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.
Two Butchers
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Started out from London all on a market day
And as they were a-riding as fast as they could be.
``Oh stop your horse,'' says Johnson, ``for I hear some woman cry.''
``I will not stop,'' says Wilson, ``I will not stop,'' says he.
``I will not stop,'' says Wilson, ``for robbed we shall be.''
Johnson he got off his horse, searched the wood all round,
``How came you here dear woman? How came you here fast bound?
``How came you here this morning with your hair pinned to the ground?''
``Oh they robbed me, they stripped me, they left me here fast bound,
They left me here this morning with my hair pinned to the ground.''
Chorus:
May God keep all good people,
May God keep all good people,
May God keep all good people from such bad company.
Then Johnson he being a valiant man and a man of courage bold,
He took his coat from off his back to keep her from the cold,
And as they were a-riding as fast as they could ride,
She put a whistle to her mouth and she gave three shivering cries.
Up jumped three bold and swaggering men with swords all in their hands,
Who then commanded Johnson, commanded him to stand.
``I'll stop, I'll stand,'' says Johnson, ``as long as I can stand,
For never was I, in all my life, afraid of any man.''
Chorus
Oh two of them he quickly slew and the third he did not mind
'Til the false young woman took a knife and stabbed him from behind.
Poor Johnson he spun around and he fell down to the ground,
And he cursed that wretched woman who gave him his death wound.
Now the day it being a market day, there were people travelling by
Who saw the awful murder, who saw poor Johnson die.
Oh Johnson he was a valiant man, and a valiant man was he,
May God keep all good people from such bad company.
Chorus
The song "Two Butchers" by Steeleye Span tells a story of two butchers who were riding on a market day when they heard a woman cry for help. One of them, Johnson, went to search for the woman and found her with her hair pinned to the ground. She told him that she had been robbed and left there, and Johnson took off his coat to keep her warm. As they continued riding, the woman blew a whistle, and three men with swords emerged and demanded that Johnson stop. He fought with two of them, but the woman stabbed him from behind, and he died. The song ends with a warning to stay away from bad company.
The lyrics of this song are rich in storytelling and emotional depth. The tale of Johnson's valiant but tragic end serves as a cautionary tale about the danger of strangers and the importance of trusting one's instincts. The song also highlights the vulnerability of women in a society where they were often subject to violence and exploitation. Overall, "Two Butchers" is a powerful narrative that touches on timeless themes of trust, bravery, and betrayal.
Line by Line Meaning
It's of two noble butchers as I have heard men say
I have heard a tale of two respectable butchers
Started out from London all on a market day
They left London on a day designated for trading
And as they were a-riding as fast as they could be.
While galloping at top speed
"Oh stop your horse," says Johnson, "for I hear some woman cry."
Johnson heard a woman's cry and asked Wilson to halt his horse
"I will not stop," says Wilson, "I will not stop," says he.
Wilson refused to stop the horse
"I will not stop," says Wilson, "for robbed we shall be."
He reckoned they might be robbed if they stop
Johnson he got off his horse, searched the wood all round,
Johnson alighted and combed the vicinity
And there he spied a woman with her hair pinned to the ground.
He saw a woman whose hair was fixed to the ground
"How came you here dear woman? How came you here fast bound?
Johnson inquired how she ended there, constrained
"How came you here this morning with your hair pinned to the ground?"
He also questioned how her hair became fixed so early in the day
"Oh they robbed me, they stripped me, they left me here fast bound,
The woman explicated how she ended there, pilfered and fixed
They left me here this morning with my hair pinned to the ground."
She specified that it occurred that very morning
May God keep all good people,
The refrain could be perceived as a prayer
May God keep all good people,
It could also mean "God bless all the decent folks"
May God keep all good people from such bad company.
It could be interpreted as "save good folks from vicious companions"
Then Johnson he being a valiant man and a man of courage bold,
Johnson was intrepid and daring
He took his coat from off his back to keep her from the cold,
He gave her his coat for warmth
And as they were a-riding as fast as they could ride,
While rushing as quickly as they could
She put a whistle to her mouth and she gave three shivering cries.
The woman indicated danger with three quivering shrieks
Up jumped three bold and swaggering men with swords all in their hands,
Three audacious brutes showed up wielding gladii
Who then commanded Johnson, commanded him to stand.
They ordered Johnson to stand firm
"I'll stop, I'll stand," says Johnson, "as long as I can stand,
Johnson vowed to resist as much as he could
For never was I, in all my life, afraid of any man."
He asserted he had never been scared of any individual before then
Oh two of them he quickly slew and the third he did not mind
He dispatched two of them rapidly without hesitating
'Til the false young woman took a knife and stabbed him from behind.
The lady betrayed him and assailed him from the rear with a knife
Poor Johnson he spun around and he fell down to the ground,
Johnson spun and tumbled to the ground
And he cursed that wretched woman who gave him his death wound.
His last words were condemnation for the woman who fatally hurt him
Now the day it being a market day, there were people travelling by
As it was a trading day, there were passersby
Who saw the awful murder, who saw poor Johnson die.
Who witnessed the gruesome slaying and Johnson's death
Oh Johnson he was a valiant man, and a valiant man was he,
Johnson was a man of courage, as previously stated
May God keep all good people from such bad company.
The refrain is repeated to end the song on a somber note
Contributed by Hannah W. 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.