The project started in 2004 and led to the release of an eponymous album in 2007 on Real World Records. Some of the tracks on the album are modern re-interpretations of traditional folk songs.
While primarily the project of Simon Emmerson, the band includes contributions from: The Copper Family, Sheila Chandra, Benjamin Zephaniah, Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Paul Weller, Transglobal Underground, Tunng, Chris Wood, Billy Bragg, Tiger Moth, The Gloworms and Dhol Foundation.
The Imagined Village E.P. was released earlier in 2007, and is a remix of the album tracks. The 2008 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards voted "Cold, Hailey, Rainy Night" as best traditional track of the year.
In 2009, the project moved to a new record label, ECC Records, and a second album, Empire & Love was released in January 2010. In 2012 they released the album, Bending The Dark.
Official website: www.theimaginedvillage.com
Byker Hill
The Imagined Village Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I Would Have Another Jill!
I Would Make The Piper Play
The Bonny Lads O′ Byker Hill!
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Byker Hill And Walker
Byker Hill And Walker
My Jenny She Is Never Near
Jenny She Is Never Near
When I Call Out, "Where's Me Supper?!"
She Orders Up Another Pint Of Beer
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
My Jenny She Sits Over Late Up
My Jenny She Sits Over Late Up
Jenny She Sits Over Late Up
Between The Pint Pot And The Cup
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
Hey Jenny Come Home To Your Little Baby!
Oh Jenny Come Home To Your Little Baby!
Jenny Come Home To Your Little Baby!
With A Pint Of Beer Under Your Arm!
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
The Poor Coal Cutter Get Two Shilling!
The Deputy Gets Half A Crown!
And The Overman Gets Five And Sixpence Lads!
Just For Riding Up And Down!
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
The Pitman And The Keelman Trim
To The Dance They Do Begin!
They Drink Bumble Made Of Gin
They Dance The Elsie Marley!
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
Gordy Johnson Had A Pig
And He Hit It With A Shovel And It Danced A Jig!
All The Way To Walker Shore!
To The Tune Of Elsie Marley
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
Byker Hill And Walker Forevermore! (Repeated)
If I Had Another Penny
I Would Have Another Jill
I Would Make The Piper Play
The Bonny Lads O′ Byker Hill
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
There'll Always Be A Happy Hour!
For Those With Money Jobs And Power!
They'll Never Realise The Hurt!
They Do To Men They Treat Like Dirt!
There′ll Always Be A Happy Hour!
For Those With Money Jobs And Power!
They′ll Never Realise The Hurt!
They Do To Men They Treat Like Dirt!
Byker Hill And Walker Forevermore! (Repeated)
The song "Byker Hill" by The Imagined Village explores the struggles of the coal miners in the North East of England in the early 20th century. The lyrics tell of the lack of support the miners received from their wives who spent their earnings on alcohol rather than food for their families. The song also highlights the differences in pay between the workers and their superiors. The chorus, "Byker Hill and Walker Shore, collier lads forevermore!" praises the miners and their never-ending dedication to their work, despite the challenges they faced.
The first verse expresses the desire for more money to be able to spend it on enjoying life, including hiring a piper to play for them. The second and third verses focus on the absence of the miners' wives, who are more interested in drinking than taking care of their households. The fourth verse features the story of Gordy Johnson and his pig, who danced to the tune of "Elsie Marley" all the way to Walker Shore while they were on their way to a dance.
The song ends with a powerful statement about the injustice that the miners faced regardless of their hard work, emphasizing the fact that their superiors never realized the hurt they did to the men they treated like dirt.
Line by Line Meaning
If I Had Another Penny
If I had more money
I Would Have Another Jill!
I would hire another musician
I Would Make The Piper Play
I would have the musician play
The Bonny Lads O′ Byker Hill!
The lively songs of Byker Hill
Byker Hill And Walker Shore
The mining communities of Byker Hill and Walker Shore
Collier Lads Forevermore!
The coal miners who work there are committed to their jobs forever
My Jenny She Is Never Near
My wife Jenny is often absent
When I Call Out, "Where's Me Supper?!"
When I ask where my dinner is
She Orders Up Another Pint Of Beer
She gets more beer instead of preparing dinner
My Jenny She Sits Over Late Up
My wife stays out late
Between The Pint Pot And The Cup
Drinking and socializing is more important to her than anything else
Hey Jenny Come Home To Your Little Baby!
Please come home and take care of your child
With A Pint Of Beer Under Your Arm!
Even if you have to carry your beer with you
The Poor Coal Cutter Get Two Shilling!
The hardworking miners receive very low pay
The Deputy Gets Half A Crown!
Supervisors get a little more pay but still aren't treated well
And The Overman Gets Five And Sixpence Lads!
Even the highest paid workers receive very little
Just For Riding Up And Down!
For doing very little work
The Pitman And The Keelman Trim
The hardworking miners and boatmen dress up
To The Dance They Do Begin!
To join the dance and have fun after work
They Drink Bumble Made Of Gin
They drink a gin-based cocktail called Bumble
They Dance The Elsie Marley!
They dance a traditional local dance
Gordy Johnson Had A Pig
A man named Gordy Johnson owned a pig
And He Hit It With A Shovel And It Danced A Jig!
And when he hit it with a shovel, the pig started dancing
All The Way To Walker Shore!
All the way to the other side of the mining community
There'll Always Be A Happy Hour!
There will be cheap alcohol available for those who can afford it
For Those With Money Jobs And Power!
But only those with money, power, and a good job will benefit
They'll Never Realise The Hurt!
They don't understand how much they hurt and exploit others
They Do To Men They Treat Like Dirt!
They don't treat the hardworking miners with the respect they deserve
Byker Hill And Walker Forevermore! (Repeated)
The mining community will always exist, and the workers will keep working hard
Writer(s): Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
Contributed by Isaiah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.