1)The first being The Family that were a R&B band signed to Prince's record label Paisley Park Records. The band has recently reformed under the name "F-deluxe," and has a new download available on their new site, www.Fdeluxe.com.
The band consisted of remaining members of The Time (Jellybean Johnson, Jerome Benton and St. Paul Peterson), Eric Leeds (brother of Prince's tour manager Alan Leeds) and Susannah Melvoin, the twin sister of Wendy Melvoin, who was Prince's guitarist in his band The Revolution and the other half of the duo Wendy & Lisa.
The band's material was composed entirely by Prince, with the exception of "River Run Dry", which was written by Bobby "Z" Rivkin. Prince wrote and performed all the other tracks and simply overdubbed Paul and Susannah's vocals and added saxophone by Leeds.
The project turned out to be short-lived. Peterson opted to pursue his own career and Prince absorbed most of the remaining members into The Revolution (with the exception of Johnson, who went on to join the Flyte Tyme music production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis). The band did, however perform a single concert and released a self-titled album. The album contains of eight tracks consisting of funk-jazz with two instrumentals and three ballads. A single was released for The Screams Of Passion, a modest hit which was re-released in 1996 on the Girl 6 soundtrack. The album's crowning achievement, however was Nothing Compares 2 U, an emotional ballad very successfully covered five years later by Sinéad O'Connor.
2) Secondly it refers to an energetic 5 piece band from Southampton UK with a country/folk/blues sound to them. They released their debut single 'Falling For You' last year, which was received so well it sold out!
"The Family sound unbelievably polished for an unsigned band, with deeply instrumental, layered tracks.... ‘Bow Legged Woman’ blends the sounds of Primal Scream, Oasis and Seventies rock’n’roll to perfection. To hear this live, with the husky vocals, raucous guitars, and Dylan inspired harmonica, must be brilliant.... It’s great to see some different music coming out of Southampton, aside from the usual copycat bands that we keep seeing.", Penny Lane, NME, November 2007
http://www.myspace.com/thefamilyonline
3) The third refers to: "Four brothers fusing their Blues, Country and Tropicalia roots into a joyful pshycedelic current. Founded in 2005, the Family has undergone multiple lineup changes, but they are finally the symbiotic collective they have always wanted. In July of 2007 they recorded their first full length album, entitled From Brasil to the Back Country."
4) The fourth refers to an Australian lo-fi electronica group active in Sydney during the 1990's and associated with clan-analogue.
5) An Australian Band who was from Melbourne who played heavy punk grunge type music who formed in 1993. They released 2 full length cd albums in the 1990s entitled "Bleeding in" and "Hatemail"
6) A mid 1960's garage band/sunshine pop group who released the Scott McKenzie-esque "San Francisco Waits" as a 45 in 1967.
Weaver's Answer
The Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The pattern of my life gone by
Shown on your tapestry
Just for one second, one glance upon your loom
The flower of my childhood could appear within this room
Does it of my youth show tears of yesterday
Broken hearts within a heart as love first came my way
An added aura untold blends as I asked for her hand
Did your golden needle sow its thread virginal white
As lovers we embraced as one upon our wedding night
Did you capture all the joys, the birth of our first son
The happiness of family made a brother for the one
The growing of the brothers, the manliness that grew
Is it there in detail, is it there to view
Do the sparks of life grow bright as one by one they wed
To live as fathers, husbands, apart from lives they've led
Are my lover's threads cut off when aged she laid to rest
My sorrow blacking out a space upon our woven crest
A gathering for the last time as her coffin slowly lain
Ash to ashes, dust to dust, one day we will regain
Does it show the visits when grandchildren on my knee
But only hearing laughter when age took my sight from me
Lastly through these last few years of loneliness maybe
Does by sight a shooting star fade from your tapestry
But wait, there in the distance your loom I think I see
Could it be that after all my prayers you've answered me
After days of wondering I see the reason why
You've kept it to this minute for I'm about to die
Weaver of life, at last now I can see
The pattern of my life gone by upon your tapestry
The Family's song Weaver's Answer tells the story of a man who is curious about his life story and what his legacy will be. He speaks directly to the weaver of life, who he imagines is creating his life's tapestry. He asks to see this tapestry, to see the patterns of his life, and see if they match up with the things he has experienced. He wonders if the tapestry will reveal his joys and sorrows, his triumphs and failures, and the mark he has left on the world.
As he looks upon the tapestry, he sees glimpses of his life, from his childhood to his old age. He sees the love he shared with a woman, their wedding night, the birth of their sons, and the joys and sorrows of their lives together. He wonders if the thread that represents his wife has been cut off, and if his own thread will soon be cut off as well. The man also wonders if the tapestry shows the laughter of his grandchildren and the loneliness he feels in his old age.
Line by Line Meaning
Weaver of life, let me look and see
Oh Weaver of Life, let me take a single glance at my life's tapestry
The pattern of my life gone by
I want to see the pattern of my life
Shown on your tapestry
That is woven on your magnificent loom
Just for one second, one glance upon your loom
If only you gave me permission to peek
The flower of my childhood could appear within this room
I wonder if I could see myself as a child
Does it of my youth show tears of yesterday
Is there sadness woven in my youth?
Broken hearts within a heart as love first came my way
Does my tapestry express my heartbreaks during my first experiences with love?
Did the lifeline patterns change as I became a man
Did the pattern of my life change as I turned into a man?
An added aura untold blends as I asked for her hand
Did you incorporate the new energy and love I felt when I got engaged?
Did your golden needle sow its thread virginal white
Did you weave the innocence and purity of our wedding night?
As lovers we embraced as one upon our wedding night
Did you weave the intimacy and emotion of our first night together?
Did you capture all the joys, the birth of our first son
Did you include the happiness we felt when our first child was born?
The happiness of family made a brother for the one
And did you capture how that happiness brought us a second child?
The growing of the brothers, the manliness that grew
Did you weave the growth and development of our sons?
Is it there in detail, is it there to view
Is every detail of our lives incorporated into the tapestry?
Do the sparks of life grow bright as one by one they wed
Do the marriages of our children bring warmth and joy to the tapestry?
To live as fathers, husbands, apart from lives they've led
How did their marriages change them as people?
Are my lover's threads cut off when aged she laid to rest
Does my wife's thread end when she passes away in old age?
My sorrow blacking out a space upon our woven crest
Will her death leave a dark spot on our family's tapestry?
A gathering for the last time as her coffin slowly lain
Will her funeral be the last time our family is together?
Ash to ashes, dust to dust, one day we will regain
Our bodies may turn to ashes and dust, but one day we will see each other again
Does it show the visits when grandchildren on my knee
Did you weave the joy of having grandchildren?
But only hearing laughter when age took my sight from me
Will I only hear laughter when I grow old and can no longer see?
Lastly through these last few years of loneliness maybe
Perhaps in my final years of loneliness
Does by sight a shooting star fade from your tapestry
Did a beautiful moment in my life disappear from the tapestry?
But wait, there in the distance your loom I think I see
But wait, I think I see your loom in the distance
Could it be that after all my prayers you've answered me
Have you finally answered my prayers?
After days of wondering I see the reason why
After wondering for so long, I finally understand the reason
You've kept it to this minute for I'm about to die
You've waited until this exact moment, when I'm about to pass away
Weaver of life, at last now I can see
Oh Weaver of Life, I can finally see at last
The pattern of my life gone by upon your tapestry
The beautiful pattern of my life woven onto your magnificent tapestry
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CARLIN AMERICA INC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: JOHN WHITNEY, ROGER MAXWELL CHAPMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Merlina
I can still remember when and where I was when I first heard this - eating Sunday dinner with my parents when it came on the radio during the 'chart rundown' on Radio 1. My parents were not at all impressed, but I was! It was the beginning of the discovery of a whole different kind of music for me, having only been listening to and buying chart singles at the time…
I've since learned about the origins of this song in Greek Mythology- this influence was acknowledged by Roger Chapman at one point.
The 'weavers' are actually female! It's based on the story of the mortal Arachne and the goddess Athena.
This song by a band called Spiral Dance reveals more of the original story, and I think musically they may well have been influenced by The Weavers Answer
https://youtu.be/GsyDwLu5r6w
Johan Sterk
The CORRECT lyrics ...
Weaver of life, let me look and see
The pattern of my life gone by shown on your tapestry
Just for one second, one glance upon your loom
The flower of my childhood could appear within this room
Does it of my youth show tears of yesterday
Broken hearts within a heart as love first came my way
Did the lifeline patterns change as I became a man
An added aura untold blends as I asked for her hand
Did your golden needle sow its thread virginal white
As lovers we embraced as one upon our wedding night
Did you capture all the joys, the birth of our first son
The happiness of family made a brother for the one
The growing of the brothers, the manliness that grew
Is it there in detail, is it there to view
Do the sparks of life grow bright as one by one they wed
To live as fathers, husbands, apart from lives they've led
Are my lover's threads cut off when aged she laid to rest
My sorrow blacking out a space upon our woven crest
A gathering for the last time as her coffin slowly lain
Ash to ashes, dust to dust, one day we will regain
Does it show the visits when grandchildren on my knee
But only hearing laughter when age took my sight from me
Lastly through these last few years of loniless maybe
Does by sight a shooting star fade from your tapestry
But wait, there in the distance your loom I think I see
Could it be that after all my prayers you've answered me
After days of wondering I see the reason why
You've kept it to this minute for I'm about to die
Weaver of life, at last now I can see
The pattern of my life gone by upon your tapestry
Malcolm Wilson
I am 66 years old and its 2020 and this song has been stuck in my head since 1969 it is without doubt an absolute classic and the lyrics leave me breathless.
peter rostron
ditto that
Knower
@peter rostron +me
Vaughan Green
We're the same age, and I can remember going down to the suburban record shop in my greatcoat and monkey boots and getting this fine EP.
Had very small grooves but was stereo (still quite rare in 1970), and this version has that crashing wah-wah guitar at the beginning.
Respect to TheRunner75 for uploading.
Pete Jones
Wow same here I'm 66 and still loving and playing family
Peter McDonald
I'm 69 and that's the year I heard this first - when t school before university. Some music stays with you forever and this is one piece that does. It's evocative taking me back to time and place when I hear it. Magic!
dotchew
Absolute masterpiece....still treasure the EP that I bought on the back of hearing a Family track in the film The Adventurers in 1970 called Young Love. I don't think that was ever released, but I found it on YouTube today after watching the film again. Lots of memories of when I was 17.....Roger Chapman, what a voice!
Lawrence Glaister
Could not agree more essential
Joe Hart
It sent shivers down my spine when I first heard it as a young man and it still does now.
Alexandros Deligiorgis
I first heard this song back in 1985, in a video clip. It took me 35 years to find it again, after a long and thorough research. A masterpiece.