Among his best known songs: 'Country Life', 'Roots', 'Cousin Jack'. Has recently produced a solo album 'Cruel River' notable for songs 'Poppy Day' and 'Crooked Man '97' - the latter an outspoken attack on former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Iraq policy.
Knightley regularly intersperses his Show of Hands live work with his own tours, usually accompanied by young Devon singer-songwriter Jenna Witts.
Tall Ship Story
Steve Knightley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if you have an hour 'til you set sail
Join an old sea dog, sit here in the corner
And gather round boys and hear my tale
We were homeward bound from the far East Indies
And filling up the hold in old Shanghai,
When a horse and a carriage they came near us
An old man and a young woman drew alongside
There are stories told of the wind and the rock
Of haunted ships that never made dock
A thousand tales of the deep and the stormy brine
And this one's mine
She was the sweetest thing, the fairest beauty
I wiped my brow, I leaped ashore
He called me close and softly whispered
Young man, for this one night she's yours
My shipmates stretched their eyes in wonder
As I climbed in the carriage and I rode away
Passed that night in sweetest rapture
And I didn't return 'til the break of day
We stood by the sea as dawn was breaking
Sadness in the old man's grey eyes
Took my arm, he said now leave us
But go tell the whole world about old Shanghai
One every ship some loud-mouthed sailor
Says it happened to him what happened to you
But for one young man in all these oceans
Well, I will have made this fiction true
Forever known as a liar by all your crew
In Steve Knightley's song "Tall Ship Story," the singer invites the listener to sit with him in a harbor and hear his tale. He recounts how, during his travels as a sailor, he and his shipmates were filling their hold in Shanghai when an old man and a young woman in a horse-drawn carriage drew near them. The old man whispered to the singer that for one night, the woman was his. The singer spent the night with her and returned to the ship at dawn, only to be told by the old man to spread the story of their encounter and make it come true for others as well. The singer laments that he will forever be known as a liar by his crew.
The lyrics of the song appear to be based on the traditional tall tale, a type of folklore that originated with American seamen. Tall tales typically feature exaggerated or impossible events presented as if they were true, often involving larger-than-life characters. The singer's encounter with the woman in the carriage seems to fit this mold, and the old man's request that he spread the story could be seen as an attempt to perpetuate the tall tale tradition.
The song also touches on themes of regret and the passing down of stories from one generation to the next. The singer's sadness at being labeled a liar by his crew suggests that he wishes he could make the story true, even if he knows it's impossible. The old man's request that he share the story with others indicates a desire to preserve the tale for future generations, passing down the tradition of tall tales from one sailor to the next.
Line by Line Meaning
You'll find me drinking in the harbour
I can usually be found drinking in the harbor.
And if you have an hour 'til you set sail
If you have some time to spare before you leave, come and hear my tale.
Join an old sea dog, sit here in the corner
Come sit with me and listen to the story that I'm telling.
And gather round boys and hear my tale
Come and sit near me and listen to the story that I'm about to tell.
We were homeward bound from the far East Indies
We were heading back home from the East Indies.
And filling up the hold in old Shanghai,
We were in old Shanghai, filling up our ship's hold.
When a horse and a carriage they came near us
We saw a horse and carriage near us.
An old man and a young woman drew alongside
An old man and young woman came up beside us.
There are stories told of the wind and the rock
People tell stories about the wind and the rocks.
Of haunted ships that never made dock
There are tales of ships that never made it back to the harbor.
A thousand tales of the deep and the stormy brine
There are countless stories of the deep, stormy sea.
And this one's mine
This is my story to tell.
She was the sweetest thing, the fairest beauty
The young woman was incredibly beautiful.
I wiped my brow, I leaped ashore
I wiped my forehead and jumped out of the ship.
He called me close and softly whispered
The old man called me over and whispered to me.
Young man, for this one night she's yours
He said to me, 'Young man, she's yours for one night.'
My shipmates stretched their eyes in wonder
My fellow sailors were amazed and looked at me with surprise.
As I climbed in the carriage and I rode away
I got into the carriage and rode away.
Passed that night in sweetest rapture
I spent that night in a state of bliss.
And I didn't return 'til the break of day
I didn't return until dawn.
We stood by the sea as dawn was breaking
We were standing by the sea at dawn.
Sadness in the old man's grey eyes
The old man looked sad, with a hint of sorrow in his eyes.
Took my arm, he said now leave us
The old man took my arm and told me to leave him and the young woman.
But go tell the whole world about old Shanghai
He told me to go tell everyone about what happened in old Shanghai.
One every ship some loud-mouthed sailor
On every ship, there's always some loud-mouthed sailor.
Says it happened to him what happened to you
Who claims that what happened to me happened to him as well.
But for one young man in all these oceans
But out of all the young men sailing these oceans.
Well, I will have made this fiction true
I will have turned this fiction into something that others believe is true.
Forever known as a liar by all your crew
I will forever be known as a liar by my fellow crew members.
Contributed by Nathan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.