidens,
The aforementioned women
They pushed the jug about.
They offered beer to each other.
Then in comes bouncing Sally,
Sally entered energetically
Her cheeks as red as blooms
Her cheeks were rosy
Move up me jolly sisters,
Make room for her
And give young Sally some room
Allow Sally some space
For I will be your equal
I will participate in the same manner
Before the night is out
Before the evening concludes
These four drunken maidens,
The four women
They pushed the jug about.
They served each other alcohol.
There's woodcock and pheasant,
The meal comprises woodcock and pheasant.
There's partridge and hare
Additionally, partridge and hare are served.
There's all sorts of dainties,
There are many other delicacies.
No scarcity was there
There was an abundance of food
There's forty quarts of beer, me boys,
Fourty quarts of beer were available
They fairly drunk them out
They managed to consume them all
These four drunken maidens,
The aforementioned women
They pushed the jug about.
They continued drinking beer.
But up comes the landlord,
The landlord later made an appearance
He's asking for his pay
He demanded payment
It's a forty pound bill, me boys
The amount of the bill was forty pounds.
These gals have got to pay
The women had to pay.
That's ten pounds apiece, me boys,
Each woman owed ten pounds.
But still they wouldn't go out
They still refused to leave
These four drunken maidens,
The women had become boisterously intoxicated
They pushed the jug about.
They continued drinking despite the bill.
Oh where are your feathered hats,
Where are your fancy hats?
Your mantles rich and fine
What happened to your elaborate draped garments?
They've all been swallowed up,
They've all vanished.
In tankards of good wine
They were consumed in containers of alcohol.
And where are your maidenheads,
What happened to your virginity?
You maidens frisk and gay
You were once playful and carefree
We left them in the alehouse,
They were lost through drunkenness.
We drank them clean away
They were imbibed and can no longer exist.
Contributed by Nicholas M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
chriscboland
From 71, not 76. An absolute gem.
Eileen Hack
Thank you! You are correct, and I’ll correct it in the description
selfsufficiency1
Brilliant!