The thread binding it all together is Ashley Hutchings himself... and the difficulty of getting lyrics for any of their works.
It is possible to see two phases in the career of the band, however. Broadly, when Hutchings had money to work with musicians established as the best, and after he finally ran out! Broadly in the first category from 1971 to 1979 there are the albums No Roses, Morris On, Battle of the Field, The Compleat Dancing Master, Son of Morris On, Kickin' up the Sawdust, The Prospect Before Us, and Rise Up Like the Sun, Lark Rise to Candleford: a Country Tapestry. And then everything else!
Of these, No Roses, Battle of the Field and Lark Rise are those where everything best comes together, as portraits of a vanished world, specifically English, without the Irish and Scots elements that Fairport cheerfully incorporated but with elements of the modern world too in the electric guitars and fiddle. The Prospect Before Us, and Rise Up Like the Sun are perhaps however the most accomplished as folk rock, although the arrangements may sometimes verge on the overblown to some tastes.
Rattlebone and Ploughjack also deserves honourable mention, in a third category, as probably the least commercially minded release ever by a major label! Find it (if you can) and wonder!
Band members supporting Hutchings are too numerous to list in full, but in the early years among the most notable are Mike and Lal Waterson, Tim Renwick, Maddy Prior, Shirley Collins, who headlined No Roses, Dolly Collins, Richard Thompson, John Kirkpatrick, Barry Dransfield, Simon Nicol, Martin Carthy, Peter Knight, and later John Tams, Phil Pickett, Graeme Taylor, Eddie Upton, Phil Beer and Rick Sanders.
2011
In July of 2011 Hutchings announced that the Albion Band would be forming again, and for the first time he himself would not be a member. Instead he passed the baton to his son - the guitarist and singer Blair Dunlop. This new line up also features a number of other current folk performers from a range of backgrounds reflecting earlier versions of the Albion Band. These members include Folk Award nominee Katriona Gilmore (Tiny Tin Lady, Gilmore/Roberts) on fiddle and vocals, vocalist, concertina player and guitarist Gavin Davenport (Crucible, Glorystrokes, Hekety), drummer Tom Wright (Eliza Carthy projects/Glorystrokes), and Tim Yates (Blackbeard's Tea Party/The QP) on bass - only the second bass player in the band's history, and lead guitarist and relative newcomer Benjamin Trott. This line up released an own label EP Fighting Room in 2011 and their first studio album Vice of the People in 2012.
Dancer to the Drum
The Albion Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The soul of every child
Has waited to be born a stranger
Underneath the drum of his mothers heart
Lying deep in a dream of darkness
Where fear has never gone
Each spark of a life is started
Blind and pure to the world we come
Each of us a dancer to the drum
Each of us a dancer to the drum
Blind and pure we come
One is born into a life of hunger
One will be a king or a rich man's son
One will kill out of greed or anger
One will give his life for another one
There are smiles in the lies of innocence
There are blooms in the walls of stone
And we will see ourselves
In the eyes of everyone we have ever known
Everyone we have ever known
And the heart, the heart will ever be a witness
And precious time, no treasure is worth
And the child, the child will carry our existence
Through the days that we have on earth
Each of us a dancer to the drum
Each of us a dancer to the drum
Blind and pure we come
Fast asleep in the dawn of ages
The soul of every child
Has waited to be born a stranger
Underneath the drum of his mothers heart
The Albion Band's song, Dancer to the Drum, explores the concept of life and its inherent potential for both good and evil. The lyrics suggest that each person is born with a pure and innocent soul, waiting to be awakened by the beating of their mother's heart. From there, life takes hold, and each individual's path is determined by their own actions and choices.
The lyrics suggest that life can be both beautiful and cruel, as exemplified by the line, "There are smiles in the lies of innocence, there are blooms in the walls of stone." Despite this duality, there is a sense of interconnectedness between all people, regardless of their background or station in life. This is emphasized in the lines, "And we will see ourselves in the eyes of everyone we have ever known, and the heart will ever be a witness."
Ultimately, the song encourages listeners to cherish the limited time they have on earth and to strive to make the most of it. The repeated refrain of "each of us a dancer to the drum" suggests a sense of rhythm and purpose to life, even amidst its many uncertainties and challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
Fast asleep in the dawn of ages
Since time immemorial, the souls of all children were dormant
The soul of every child
All children have a unique soul, waiting to be born
Has waited to be born a stranger
Each child is born as a stranger to this world, with unique experiences and perspectives
Underneath the drum of his mother's heart
In the womb, the child is surrounded by the rhythmic beating of their mother's heart
Lying deep in a dream of darkness
While still in the womb, the child is living in a state of unawareness, in complete darkness
Where fear has never gone
The child is free from fear at this stage, with no concept of danger or pain
Each spark of a life is started
The birth of each child is a new beginning, a spark of life
Blind and pure to the world we come
When born, we are unaware of the world, starting with a blank slate
Each of us a dancer to the drum
We all dance to the rhythm of life, moving forward with each beat
One is born into a life of hunger
Some are born into a life of poverty, starting from a place of need
One will be a king or a rich man's son
Others may start at the opposite end of the spectrum, with wealth and privilege
One will kill out of greed or anger
People are capable of violence, often motivated by selfishness or rage
One will give his life for another one
However, people are also capable of sacrificing themselves for the benefit of others
There are smiles in the lies of innocence
Children can be sincere and innocent even when they are wrong
There are blooms in the walls of stone
Life can still find a way to grow and flourish even in the harshest and most unyielding environments
And we will see ourselves
In the eyes of everyone we have ever known
In the eyes of everyone we have ever known
We recognize familiar traits in the people around us, reflecting the complexity of our own personality
And the heart, the heart will ever be a witness
Our heart will remember the experiences and emotions that have shaped us as individuals
And precious time, no treasure is worth
Our time is the most valuable and irreplaceable thing that we possess
And the child, the child will carry our existence
Our legacy lives on through the children we leave behind, carrying on our essence even after we're gone
Through the days that we have on earth
During the limited time we have on this earth, our legacy will be passed on to future generations
Each of us a dancer to the drum
Throughout life, we continue to move forward to the beat of life, each of us marching to our own rhythm
Blind and pure we come
We start life unaware of the world, with nothing but an unblemished soul
Fast asleep in the dawn of ages
Since time immemorial, the souls of all children were dormant
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BETH NIELSEN CHAPMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind