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.
Van Diemen's Land
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh hold me now
'Til this hour
Has gone around
And I'm gone
On the rising tide
For to face
Van Diemen's land
It's a bitter pill
I swallow here
To be rent from one so dear
We fought for justice
And not for gain
But the magistrate
Sent me away
Now kings will rule
And the poor will toil
And tear their hands
As they tear the soil
But a day will come
In this dawning age
When an honest man
Sees an honest wage
Hold me now
Oh hold me now
'Til this hour
Has gone around
And I'm gone
On the rising tide
For to face Van Diemen's land
The song "Van Diemen's Land" by Steeleye Span speaks of a bitter fate of being exiled to Tasmania, an island off the coast of Australia that was used as a penal colony in the 19th century. The first verse starts with the singer asking to be held until the time of their punishment has passed and they are sent away. They are resigned to their fate and reflect on the injustice of being separated from their loved ones. The second verse highlights the injustice of the legal system that sent them away, claiming that they fought for justice, not personal gain. However, the magistrate still sentenced them to exile, ultimately serving the interests of the ruling class.
The third verse speaks of the struggles faced by the poor who work hard to make a living, while the kings and ruling class enjoy the fruits of their labor. However, the verse ends on a hopeful note - the dawn of a new age is coming where honest labor is rewarded with fair pay. The song ends with the singer once again asking to be held before setting off on the rising tide towards Van Diemen's Land. Overall, the lyrics speak to the themes of injustice, class struggles, and hope for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold me now,
Please embrace me and be with me in this moment,
Oh hold me now
I am pleading for you to hold me tightly,
'Til this hour
Stay with me and comfort me for this time,
Has gone around
Until this moment has passed and we have healed,
And I'm gone
I will leave this place soon,
On the rising tide
Traveling on the sea with the tide as it raises,
For to face
To confront or encounter something difficult,
Van Diemen's land
A penal colony in Tasmania where prisoners were sent,
It's a bitter pill
This is a difficult situation for me to accept,
I swallow here
I have to endure this hardship,
To be rent from one so dear
To be taken away from someone I love so much,
We fought for justice
We struggled for fairness and equality,
And not for gain
We did not seek personal advantages or benefits,
But the magistrate
However, the judge or legal authority,
Sent me away
Punished me and sent me elsewhere,
Now kings will rule
Powerful rulers will govern and control,
And the poor will toil
Meanwhile, the disadvantaged and oppressed will work hard,
And tear their hands
They will hurt and injure their hands,
As they tear the soil
While they break and dig the soil for farming or mining,
But a day will come
However, a time will arrive,
In this dawning age
In this new era of social evolution,
When an honest man
When a person with integrity,
Sees an honest wage
Earns a fair and decent salary for their honest work
Hold me now
Please embrace me and be with me in this moment,
Oh hold me now
I am pleading for you to hold me tightly,
'Til this hour
Stay with me and comfort me for this time,
Has gone around
Until this moment has passed and we have healed,
And I'm gone
I will leave this place soon,
On the rising tide
Traveling on the sea with the tide as it raises,
For to face Van Diemen's land
To confront and cope with the challenges and hardships of convict life in Tasmania.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM CLAYTON, DAVE EVANS, LARRY MULLEN, PAUL HEWSON
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.