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.
Wife of The Soldier
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the ancient city of Prague?
From Prague she got the linen shirt
It matched her skirt did the linen shirt
She got from the city of Prague
What did the wife of the soldier get
From Brussels, the Belgian town?
Oh, the charm and grace of the delicate lace
She got from the the Belgian town
What did the wife of the soldier get
From Paris, the city of light?
From Paris she got the silken dress
Oh, to possess the silken dress
She got from the city of light
What did the wife of the soldier get
From Libya's desert sands?
From Libya the little charm
Around her arm she wore the charm
She got from the desert sands
What did the wife of the soldier get
From Russia's distant steppes?
From Russia she got the widow's veil
The end of the tale is the widow's veil
She got from the distant steppes
The lyrics of Steeleye Span's song "Wife of The Soldier" detail the acquisitions made by the eponymous character on her husband's travels around the world. The lyrics are structured in five stanzas, each detailing a different item the wife received. The items are significant as they represent a connection to her soldier husband, who is absent from her life as he travels through foreign lands.
The first stanza speaks of a linen shirt the wife acquired from Prague. The shirt matches her skirt and speaks to the importance of aesthetics in the period. The second stanza discusses delicate lace obtained from Brussels, which adds to her femininity and charm. The third stanza speaks about the wife obtaining a silken dress from Paris, which is the city of light. The luxurious dress is indicative of the wealth and glamour associated with Parisian fashion. In the fourth stanza, the wife receives a charm from Libya, worn on her arm, which connects her to a distant land and culture. Finally, the fifth stanza speaks of the widow's veil acquired from the distant steppes of Russia, a somber note to end the song, as it suggests the death of her soldier husband.
Overall, the song's theme is the longing and sadness of separation and the desire to hold onto memories and connections to a loved one who is absent. The items acquired from different parts of the world reflect the wife's yearning for connection to her husband and her attempt to hold onto the memories of his travels.
Line by Line Meaning
What did the wife of the soldier get
What gifts did the soldier's wife receive?
From the ancient city of Prague?
From Prague, what did she bring back?
From Prague she got the linen shirt
She acquired a linen shirt from Prague
It matched her skirt did the linen shirt
The shirt's color complemented her skirt
She got from the city of Prague
The shirt was obtained from Prague
From Brussels, the Belgian town?
What did she receive from Brussels?
From Brussels she got the delicate lace
A delicate lace was gifted from Brussels
Oh, the charm and grace of the delicate lace
The lace had a charming and graceful appearance
She got from the the Belgian town
The lace was obtained from Brussels
From Paris, the city of light?
What was given to her from Paris?
From Paris she got the silken dress
A silk dress was given to her from Paris
Oh, to possess the silken dress
She greatly desired the silk dress
She got from the city of light
She obtained the silk dress from Paris
From Libya's desert sands?
What did she receive from the Libyan desert?
From Libya the little charm
A small charm was gifted from Libya
Around her arm she wore the charm
The charm was worn on her arm
She got from the desert sands
The charm was obtained from the Libyan desert
From Russia's distant steppes?
What did she obtain from Russia's far-off grasslands?
From Russia she got the widow's veil
She obtained a widow's veil from Russia
The end of the tale is the widow's veil
The final gift she received was the widow's veil
She got from the distant steppes
The widow's veil was obtained from Russia's far-off grasslands
Contributed by Mackenzie R. 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.