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.
sailor
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come now unto me,
Could you fancy a poor sailor lad
Who has just come from sea.
You are ragged love, you are dirty love,
And your clothes smell much of tar,
So be gone you saucy sailor lad,
If I am ragged love and I am dirty love,
And my clothes smell much of tar,
I have silver in my pocket love
And gold in great store.
And then when she heard him say so
On her bended knees she fell,
I will marry my dear Henry
For I love a sailor lad so well.
Do you think that I am foolish love,
Do you think that I am mad,
For to wed with a poor country girl
Where no fortune's to be had?
I will cross the briny ocean,
I will whistle and sing,
And since you have refused the offer love
Some other girl shall wear the ring.
I am frolicsome, I am easy,
Good tempered and free,
And I don't give a single pin my boys
What the world thinks of me.
The song Sailor by Steeleye Span, talks about a sailor lad who returns from the sea and proposes to his beloved. However, she finds him to be ragged and dirty and asks him to leave. The sailor responds by telling her about the silver and gold he has in his pockets, making her fall on her knees in love with him. But then he questions if she thinks he is foolish for wanting to wed a poor country girl with no fortune. The song ends with the sailor declaring his frolicsome and free nature and deciding to leave and find another girl who will wear his ring.
The song portrays the challenges of social status and love, depicting a society where wealth and class mattered significantly. The use of sailor as a protagonist adds another layer of complexity to the story. Sailors during that time were seen as transient and untrustworthy, making it hard for them to secure a stable relationship. The roles traditionally dictated by society are reversed in this song, with the sailor being the one with the riches instead of the woman. The woman who initially refuses the proposal later chooses love over status, a message that still resonates today.
Line by Line Meaning
Come my own one, come my fair one,
Addressing someone he is fond of and asking them to approach him.
Come now unto me,
Asking for the person he addressed to come closer to him.
Could you fancy a poor sailor lad Who has just come from sea.
Asking the person if they would be willing to date a recently returned sailor, even though he may be poor.
You are ragged love, you are dirty love, And your clothes smell much of tar,
The person he addressed criticizes his appearance and scent due to his sailor background.
So be gone you saucy sailor lad, So be gone you Jack Tar.
The person he addressed tells him to leave her alone due to his appearance and background.
If I am ragged love and I am dirty love, And my clothes smell much of tar, I have silver in my pocket love And gold in great store.
He acknowledges his appearance and background, but states that he has significant wealth despite it.
And then when she heard him say so On her bended knees she fell, I will marry my dear Henry For I love a sailor lad so well.
After hearing that he is wealthy and acknowledging her love for him, she agrees to marry him.
Do you think that I am foolish love, Do you think that I am mad, For to wed with a poor country girl Where no fortune's to be had?
He questions whether it is foolish to marry a woman with no wealth or status.
I will cross the briny ocean, I will whistle and sing, And since you have refused the offer love Some other girl shall wear the ring.
He decides to leave and find someone else to marry since the woman he addressed refused his proposal.
I am frolicsome, I am easy, Good tempered and free, And I don't give a single pin my boys What the world thinks of me.
He describes his personality and emphasizes that he doesn't care about the opinion of others.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Y, MADDY PRIOR, NIGEL PEGRUM, RICK KEMP, TIM HART
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.