The Houghton Weavers are an English folk music band formed in 1975 in Westh… Read Full Bio ↴The Houghton Weavers are an English folk music band formed in 1975 in Westhoughton, in the borough of Bolton in Lancashire, England. The current three band members are David Littler (acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, banjo-ukulele, bouzouki, piano accordion and vocals), Steve Millington (bass guitar, keyboards, acoustic guitar, piano accordion and vocals) and Tony Berry (lead vocalist).

David Littler and Tony Berry are both founder members of the band, whilst Steve Millington joined in 1996.

Previous members are Norman Prince (1975 to 1999, 6 string acoustic guitar, 12 string guitar, bass guitar and vocals), John Oliver (1975 to 1976 vocals), Denis Littler (1976 to 1984 bass guitar and vocals) and Jeff Hill (1984 to 1996 and 1999 to 2007 bass Guitar, 6 string acoustic guitar, 12 string guitar, electric guitar and vocals)

They sing mainly English folk music, much of it in Lancashire dialect, and demonstrate an eclectic range of song subjects including "The Blackpool Belle", "Uncle Joe’s Mintballs" and "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" (a biographical song about the painter L. S. Lowry).

They are best known for their BBC T.V. show "Sit Thi Deawn" (a Lancashire colloquial corruption of "Sit You Down"; referring to the supposed hospitality of Lancashire people). The programme ran for six series or seven years and was a mixture of easy listening music and comedy for a local audience[1]. The group also starred in six of their own series for BBC Radio 2.

Manchester Rambler
The Houghton Weavers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm a rambler, I'm a rambler from Manchester way,
I get all me pleasures the hard moorland way,
I may be a work slave on Monday,
But I am a free man on Sunday.

The day was just ending when I was ascending
The guy's brooked a look up and down
When a voice cried, "Hey, you!", in the way keepers do,
He'd the worst face that ever I saw
The words that he spoke were unpleasant;
And in the teeth of his fury I said
That sooner than part from the mountains,
I think I would rather be dead"

Well I once loved a maid, a spot welder by trade,
I loved her ‘til the Rowan did bloom,
And the blue of her eye matched the blue moorland skies
I wooed her from April to June.
On the day that we should have been married,
I went for a ramble instead,
For sooner than part from the mountains,
I think I would rather be dead

So I go where I will over mountain and hill
And I go where the bracken is deep
I belong to the mountains, the pure crystal fountains
Where the grey rocks lie rugged and steep
I've seen the white hare in the gulley
And the curlew fly high overhead

But sooner than part from the mountains
I think I would rather be dead.

Overall Meaning

In "Manchester Rambler" by The Houghton Weavers, the singer sings the joys of hillwalking in the mountains and moorlands of England. He may be a "work slave on Monday," but on Sundays and other free days, he takes to the hills with his rucksack and sets out to explore the rugged terrain. He shares some of the hardships he's endured, such as being burned to a cinder while sunbathing on Kinder and having to sleep on heather, but he insists that he would never part from the mountains. When challenged by a way keeper who tells him to keep off the land, the singer stands his ground and declares his love for the hills, saying that he would rather die than leave them behind.

The song also tells the story of the singer's love for a maid who worked as a spot welder. He courted her for months, but on the day that they were supposed to be married, he went for a ramble instead. His love for the hills was more important to him than anything else, including his love for her.

Line by Line Meaning

Well I've been over Snowdon, I've camped upon Crowdon, And slept by the wayside as well, I've sunbathed on Kinder, been burned to a cinder, And many more tales I can tell. A rucksack has oft been my pillow, The heather has oft been me bed, But sooner than part from the mountains, I think I would rather be dead.
I have had many adventures in the mountains, including camping and sunbathing. Sometimes, I even sleep outside with just a rucksack as a pillow and the heather as a bed. I love the mountains so much that I would rather die than ever leave them.

I'm a rambler, I'm a rambler from Manchester way, I get all me pleasures the hard moorland way, I may be a work slave on Monday, But I am a free man on Sunday.
I am a hiker from Manchester who enjoys roughing it in the mountains. Even though I work hard during the week, hiking in the mountains makes me feel free and alive, especially on Sundays.

The day was just ending when I was ascending The guy's brooked a look up and down When a voice cried, "Hey, you!", in the way keepers do, He'd the worst face that ever I saw The words that he spoke were unpleasant; And in the teeth of his fury I said That sooner than part from the mountains, I think I would rather be dead"
As I was climbing a mountain, a ranger approached me and spoke to me rudely. Despite his anger, I told him that I would rather die than leave the mountains behind.

Well I once loved a maid, a spot welder by trade, I loved her ‘til the Rowan did bloom, And the blue of her eye matched the blue moorland skies I wooed her from April to June. On the day that we should have been married, I went for a ramble instead, For sooner than part from the mountains, I think I would rather be dead
I was in love with a woman who worked as a spot welder. I courted her for months, but on the day we were supposed to get married, I decided to go for a hike instead of getting married because I love the mountains so much.

So I go where I will over mountain and hill And I go where the bracken is deep I belong to the mountains, the pure crystal fountains Where the grey rocks lie rugged and steep I've seen the white hare in the gulley And the curlew fly high overhead But sooner than part from the mountains I think I would rather be dead.
I wander through mountains, valleys, and deep bracken. I feel like I belong to the mountains, where the rocks are jagged and the fountains are crystal clear. I have even seen wildlife like white hares and curlews, but I would never leave the mountains because I love them so much.

Contributed by Ava Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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