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.
Wintersmith
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Winding through the forest
At the end of faith and hope
In the dark black trees
An icy wind is rising
Just as sharp as any knives
Cutting through the lives of those
Who toil against the breeze
Where death stands by the cradle
Where blood runs through the Moors
Fire burn, fireplace so bright
Keep us warm through the long winter night
Flames keep away the fearsome sight
Of the Wintersmith
The Wintersmith
Among the chilling screams
And the heavy drum of hooves
A center never moves as the sheep girl waits to fight
She's fair as stars in heaven
And the flowers on the land
Lightning in her left hand
And Thunder in her right
Where death stands by the cradle
Where blood runs through the Moors
Fire burn, fireplace so bright
Keep us warm through the long winter night
Flames keep away the fearsome sight
Of the Wintersmith
The Wintersmith
Where the tangled bones of shipwrecks lie upon the distant shore
There lives the Wintersmith
Where a thousand drowning voices rise from the ocean floor
There lives the Wintersmith
Where the silver moon cause shapes upon the frozen boards
There lives the Wintersmith
There lives the Wintersmith
Fire burn, fireplace so bright
Keep us warm through the long winter night
Flames keep away the fearsome sight
Of the Wintersmith
Fire burn, fireplace so bright
Keep us warm through the long winter night
Flames keep away the fearsome sight
Of the Wintersmith
Wintersmith
The song Wintersmith by Steeleye Span is based on the novel of the same name by Terry Pratchett. The lyrics describe the harshness of winter as an icy wind cuts through the lives of those who toil against the breeze, leaving death standing by the cradle and blood running through the moors. The chorus reflects on the importance of fire in keeping away the fearsome Wintersmith, a being of winter and ice that is feared and respected by all. The second verse tells the story of a sheepgirl waiting to fight, armed with lightning in her left hand and thunder in her right. She is fair as stars in heaven and the flowers on the land, and she must confront the Wintersmith to save her home from his icy grip.
The lyrics of Wintersmith evoke the themes of death, nature, and the power of human will. The singer's environment is presented as unforgiving and harsh, and the Wintersmith represents a force of nature that is both beautiful and deadly. The use of fire and flames as protection against the Wintersmith is a reminder of the importance of warmth and community in facing life's challenges. The lyrics also celebrate the strength and courage of the human spirit in the face of adversity, especially that of the sheepgirl who is willing to fight against the Wintersmith to protect her home.
Line by Line Meaning
Far along the back road
Traveling on the isolated path
Winding through the forest
Passing through the woods with twists and turns
At the end of faith and hope
Having despaired of any positive outcome
In the dark black trees
Surrounded by pitch-black foliage
An icy wind is rising
A frigid breeze is blowing
Just as sharp as any knives
Being as cutting as a sharp blade
Cutting through the lives of those
Affecting the existence of people
Who toil against the breeze
Struggling against the wind
Where death stands by the cradle
A place where mortality is present at birth
Where blood runs through the Moors
Referring to the location where there was bloodshed
Fire burn, fireplace so bright
The fire is burning bright
Keep us warm through the long winter night
Providing warmth during cold winter nights
Flames keep away the fearsome sight
The fire's light keeps unpleasant things unseen
Of the Wintersmith
Protecting from the wintry being known as the Wintersmith
Among the chilling screams
Amidst the bone-chilling cries
And the heavy drum of hooves
The loud sound of horses galloping
A center never moves as the sheep girl waits to fight
The girl stays focused as she prepares to fight
She's fair as stars in heaven
Referring to her beauty
And the flowers on the land
Likely referencing her connection to nature
Lightning in her left hand
Possessing the power like lightning in her left hand
And Thunder in her right
Having the strength like thunder in her right hand
Where the tangled bones of shipwrecks lie upon the distant shore
A gruesome location of shipwrecks and death on a faraway beach
There lives the Wintersmith
The Wintersmith is residing there
Where a thousand drowning voices rise from the ocean floor
A reference to the suffering spirits at the bottom of the sea
There lives the Wintersmith
The Wintersmith is present in that place
Where the silver moon cause shapes upon the frozen boards
Describing how the moon creates images on a frozen surface
There lives the Wintersmith
The Wintersmith makes that place its home
Wintersmith
Referring to the icy being known as the Wintersmith
Writer(s): Rick Kemp, Peter Knight, Robert Michael Leonard Johnson, Julian Nicholas Hugh Littman, Liam Genockey, Maddy Prior, Terry Pratchett Copyright: Peermusic (Uk) Ltd.
Contributed by Violet Y. 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.