Biography
Subway to Sally was an idea that was a long time coming. The very first concert given in the name was held in September of 1990. The band then consisted of Ingo Hampf, Bodenski, Simon, Coni (trumpet) and Guido (drums). Their first appearance onstage in the constellation with which they later recorded their first album (Album 1994), was given in the Potsdamer "Stube" in January 1992. The group had decided on needing a fiddle to complete the sound, something which brought Frau Schmitt (Silke Volland) to the band, who in turn introduced Eric Fish (Eric Hecht) on the bagpipes.
In the early years, Subway to Sally played Irish / Scottish inspired folk rock, as reflected by the tracklist of their first album, being the only album where the majority of songs are in English (for this they hired a friend to write lyrics in English). The group then decided they wanted to keep their lyrics in German, thus being a part of the first wave of bands to do so after the Berlin wall broke down. Their second album, released in 1995 and aptly named MCMXCV, saw a mixture of biblically inspired lyrics and what is often referred to as "medieval" music, thus placing the label "medieval metal" firmly onto their foreheads. It is a label that they still are being confronted with, though the music can hardly be described as such and though the band repeatedly tries to deny this. Three major changes can be noted with the release of MCMXCV: Firstly, the appearing of the self-written German lyrics penned by Bodenski, secondly, Eric Fish moved up from being the piper to being the frontman and main singer. Thirdly, the focus of the music was no longer on folklore with the occasional self-composed song tossed in for measure, but was turned around to exactly the opposite, with the two translated folk songs "Krähenfraß" ("Twa Corbies") and "Carrickfergus" adapted to fit the band's style.
Between 1994 and 1997 the band rapidly released four albums and toured Germany to exhaustion, with an average of around 100 concerts (take or give a few) per year. Drummer T.W. left the band in 1997, after completing the recordings of "Foppt den Dämon", being replaced by David Pätsch for the tour and the following albums. "Der Sturm" was the first chart entry of the band, but they were quite consequently ignored by the radio and music television channels. With "Hochzeit" the band broke their habits and spent more time on producing the album, leading to a more polished and worked-through sound. This payed off with another chart placement: the album made it to #19 in the official charts. The sound of "Hochzeit" is very much picked up by the next studio album, "Herzblut", though thematically moving in a different direction. Where "Hochzeit" is darker and ends on the note of "Müde" ("Tired") "Ach, ich bin von dieser Welt so müd'" ("Oh, I am so tired of this world"), "Herzblut" starts off with the energetic "die Schlacht" ("the battle"), declearing that "Ich gewinne diese Schlacht" ("I win this battle").
In 2003 the album "Engelskrieger" was released. In preparation of the release, the band made the lyrics available on their home page, leading to wild discussions and accusations of "selling out". The sound of the record, breaking clearly with their previous works, did nothing to silence those accusations. Subway to Sally had grown up, met up with the real world and made a deeply disturbing record, dealing with modern issues on modern terms. The lyrics were no longer veiled and styled old-fashionedly, but instead painfully direct, as was the music, delivered with more brute and force. "Wenn Engel hassen" ("When angels hate") from "Herzblut" can be said to explore the same terrain that "Geist des Kriegers" ("Spirit of the warrior") does, dealing with an individual running amok, though the latter is firmly lodged in the "post 9/11"-world. Several band members have indeed emphasised the impact of the attacks of the Twin Towers and the following political events as inspirational source for the album. Other songs deal with incest, euthanasia, leaders who mis-lead their people and the general fall and corruption of our western society. "Engelskrieger" entered the German charts at #9, and the band once more toured extensively. A live DVD was filmed in the Columbiahalle in Berlin on the first leg of the tour, leading to the release of a double DVD in the autumn of 2003. In April 2004 Subway to Sally changed label, leaving Universal (Motor) for the smaller metal-label Nuclear Blast.
The very last concert of 2004, the all-yearly concert in Lindenpark (Potsdam) on the 30/12, was also the last concert of drummer David Pätsch, who left the band to pursue another musical direction with the Blue Man Group in Berlin. The band then spent half a year looking for a replacement, finally deciding on Simon Michael Schmitt to replace David. (On a side-note this has lead to a great deal of confusion, as there are now 2 Simons, 3 Michaels and 2 Schmitts in the band.) The recording of the new album was already finished by the time "tiny Simon" joined the band.
Despite being very pleased with the outcome of "Engelskrieger", the band made no secret of it being a one-off and of returning to the more conventional "Sally-sound" with the next studio recording. "Nord Nord Ost" was originally planned to be released in 2004, but was delayed until fall 2005, due to the extensiveness of the production. Though the band have previously made use of musicians from outside the band, they now did so on a bigger scale, involving the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg to create a wider and more orchestral sound. The album debuted at #5 in the official charts, the highest chart placement the band has seen to date.
In 2006 they released an acoustic CD/DVD reminiscent of their pre-Hochzeit sound called Nackt ("Naked"), followed by another album in the vein of Nord Nord Ost, titled Bastard, in Fall 2007.
Side projects
Several of the band members have side- or solo-projects going. Wanting to "return to his roots" as a musician, Eric Fish started touring on his own in 1999. This project has now grown up to become a band in its own right, and two CDs have been released; "Auge in Auge" and "Zwilling". Eric is also involved in a hitherto online-only project called Weiß and often appears as a guest musician on records of other bands (for instance with Letzte Instanz and Fiddler's Green). Bodenski has published a book of poems, called "Inniglich", which draws heavily on his lyrics for Subway to Sally, but also contains other works and non-published Sally songs. Little Simon also plays in the powermetal band Silverlane. Frau Schmitt used to be a member of the somewhat "folkyjazzy" ensemble 17 Hippies.
Discography
* Album 1994 (1994, label: Costbar)
* MCMXCV (1995) (1995, label: Stars in the dark)
* Foppt den Dämon! (Tease the demon) (1996, label: Red Rooster)
* Bannkreis (Spell circle) (1997, label: BMG/Ariola)
* Hochzeit (Marriage) (1999, label: BMG/Ariola)
* Schrei! (Scream!) (live album, 2000, label: BMG/Ariola)
* Herzblut (Heartblood) (2001, label: Island Mercury)
* Die Rose im Wasser (The rose in the water) (Best Of album, 2001)
* Engelskrieger (Angel's warriors) (2003, label: Motor Music)
* Subway to Sally live (2 DVD, 2003, label: Motor Music)
* Nord Nord Ost (North north east) (August 22, label: Nuclear Blast 2005)
* Nackt (Naked) (2006, 1 DVD, 1 Live Album, Acoustic Concert, Nuclear Blast 2006)
* Bastard (Bastard) (2007, label: Nuclear Blast)
www.subwaytosally.com/
John Barleycorn
Subway to Sally Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They swore an oath so mighty oh that Barleycorn should die
One of them said: drown him and the other: hang him high
For whoever will stick to Barleycorn a-begging he will die
They put poor Barley into a sack an a cold and rainy day
And took him out to cornfields and buried him in the clay
Frost and snow began to melt and dew began to fall
The Barleygrain is a comical grain, it makes men sigh and moan
For when they drink a glass or two they forget their wives and home
The drunkard is a dirty man, he used me worst of all
He drank me up in his dirty mouth an he tumbled against the wall
The lyrics of Subway To Sally’s “Barleycorn” tell the story of a grain that was mistreated and left for dead by three farmers in the north. They all agreed that Barleycorn should die and each had a preferred method of execution. Eventually, they put him in a sack and buried him in the ground. However, the harsh winter weather did not kill Barleycorn, and he sprouted up again as a new grain. The song then goes on to describe the negative effects that drinking too much barley can have, such as forgetting one’s responsibilities and neglecting one’s loved ones. The song concludes with a particularly unflattering description of a drunkard who mistreated the grain: “He drank me up in his dirty mouth an he tumbled against the wall."
Overall, the song can be seen as a cautionary tale about the dangers of mistreating natural resources and succumbing to addiction. The lyrics use the story of Barleycorn as a metaphor for how society can sometimes take nature for granted, and how humanity can suffer the consequences when we do so. Additionally, the song encourages listeners to be mindful of their consumption habits and to strike a balance between indulgence and responsibility.
Line by Line Meaning
There were three farmers in the north, as they were passing by
Three farmers in the northern area were walking by
They swore an oath so mighty oh that Barleycorn should die
The farmers promised with great force that Barleycorn must perish
One of them said: drown him and the other: hang him high
One suggested to drown him, and the other suggested hanging him high
For whoever will stick to Barleycorn a-begging he will die
Those who depend on Barleycorn will suffer and perish
They put poor Barley into a sack an a cold and rainy day
They put Barleycorn in a sack on a cold and rainy day
And took him out to cornfields and buried him in the clay
They carried him to the cornfields and buried him in the soil
Frost and snow began to melt and dew began to fall
The frost and snow melted, and dew started to appear
When Barleygrain put up his head and he soon surprised them all
Barleycorn unexpectedly sprouted, rising from the buried ground
The Barleygrain is a comical grain, it makes men sigh and moan
Barleycorn has a humorous trait and makes men feel emotional
For when they drink a glass or two they forget their wives and home
When men consume Barleycorn, they forget about their family and home
The drunkard is a dirty man, he used me worst of all
The intoxicated man mistreated Barleycorn the most
He drank me up in his dirty mouth an he tumbled against the wall
He consumed Barleycorn with his unclean mouth and lost his balance, falling against the wall
Contributed by Aubrey A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.